The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-01-15
GOVERNORS ANNUAL MESSAGE.

''S J""' NoIHatlDn inc DfDDI'ui "'"'
be solved, but SO long as human na
lure Is frail and the impression pre-
walls that ii is not expected to return
property at its value. "" may not 'N
prct this result.
The plan recommended in my las'
message. | believe. will aid in get
ting all property on the tax books ahI
contribute largely 10 an equitable val
uation. and ! repeat it here.
| Under the present system the re
| turns are made to the County AUD.
! tor. There is Township Board ol
| Assessors. which meets II the court
| house after the t,Iiiior has taken the
| returns. and undertakes to go over
! all Of them il ono or two days. The II
there is q County Board OF juuali-
: zntion which also meets at the court
! house and goes over tn" returns fOT
/ the entire county III one or two days.
All Of this is done in somewhat of Il
perfunctory manner and acCompliShCs'
little or nothing in securing an equit
able assessment Of property. There
are counties in the State in which
some Of the land is assessed at one.
third or onr.ha'r its actual value
while other land is assessed AT its real
value. In fact. thCr" may h" two adj
Joining plantations. the one worth
y
under 0nr system each is assessed fer
TAXATION at the same price per acre.
ROAD IMPROVEMENT.
1t would he Il vast" ui words to
attempt to argue before amy assem-
hlaGr Of South CarOluianS the impOr-
lancc OF good roads and tn" necessity
for road improvement. Neither
'uld it b" protitahl" to ar,cmp, t.
argue before ynu tn" advantages OF
good roads. for all arc agreed upon
that subject. The question which
concerns Us is how H,.t to secure
them; to devise some plan by which
We can. AT least. begin the building
Of good roads. 1t is a business prop
% iIion. ana should be taken hold OF
in q business way.
With The extension Of tho rural de-
hN"iN 90 mall. tn" necessity is upon
Us fer ROAD improvement. for already
the G,uartmrnt at Washington is dis
cr~SinE thy impra of extend
inS, or even of carrying on this soy
vice of mail delivery unless there il,
road improv rmcnt. 1t has been stated
tnHl the Postmaster General is to bc
a,h"h Ia consider Il plan for the be:
'rIm"ut Of our public roads. and th"
!"QU"Ht is based on the fact that only
"n" serious; obstacle stands in thl
way OF extending and developing nul
ir'" r'ta! delivery service. and that
l. IN" condition of puhli" highways
EDtCATlDN.
ia" strength and stability OF any
community arc largely in proportion
10 til" intelligence OF thai community
Thr intelligence Of the community j.
ALWAYS in proportion TO the education
OF tn" masses. The power and
strength Of a state arc not in ,t>
. mat "rial advance and development
however vaiuahlc these may be. in
IN an educated ci,izCnShip--anr rdlca
) ti"n which trains its citizenship intel
l"ctual!y. physically and morally. |
our state is to keep pac" with tn
other States OF the Union our rcopl
must be rducatcd---not II few h"r
and there. hut there must be a gcr
Iiui education of tho MASSES. Tn
wealth producing power OF cOuntr
Il in proportion to the education G
IFS citizens. and as We increase tn
efficiency of every citizen by Cduca
ton. 50 We increase the wealth prt
huCinE power Of the state. IF w
~hnuId I0ubir the wages ol every ma,
N the state. W" should not thrrpb,
!ncr"aS" its wealth Il dollar. hul /
"" could duuhl" the efficiency OF ri
cry man in the state and then doubt,
the wagr; We should uua;truplc tn,
wealth of th" State" Said Mr. Rus
kim: ~ ri"cu. Of land which will ont
..unuor, trn idl". ignorant. and imprnl
iH"w p"rS"nS viii support thirty O
> forty Intelligent and nduStri
e ones. Th" value OF Il country Il,
! r"nd% rath"r npon tn" Nirtuc and II
| i,Ni%t nee ul the people who imhah,
II 'n?n upon ,l" richness 0f IL" sol
: NJ! wealth. has its ha%, in intel,
C'nCc.
!. NJ" should pcrmit no r.ilI 10 .roy
= up I" meet the responsible, duties @
I "il!Z n%hin WiIhcul Il; least the rudi
: M"nt% ui "Oui V:iurat!nn. In tn,
! S"uth 81 p,'r cent. of thr criminals ar,
"'t'lrni IN education. while 80 prl
cent. are totally iliitrrat@." Statistics
snow that 80 per cent. Of all the inhnh
NantS IN the South over ten years u
> AZ" are illitrratc. while in New No"t
II i only > - prr cent.
In my last annual message on
d"@r"r"d t" show the Importance of {.
compulsory education law. Thirl,
ihr'r States and Territories. includinp
the District Of Columbia now hay,
compulsory education laws. The high
est per cent. OF illitcracy among tn,
hanN" Whtc population over ten YEAR
III th"S" states having compulsory at
t"ndanc" laws is Wyoming with /;
per cont. and the law has been il
lnHf" only few years. In Connect
'ul u" i"r cent. is | ana in MaSsa
! rh'i%r'l% AMI Nevada only s. II
states not having compulsory attend
q 2h'" IN" lowest rate of illitcrary 0
hA''N" whites over ten years is in Tex
as WIZ" N." pIr cent. In South Caro-
'lhA IN" per cent of illiteracy of na
nv" "nltCS over ten years OF age |.
VI Nrr cent. and in North carOlin.
= J., - p"r cent. In the face Of th..,
'arlS | DO not see how any one ca,
! oppose compulsory attendance Il
. "'A"oi. 1t IL not necessary to WORRY
@,'& -" negro. He is getting ail In
. '"ucdtipn which is provided now AN,
. '"NId get no moro under compulsor,
1 ait"N,iancr.
TiiL. COMMON SCHOOLS
'hrrc is Il marked incrcaso in th
: interest in public education. and Their,
"!c many encouraging cviduncrs 9
InInr"H"N Mt. Yet the bare facts q
l ohc condition OF the average school II
&n"c counties are shocking. Rrfr,
'nro 10 the statistics in III" ropor, O
g. IN State Si,rh,ini ppI,ut nc I,l,,,.