The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-01-23
OUR CoUNTY'S PROGRESS.

mind there is cause for great
satisfaction at the material
growth of our State and county
during the past few years. The
progressive strides which South
Carolina has made in the last
three or four years are phenom-
an2l. and it is a fact heralded far
and wide that she leads the
South IN manufactures and Is
second only to Massachusetts IN
the manufacture Of textile goods.
But it is not our purpose SO
much to tell of the States prog
ress as it is to call attention to
the wonderful Improvement IN
our own county of Clarendon.
To those of Us who have lived
here and watched our county's
progress, who have hoped fo1
hel. Improvement and worked fo1
her general upbuilding, we have
cause TO be thankful, and as to
her future, to entertain views OF
the veriest optimism. In the
past ten years we have seen her
achieve {. most substantial in
crease in population. We now
see her with first class schools
in almost every section. Those
who do not move in different
sections Of the county can form
no adequate conception Of the
rapid advancement in education,
and how the youth Of the county
are receiving educational oppor'
tunities which their fathers did
not enjoy.
In agriculture We have seen
the production Of cotton. oul
great staple crop, reduced al
most to a science, and the good
price which this product has
maintained throughout the past
season has placed the condition
Of our people better than it has
been curing the past decade, sc
that the cry OF hard times IS sell
dom more to be heard. In the
past seven years we have also
seen q new money crop, tobacco,
introduced, which pours a flood
of money into TIE hands of our
farmers. and has increased itself
from one-fourth to one and a
half million pounds per year.
Our merchants maintain good
credit, and are able to trade in
all the great martS OF the coun.
try, thereby enabling them to
place before the consumer the
articles which we ourselves do
not make at the lowest marginal
profit. By the help Of the cleo
trio telephone all parts of the
county are in close communica-
ton with each other. and in the
past twelve months the records
show that about $4,000 have
been invested in corporate in
dustries.
The property valuation Of the
county is much higher than it
used to be, and could yet stand a
considerable raise, while upon
careful comparison our taxes are
found to be reasonable and much
lighter than are those of some of
our friends in neighboring coun-
ties. The last years harvest of
provisional products, while not
superfuous, has been ample, and
the average farmer can, in ad
verse weather, sit beside his
hearthstone and contemplate
with serene satisfaction his max
ing the next crop, because he is
not cramped, and has a plenty of
wherewith to supply himself and
those dependent upon him.
AS rule our people are at
peace, and the broad and liberal
minded citizen, when he COM
pares our present condition with
that of some years previous, can
note with happy satisfaction the
wonderful Improvement.
We could dwell at length in
this happy strain, but will re-
frain from more just now. Taken
al in all our people have many
things they did not have in by
gone days, and many causes to
be thankful if they only knew it.