The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-01-21
paving too little Of its proportion i

~ Sf.ta tox ;,
,i1 ~. sLn,,,d b.rg;,c mood ~. CIV.
:,o ,Trorn ~ - rr- ono non,ino; of,iec-
t;Sr, - oS,a,sinr oro,.arrv. al is 1,i,e
nine and Tbaf i f(of really an obiec-
! g 80 hnr mr. = Recommendation. 1t is
,h,t no ,n.a;,,t : frOn, thn , mill tax
for ~ Iii. Sshn1)s viii he largely in
~ ','j'tI ''j ,.I,V0 W.. ,M En6w that
vl1's.; ~ i f,icttiyc. that
~, ~ >.'.Fooi., ,,.,,G ,,or,, money. that
Tue scn3"Is - j., lie State which
cN%t T,; l,..,i1,. GOOD schools
IS tS,3tt ga ,.y-rI i;Iy and that
HS"s ,.t,,'.,cS '.~" means oI Improving our
~ sysIe,;, form an enrrossipw
C>'S>;''. ,Hnrrl,t The solution Of
oH,'Jv>I.J J,,tgJ,. rlaffrr is to obey the con-
,,,.;,,n IN ,ha ma1rer Of aSsessmenrs
-. =: ,,,,oaarty and 1berrbvN incrrase the
,r..,i.,}.si i school rnnd This would ner-
.,,li;. nco,Iv an Snacial school raves 10
10 dnnr, ,v.av with and wol,ld nrnyida
to,. TT ..van he n,ost, hasl.war6 ,.nSmnni-
;es . snttir;anI.v ~ Of nnh1iI. i,,S ri,crion.
IF i s?,0nlS nr6ve fh,r 7hn cOnSfitu-
tional ) mill tax provided uudera full
aSsaSSmenf - = larrer sum for the com
mon schools than was REQUIRED it
would b.no difficult matter to ameri
tha constitution so as TO reduce that
NV 10 } mills the former ti0tlre. But
nSnanwj,ilc mo- 1he legislature owes it to
ire ire own nIe(i~e "a obey the constitu-
tion n liz edncatianal interests of
the S-aie and TO equity between man
ard man, county and county. TO pro-
vide for the assessment OF property at
it's true value.
The tOta! assessments for 1902 were
slo5 ,5311 .06l. being an increase during
the wear OF S3.203 .932. Realty Is re-
turnad at $l01 ,0lO.2GS and personally
at SCI .0lS.5 and railroad property IS
assessed at S221.30S.2Q3. 1t is fair to as
slime. what the census figures Will
show. that instead OF less than s200.-
OO1 900 OF property South Carolina mas
more than 500. 900 900 subject to taxa
zion. Under the present system the
tax-dodgcrS ger the benefit of the diff
farence, leaving honest citizens. will
inr to bear their share of the public
burdens. with the weight Of taxation
mon them.
The governor devotes several pages
OF his message to a consideration of
the question of road Improvement. and
he advocates a property tax to furnish
the means of Systematically and per-
manentN providing the State with
GOOD highways. The plan at present
followed in most counties OF tinkering
on the roads involves, he rightly says,
mere waste OF money, The cham
gang should be required to do pernla-
nenJ road work, starting from the
county court houses as the geographic
cal centre and building out in each
direction permanent roads. II only q
few miles are built each year it will
be so much contributed to the general
welfare. The State convicts could not
be put to better public service. even
if it neceSsitated selling some OF the
State tarns. We can never have any
permanent road work done until we
change the present system and make
provision TO raise money by property
tax. and make IL mandatory that SAD
money shall be put on permanent ROAD
improvement, anQ also make IL man
0atory that the chalngangS snail be
put on the same "ork. This is the
system which Las been adopted with
So great success in Richland county,
and its results point the opportunity
and the duty Of the general assembly.
The governors conclusions in this
matter are those which The State
reached years ago and has from time
to time submitted to the consIdera'
tion OF the law-making body.
Compulsory education is championed
by Gov. McSweeney. He shows from
census figures that the illiteracy OF
native whites over ten years OF age is
ISL per cent. and declares that he
cannot see how in the face Of this fact
there can he OnDosition to compelling
the atTnndanIe OF children on the
nrhl;c schools 1T is not necessary, y
He m nroce,sdS Ito worry about the ne
aro on ~. iS oeftinr all the education
Which * provided now and could get
no more under compulsory attendance.
What we should be concerned about is
the education and the moral uplifting
of our white bows and girls. Ignorance
is a menace and a burden to civil lib
erfv and the. Good morals of the coun-
rry. In addition 10 this, every boy or
cirl in this country has a right TO the
Opportunity to do Something and to be
something. Such a law cannot inter
fere with the rights OF parents, BE-
cause no parent has the right to make
a slave out OF his offspring or TO roo
his chili OF the right TO make a usetui
citizen or to have the opportunity to
live useful and happy life. we levy
a tax and enforce the collection OF 1t
for public educatlon; then why not en-
force attendance so That al the cnllo-
rem may receive the Dement'S ana nave
the money put to the best possible use
and for the greatest possible good TO
the greatest number, In THIS matter
also the position OF the governor IS
that OF Inc State: Compulsory at,
tendance on the puollc scnools Woula
greatly enlarge the henehts OF the
schools to white children Whlle not
materially increasing the already great
attendance OF negro pupils. with the
constitutional school tax levied on
property at its actual value there
would be an abundance OF money to
MAINTAIN the SCHOOLS IllIlC lIOllCllS