The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-09-11

ent upon voluntary subscription, the
less patriotic shirk their duty, and
the burden falls upon the willing few.
Besides, such support is irregular,
unstable, and uncertain.
| Frequently it is proposed by few
to increase the common school fund
by direct appropriation from the
State treasury. Unless such ap-
propriation were made upon the
|.condition that each district receir-
ing its part should first make
specific local effort, the result would
! be hurtful, as the districts would
soon come to look upon themselves
as benefciaries Of the State, and
would cease to make any effort to-
he]p themselves. Only a few years
ago one house of the General Assemb-
II passed a bill (knowing that It
would fail to pass in the other house,
appropriating 100000 to the COM
mon schools. How much relief would
such sum give 10 the schools! 1t
would increase the fund only 63
cents per pupil on last years enroll
mcnt, or S15.75 to 4 school OF 20
pupils. An appropriation or 100000
disbursed in such way as to require
the districts to raise in the aggregate
something like 100000 in local tax
es. would be equitable and wise. !
am at once reminded that this plan
would not entirely relieve the strain
in a few OF the poorer counties, and
I admit it. Our present plan or col
lecting and apportioning the constl-
tutional 3-mill school tax is not a de-
mocratic one. That tax is collected
and apportioncd by counties. Some
counties with poor land, lack OF water
power for manufacturing, and with
no railroads to tax, are ut decided
isadvantage 1t would have been un-
Just to have collected and apportion-
ed that 3-mill tax as Il State tax, but
it would have been just and demo-
cratic to have made two mills coun-
ty tax. as at present, and have MADE
the other mill State tax. Then the
stronger counties would have been
contributing a well-guarded tax for
the support OF the weak counties.
So far in this State atleast. local
taxation has proved to be the best
means Of increasing the school fund.
It is equitable, it is stable, and it is
certain until a majority of the people
vote it off. It compels the unwilling
few to bear their proportionate part
of legitimate and necessary COM
munity expense. The district which
lcyies a local tax knows just where
every dollar comes from, and Just
where every dollar goes. Moreover,
it is usually not very difficult to levy
a local school tax, if there Is only
some safe person to lead, for as rule
the wealthiest persons in the district
are the readiest to vote local school
tax.
Personally am confident that the
most lust, equitable, and reasonable
way TO increase our school fund IS 10
inaueurate a sensible and honest sys-
tenn of returning our property for tax
alton. When you compare the amount
of school tax raised in South Carolina
on each 500 Of taxable property
with that of other States. the showing
is very good. But when. you stop 10
consider that our property has been
returned at perhaps twenty-five per
cent of it's true value, the showing is
not GOOD. The habit Of returning
piece Of property at one-fourth IT'S
true value, then taxing it at mills,
instead of returning it at something
like it's true value, the taxing II at
ono mill to raise the same amount OIL
money, is not only childish business
practice. but it is training school IN
dishonesty. Men who offer to return
their property at something like ITS
true value are actually laughed-at for
their artlessness. Civic honesty must
decline under such vicious system.
Were the real and personal proper
tv in this State returned ut something
like ninety per cent (and why should
it not?) of it's true value, the 3-mlll
school tax alone would practically
double our entire school revenue. In
1907, the land outside the incorporat-
cd towns in the prosperous, produc-
tive, and wealthy county of Ander-
son was returned for taxation at an
average of $6.J1 per acre. Marlboro
one of the finest farming counties IN
the whole South, returned her land
at an average of S5.2S an acre. Or
anceburg is Justly proud of her farm
land, but she returned hers at SS.o4
an acre. Williamsburg has some
DOOR land, but she has some oil the
finest fields OF cotton and tobacco TO
he found in the State; on the lay
books her land is rated at an average
of s2.09. In these very counties
have been shown land whose owners
would not sell for $50, $40, ana
even $50 an acre. In one OF these
counties is a school district contain
inc nearly $4,000 acres of land, yet
the etire real and personal property
Of the district is returned at Sloo'-
600. What would 4-mill school tax
mean to that district? Increasing the
tax levy while we reduce the valla-
ton of our property reminds one OF
nc tho master who UNDER