The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-06-24
Editor The Manning Times:

Editor The Manning Times:
have read your article in reference
to Jail matter in last weeks issue Of
your paper, and like your first article,
still misleading in some respects. In
your first piece you tried to make it ap-
pear that the appropriation taking
81 900 from the dispensary profits to
help build jail was taking directly from
the free school fund, and to the aver
age reader it was so understood. You
also stated that the levy of cne-nalf OF
one mill would run for FIVE years, when
the act reads four, and you have not
corrected this statement.
Had your article not conveyed these
impressions | would not have paid any
attention to it, as you have right to
Your opinion as TO how the jail should
be built and in what way the money
should be raised, etc. Now as to the
bond business. no doubt of your being
well posted and perhaps have vivid
recollections concerning the old bonds,
and might tell who held them and
whether they ever changed hands or
discounted and all that. | am still not
convinced that it would have been best
to have adopted your plan, Issue bonds
To build jail" The conditions now and
in 1881 are quite different; thea there
was no Sinking Fund Commission to
borrow from, no money in our county
treasury and big debt hanging over
our county brought on by rotten Rad
ical government over which our dis
tinguished Representative at that time
had no control, and I agree with you in
this. that they did the very best thing
for the county's interest issuing bonds
under the conditions surrounding them
then, nor do I believe that the Hons.
Joseph F. Rhame, Jas. E. Tindal and
Col. H. L. Berbow construed what |
had to say with reference to bonds as
impugning or rejecting in any way on
their motives, Notwithstanding what
YOU have to say about it to the contrary.
they are broad-minded, patriotic gen
tlemen and would not look through
smoked glasses to arrive at a conclu-
sion. You say that there was debt OF
cf S., 900 left by the delegation OF 1898
CT which I was member.
Now want to ask you several ques-
tions, and hope you will answer them
correctly and pointedly.
/. When was this $1,000 debt con-
tracted?
,. Was it before or during my term
Of Office in the General Assembly?
You harp on the fact that the county
paid out OF debt during your term as
Senator, and 7 desire 10 ask you some
more questions and want you to answer
correctly, and feel sure you can do it
without referring to the records, as
YOU are :'posted."
|. How much money arising from the
county levies only was paid into the
county treasury for the four years pre-
vious to the time you was elected Sena-
tor?
2. How much was paid into county
funds arising from licenses, fines and
dispensary profits? Total it for the
four years, please.
3. How much money was paid into
the county treasury arising only from
the tax levy, and how much from faes.
licenses and dispensary profits during
the four years that you were IN the
Senate? Total it, please. Now deduct
the smaller from the larger amount.
If YOU will answer all of these questions
correctly and put the figures down 1t
won't take an expert to decide how the
county paid out of debt and when debt
was contracted. These are public mat
ters and the people should know them.
Mr.. Editor. you say that ID your opln.
ion two and one-half mills levy would
be sufficient to run the county govern
ment. The County Board of Commis-
sioners asked for three mill levy
which was granted. but we took from
the dispensarv profits 81 ,0G0 which vlr-
tually reduces the county fund nearly
one-half of one mill, so really, what is
the difference in your plan and the one
adopted? excep. that in yours it would
take six or seven years to raise funds
enough to build jail, when the present
plan will raise enough in about three
years to do it. basing my calculation on
the present valuation of property.
Answering for myself, and feel sure
the entire delegation will endorse 1t,
when I say we did not go into .his mat
ter blindfolded, as you seem 10 think,
nor were we dictated to from outsiders,
but we did make inquiry from the
proper source, as to about what it would
cost to build good, substantial jail,
and from what information we could
gather, fixed the limit not to exceed
$4,000. And I feel confident that our
Board of County Commissioners, who
are intelligent gentlemen, and | believe
have the county's interest at heart. Will
give US such a building land not ex-
ceed the amount li1nited) of which the
people of the county will be proud.
Now, Mr.. Editor, if you will give cor.
rect answer to questions asked shall
not discuss this matter further. And
the free school subject which you are
trying to connect and drag in with the
jail matter has no bearing whatever on
the subject and l dismiss it without re-
plying
Respectfully yours,
G. NJ. DAVIS.