The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-02-12

the SSOaGS, tS q LIZ Ai1A P1AO ''0N14N ~
the House bill, but the arrangement
of the districts is not as logical nor as
acceptable TO the people of this section
of the Stats as that proposed in the
Freeman bill. In this matter, as in
majority of the questions brought up
for action in she Legislature, politics
and the personal interests of legislators
and their friends had more to do with
determining the result than the needs OF
the whole people and tbs real merit OF
the measures proposed. Sumter
county has never received much con-
sideration in 5he formation of Congress
sional districts, and We have become
accustomed TO accepting the situation
philosophically.
The Ways, and Means COMMITTEES Of
the National House Of Representatives,
has reported in favor of repeating
all the revenue taxes imposed at the
outbreak of the Spanish war, which
win reduce the revenues by s77,ooo,-
coo a year. The n. z. Outlook says
Of this repeal bill:
Nine million dollars of this reduc-
ton viii be obtained by the removal
of the tax on tea tax which every
body, one mfght think, would wish to
see go. There was, however, astrong
remonssranee against its removal from
a few tea merchants, who claimed
that the tax did not raise the price OF
tea, but who only convinced the pub
lie that the tax did not rest upon
the importers. It was charged that
these importers desired the tariff on
tea to bs maintained because it kept
the business in fewer hands. Aside
from this handful of people, how
ever, the renewal Of the tea tax gives
universal satisfaction. The other
taxes removed, on the other hand, are,
as a rule, tae very taxes which ought
to be retained. The war tax on beer
IS abolished, and also the taxes on
stock exchange and bucket-shop trans
actions, and the taxes or inheritances.
When the war tax bill was drafted, we
remarked that It was the best tax bill,
from the standpoint of the public in
terests, that had been framed by our
Congress in a generation. Not one dol
lar of It's revenues went to enrich
favored private interests. Every dollar
collected from the public went into the
public treasury. In addition to this,
the burdens imposed, apart from those
of the tea tax, fell upon the wealthier
classes, Or. If upon the poor, only when
they purchased luxuries. The tax on
beer was Of the latter class, while the
progress We tax upon large inheritances
was most wisely framed TO compel the
richer classes to pay more nearly their
Just share of the National taxes. But
all these taxes are swept away, while
the taxes on sugar and rice, wool and
hides, farm implements and bouse-
hold utensils, are all retained, because
the proceeds Of these taxes On food
and clothing and other common neces-
sites of the people do not go exclu-
siyely into The public treasury, but go
in part TO enrich powerful private in
terests, which lobby against their re-
peal. And there is good ground for
the suspicion that this method Of tax
reduction is hurried forward in order
to forestall and present any relef Tor
imperiled Cuba
Congressman Lever writes under date
of February sth, in reference to the
visit of Prof. Spellman, the grass and
forage crop specialist of the Agricul-
tnral Department, to the county:
Il have succeeded in getting the
Agricultural Department to send a
specialist in grasses and forage crops
to our district with view OF inyesti-
gating the adaptibility of our soil to
the growing sof alfalfa and other for
age crops. 1t is important that we
wosk up an interest in the matter
preparatory to al extended investiga-
tion by the department.. / want to
enlist your interest in this matter and
the influence Of your paper.
Prof. spillman, the Specialist Of the
Department, will call on you some
time N the near future, and he viii
give you the scope of his work. /
turst you viii cooperate with him
and belp him arouse the people to the
magnitude of the grass question. You
will find him intensely in earnest.
ard specially anxious to investigate
our sand lands. Give him the names
q representative farmers, and intro
duce him to different men in your
,,bo ,aav take an interest IN