The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-04-26
WHAT ARE THE FACTS
As to the Cost and Benefits OF
New Counties?
Some False Statements Put Out By
Advocates of New Counties Met
ana RcfutcU.

There are now three seperate and
distinct movements on foot to cut
Orangeburg County for the purpose
Of forming new counties. If thcv all
succeed the grand old mother count
will be pretty badly disfgured. but
we do not believe that the people arc
ready just yet to cut the old count,
up into shoestrings for the purpo OF
GLOWING some ambitious towns to be
come county seats. However, it is
a matter that the voters Of the sec.
tons must decide for themselves, and
whatever their decision may be will
suit us. The proposed counties arc
az follows:
First-County to be formed out OF
portions or O~rangoburg, Lexington
and Aiken Counties, with county seat
at Sally. If this succeeds it will take
q big portion of the lower folk OF
Orangeburg County, including one OF
two towns.
Second-COunty to be formed out
OF portions Of Orangeburg, Collector
and Dorchester Counties, with coun.
ty seat at Branchvillc. If this sue.
ceedS 1T Will take in a considerable
portion OF the lower fork of Orange
burg County, but will not touch any
OF the towns except Branchvillc.
Third-County to be formed out
OF portion of Orangeburg and Lex
ington Counties, with county seal at
st. Matthews. If this succeeds it will
take in about the same territory that
was formerly included in the propos.
ed Calhoun County, which included
several small towns.
Those are the boundaries of the
proposed new counties as far as We
have seen them stated. All of them arc
old schemes revived. The people
have voted on each OF them before
and ropudiated them at the polls, and
we believe they will do so again when
they are put In possession Of all the
facts.
AS soon as we can get at the cx.
act boundaries we will take pleasure
in laying them before our readers
1t is not our intention to take any
part in the discussion regarding the
formation OF these new counties ono
way or the other, but we Shall en-
dcavor to give the people such facts
as We can get bearing on the sub
ject from time to time, SO as to en-
able them to come to an Intelligent
conclusion in determining the mat
ter.
One of the arguments used to
bolster up II Of the new counties is
that taxes in the new county will be
lower than they are in the old, that
the expense Of a small county is less
than Il large one, and to prove 1t
Bambcrg county is brought forward
as an example OF economy. We are
asked to compare Bambcrg, a small
county, with Orangcburg, Il big coun-
~, and We are told that We will find
that the smafl counties are run on n
much more economical basis. and
hence taxes are lower. Now let us
investigate this statement, so conf
IDENTIFY made, and sec if it is true.
According to the tax levy for 1906
We find that the tax in Bambcrg
county was 4 mills. For the same
year in Orangcburg County the tax
levy a 2H mills. This certainly
does not bear out the statement that
taxes in the small counties is less
than it is in the largo county. 1t
will be noticed that the taxes in BAN
hcrg County are nearly double what
they are in Orangcburg County,
which knocks to pieces the argument
'id' a obIdlI COUNTY Cdll nc run cheap
er than a large one. The figures
prove the reverse to be the case.
Bambcrg. Dorchester, Greenwood,
Leo and Saluda are the last counties
organized IN South Carolina. Now
let us compare their tax lcvics with
Orangcburg and see If the result will
warrant the statement that a new
county cut out Of Orangcburg and
Lexington could be run on a lower
tax levy than Orangcburg County Is
being IL on. We shall not base our
conclusions on speculation or the
statement Of any county official, but
We will take the figures themselves
as fixed by the Legislature. AS the
State tax and the constitutional three
mill school tax are the same in all
the counties, we Will omit them, and
use only the figures passed by the
Legislature for ordinary county pur-
poses, which varies according to the
needs Of the different counties.
AS we stated above the lovy in
Bambcrg County last year was four
mills.
In Dorchester County it was AZ
mills.
In Greenwood County it was 3h
mills.
In Leo County 1t was 3 mills.
III Saluda County it was 6 mills.
AS we stated above tho tax lovy in
County last year was
2H mills.