Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-02-07
LETTER FROM SENATOR EARLE.

| Columbia, February 8.-Tbis s,pd one
other week will mark the close I the
General Assembly for 1905. There has
| been great deal of work done this ses
sion, but not many of the proposed laws
have received the flushing tou ches that
are necessary before they become law.
The greater part of the laws will be as
heretofore-local in their application
but there are come which are general and
far-reaching.
! The most perplexing problem has been
for many years the question of taxation.
The inequalities of the assessed values
are startling. Every one almost has a
remedy, but the views are so divergent
that It ls very uncertain as to what will
be the compromise. Something should
be done to equalize the burden of taxa
ton. IL Is not higher taxes, but equal
lzed assessments that the people want.
The people want to do what is right;
they want to pay their just proportion
and they want to catch the tax-dodgers.
Anyone has but to look at the records to
see the glaring injustice that now exists
in our own county. The evil runs through
the State; for instance,.t the average value
Oh buildings In Anderson county is SAG;
/ in Oconee, $127; of horses, Anderson.
S42; Oconee, $43; of cattle, Anderson, so;
Oconee, $40; of mules, Anderson SAT:
Oconee, $40. In Hampton county the
average value of mules is $l09. Now,
would any one think for minute that
any county in the State has better mules
than Anderson? The assessing boards
! have the power to correct most of these
inequalities now, but we see them run
ning In the same old channel. The taxa.
bio property in OcOnee county last year
was little over three. and half million
dollars and it is expected that it will be-
IL creased about one million this year,
Our county authorities asked for a lew
for county purposes of mills and the
delegation in the General Assembly have
decided to make the levy mills. The
levy asked for Anderson county is only a
| mills. In some of the counties the lew
is even less. Pickens county is asking
for levy of ~ mills. The heavy ex.
penses incurref in building roads and
bridges in the mountainous counties is
the principal reason for the higher tax
rate. Several sections of our county are
now clamoriDg for better bridges and
new bridges.
We find that there are many people in
the State who do not know that the
State has reformatory at present for
juvenile offenders. This reformatory is
located on the States farm, seven miles
from the penitentiary; is a neat and
home-like institution, where the BOYS
have the advantages of school, Sunday
school and training in the industrial oc-
cupations. In short, this institution.
whichAYas established almost seven years
| ago, possesses most of the features OF n
rnodern reformatory, but it is not in ac-
cord with the idea of the womens clubs
OF the State and it demanded that a sepa-
rate reformatory be established for W hite
boys
am still afflicted with carbuncles that
| have found very painful and inconven-
| lent for the past three months.
The investigation into the financial
affairs of Greenvlle and Richland coun-
ties last year seems to have set the peo-
pie wild on Investigations. There are
bills to investigate the financial affairs of
a great many of the counties. This work
is supposed to be duty of the grand Jury
in each county, but they must have been
more concerned in whitewashing friends
than in DUNG their duty. If the grand
Juries do their duty there would be no
opportunity for graft or corruption,
Respectfully, j. r. Earle,