The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-12-26
new COUNTY Election.
Papers Presented Were In Unusually
Good Shape.

| Columbia, Special.-The papers fled
in the matter Of the petition to the
! governor to order an election upon The
| question of the formation Of the new
| county of Pee Dee out OF the supper
! portion Of Marion county have been
carefully examined and have been
found to be regular in every respect,
! meeting all constitutional and legisla-
tive requirements. The assistant at
| torney general went over the docu-
ments with the governor, and they
were found in better shape perhaps
than any filed in any new county mat
Yer. The map shows that the upper or
ton OF the present country OF Marion
is proposed to be taken, with the At
lantic Coast Line bisacting the new
county, and with Dillon in the centre
for the county seat.
Governor McSweeney fixed January
10th as the day for the election to be
held. The advocates Of the new county
wanted an earlier date, but 1t could not
be given for several reasons.
The numerously signed petition filed
sets forth the following facts, all Of
which are sworn to in attached affi-
davits prepared in the proper form:
1--WE, the undersigned qualified elec-
tors signing the petition and the du-
| plicates thereof, and constituting moro
than one-third Of the qualified electors
residing within the area of the county
Of Marion set forth and describe below,
and which we desire shall be incorpar-
ated into new county respectfully
petition your excellency to order an
election in the territory proposed to be
cut of for new county from the upper
portion of Marion county, upon the
question OF creating new county, and
upon the name and county seat there
Of We propose "Pee Dee" as the name
OF the proposed new county. We fur
ther show that by the United States
census of 1900 there are In the said
county o. Marion 35,1S1 inhabitants;
that there is more than one one hundred
and twenty-fourth part of the popula-
ton Of the State within the bounda-
rles OF the proposed new county, to
wit. 1882 inhabitants, and there is
=, left in the old county Of Marion i7,34o
1 inhabitants. and there are 992 square
miles in the entire county Of Marion
of which there arc 403 square miles
in the proposed new county and 5S2
square miles left in the old county,
that the taxable property OF the en-
tire county of Marion as shown by the
last tax returns Of the said county is
the sum Of $4,403, ,10S, and OF that
amount there is in the proposed new
! county as shown by the said return
the sum OF s2,1S5,S26, and there is left
in the old county the sum Of s2,2f7, 1872
of taxable property; that the pro-
| posed lines OF said new county do
not run nearer than eight miles IF
any court house building now estab-
lished By law"
The governors proclamation order
ing the election reads as follows:
| "whereas petitions signed by the
| qualified electors OF certain sections
of Marion county has been lied with
me, and from said petitions and ac-
/ companying papers it appears that
one-third Of the qualified electors re-
siding within the area of'each section
of the said county proposed to be cut
off for new county have signed said
| petition, and,
whereas, the boundaries Of the pro-
posed new county, the proposed name,
the number Of inhabitants, the area,
the taxable property, as shown by
last tax returns, and the proposed lines
for the new county do not run nearer
than eight miles to any court house
building now established and set forth
in said petition:
"Now, therefore, l, NJ. B. McSwee-
ney, governor of the State Of South
Carolina, in compliance with the re-
quircments Of an act of the genera!
assembly, entitled An act to provide
for the formation Of new counties.
etc., approved March 9, 1896, do hereby
order an election in the territory to
be cut off for the new county on
Thursday, January 16, 1902, to be held
in accordance with the requirements
OF said act, at which election the cleo
tors shall vote Yes or No upon the
nuestion Of creating new county, and
upon the name and county seat of the
| proposed county"
L