The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-06-19
Is & New Jai1 Wanted?

The grand jury in its presentment
last week made up good portion OF
that document with considerable stress
on the needs of a new county jail: and
called upon the Representatives to pro-
vide plan for the erection of q new
prison without burdening the people
too severely with taxation. It is no
new thing for grand jury to complain
about the unsanitary condition OF the
Jail, and all they have said about It is
founded upon facts, but the grand jury
is made up of only a small proportion OF
Clarendon's taxpayers with authority
to 60 no farther than suggest. The
question of building new Jail was sub
mitted to the taxpayers, and by a very
decisive majority the taxpayers refused
to be taxed for such 8 purpose. The
Representative and county officials are
bound by this instruction from the tax
PAYERS, because every officer pledged
himself to abide the result OF chat
decision.
We agree with the complaint OF the
present and former grand luries, but
what can the officers do when they are
forbidden by the people. The Repre-
sentatives are not elected to represent
grand iuries, they are elected to repre-
sent the people as whole, and when
they receive positive instructions they
are bound by them. 1t is all very
well for members OF grand jury
to complain to the court, but how
many of the members of these grand
juries vote as they complain? 1t would
not surprise US to know that some OF
the members of grand juries that have
made these complaints about our coun-
ty iail went to the ballot box and pro-
tested against building new jail. A
new jail is needed, and we believe a
plan can be formulated which will rem
edy this evil without the cost of it being
very appreciably felt, but we cannot
see how the present delegation can do
ANYTHING towards that end, in the face
| of the vote taken on the subject. II
the people OF Clarendon will have a
mass meeting, with representative at
tendance and at this meeting they will
release the delegation from the pledge
taken in the primary relating to the
building of new jail, we believe the
REPRESENTATIVES will be able to do
SOmSCQlUS IL GUO PASAAASSo' |Ao S.S Va
the Representatives we feel it to be our
duty to let the building of a new jail
alone as long as we are tied by the in
structions OF the people. In our opinion
q iail fit for human habitation can be
built at q cost of about s5000, and by
authorizing the Commissioners to issue
bonds, retiring one every year for five
wears we can rid ourselves Of the humil-
iation of being constantly published in
the courts, without any material in
crease in taxation. At present our
county levy is the lowest it has been in
wears, and we are without any past in
debtedness-all Of the old debts have
been paid, and if it is found that we
can run our county affairs on the pres.
ent levy OF 3 mills by adding an extra
mill for jail purposes, the Jail can be
built, and the Slight addition to the
taxes will not be felt even by the larg'
est taxpayers. If the people are in
earnest about this matter they are the
ones to speak out, for at present all o1
the authorities are tied down by the
pledge taken in the primary and can dc
nothing.