The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-06-03
OUR MONEY FOR A JAIL INSTEAD OF
SCHOOLS.

- UI1O oLiAAS ~ oAAS - 49,
look after the needs of their
respective districts. We would
suggest that the school trustees
of every district in the county
hold a meeting and send
a. protest to our delegation
against the use of any part OF
the dispensary fund for the
building of the new jail. Our
understanding of the purpose Of
the dispensary law, and in a
large measure our support to it
was Influenced because we were
led to believe the profits were to
go to the free schools, but not
one cent of this fund in this
county goes to that source.
When the county was burdened
with debt, there was some excuse
to permit this money to be di-
verted to extinguish the in
debtedness, but now we are not
in debt, and our Representatives
have raised our tax levy for jail
building; we think it is putting
it on in extraordinary measure,
to also draw on the dispen-
sary profits for the same
purpose. The Act authorizes
the County Commissioners to
borrow $1,000 from the sinking
fund commission for five years,
also fixes one half mill to meet
the payments as they become
due, and the Act also authorizes
the commissioners to take 81 900
a year for five years from the
dispensary profits. and pledges
our taxes, and this dispensary
fund to the sinking fund com
mission as security. Read the
Act.
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR BUILDING JAIL
FOR CLARENDON COUNTY, TO AUTHORIZE
THE BORROWING OF MONEY THEREFOR,
AND TO PROVIDE FOR TIE REPAYMENT
THEREoE.
SECTION l. Sc it enacted by the General AS
sembly Of the State Of South Carolina. That
the County Board Of Commissioners for Claren,
don County be, and they are hereby, authorized
and empowered 70 build q new Jail at Manning,
to cost not more than six thousand dollars.
SEC. , For said purpose the said Board OF
Commissioners shall let the contract for build
ing said Jail. after three weeks advertisements
in some newspaper published within this State.
to lowest responsible bidder (with right TO re-
iect any ard all bidS). requiring said bidder to
enter into bond for the faithful compliance with
the terms OF such bid.
SEC g. That said Board shall dispose OF the
old jail building in the very best way and to the
best interest Of said County.
SEC. 1. That the said Board are empowered
for said purpose to borrow from the Commits
Siorers Of the Sinking Fund five thousand dol
lars, PAYABLE in four equal annual inStaLnentS,
with interest at FIVE per cent. per annum until
paid. and to repay the same are authorized and
required TO levy one half Of one mill annually on
ell the taxable property Of said County. and in
the sum Of one thousand dollars OF said County S
share OF the annual profits from the County
D;spenSary, and until said indebtedness has
been fully paid. the annual levy OF taxes IN SAID
County for ordinary purposes, together with
such profits. are hereby pledged to secure the
sane.
I.oproved the second day OF March, a. D. 1908
We have no personal feeling
in this matter, we are discussing
it from the standpoint of iudg-
ment. Our observation has al
ways been that public funds are
not managed with the business
like precision, or the exactness
of private funds, and the more
funds available the more funds
will be utilized; this has been so
in almost every public expendi
ture; it does not follow, however,
thatthose who were charged with
the expenditure of public monies
were corrupt-it is simply a DIFF
ference between public and pri-
vate management, with the best
results in favor of the private
management.
We object to taking the dis
pensary profits to build a jail:
a healthy prison house is a nee
essity and as a humane people
we are willing to be taxed to
have one, but in our humble
iudment one half mill additional
on our already overta1ed prop
erty for a period of five years
should be sufficient to pay for the
jail needed, withoutreaching out
into a fund that should go to.
wards fitting our school houses
so that our children need not
shiver in the cold or suffer from
heat. it should go towards Civ
ing our children an opportunity
to go to school longer terms, it
should go towards giving those
who teach our children, a better
compensation for the sacrifice a
conscientious teacher makes. It
was the intention to use the dis
pensary funds for educational
purposes, and not for comforting
criminals; many ardent support
ers OF the dlspensary were IN
duced to vote against prohibition
because they were persuaded that
by proper education, better re-
suits for the cause of temperance
could be secured, than by putting
a prohibi5ory law upon the sta
tute books with no means to Sc
cure it's enforcement. This ar
gument won thousands to the
support of the dispensary, and
the people have a right to de,
mand that our Representatives
place this money in its proper
channel. And if our school trus