Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-01-29
s492,482.68

: SeuaT springs appropriated.
You will see that these ipstitu-
tions spend annually nearly half
million dollars.
the lions share, does not spend it all
on the students. That institution
has to analyze much of our fertili-
zers, at a cost of $4,000, and many
other matters that cost money. Last
year, for instance, the Legislature
made trip to Clemson at a cost to
that institution of $3.50. Some Of
the items OF the cost of that trip are
amusing. For instance:
cigars .$11 90
Oysters ..........' l6 %
SraDS w Use
Chickens ........ 8 90
Ribbons and badges, etc., etc., at
smaller cost.
The mode of determining whether
or not students at Winthrop shall
pay tuition Is interesting and would
be amusing II 1T were not for the
utter absurdity and inadequacy Of
that mode. l will try to explain it
here:
You are allowed to have, accord
ing to the assessed valuation Of
your property, $1,000 for each Of
your children before you will be
charged tuition; so, IL there are flve
children your holdings would have
to be assessed at just over the $1,000
mark before you would have to pay;
IL ten children, then you must be as
sessed over $4,000 before paying
Our property is generally assessed at
about twenty per cent of Its value
Thus a man assessed at $1,000 would
have $4,000, and II he had flve or
more children could send to Win
throp without paying tuition. No
wonder they have only eighty pay
students there!
I am told that Clemson is run on
somewhat the same plan. don't
know about that, but do know that
boys go there to school and pay no
tuition whose parents are amply able
to pay
You will observe from the above
that the negro college has 800 stu
dents and only $25,072.82; Clemson
665 students, with 1,348.55;
has some work to do outside of the
college. Still, If you will study these
figures, you Will conclude that the
white man might learn something
from the negro. Thos. Miller, presi-
dent Of the negro school, made a
very creditable showing before the
Ways and Means Committee. He
brought his book of expenditures
and gave it to the committee, say
ing: Gentlemen, you will find
where your money went, in that
book, even to cents" l wish ALL
the colleges would show where the
money, even to three dollars, goes.
/ do not accuse any one OF anything,
but the people would lik1 to know,
to the very cent, where this half
million dollars goes
There is no doubt that a great
many students attend the various
colleges in this State, free Of tut
ton, who ought 10 pay. There is
only one OF two ways to manage this
business: Let all pay or work; let
those Who cannot pay work. If all
paid there would be practically no
need for State aid.
In North Carolina there Is a wo-
mans college, where girls work for
their tniti6n. Why not let both boys
and girls do the same in this State
If they cannot pay cash?
vii say something next week
about other State and county eXpen-
diturcs.
The ier. law bill passed the house
by 10 TO 70 votes, ana 1t is thought
will pass the Senate. 1t is said that
the people will be allowed to give
mortgages on crops after they are
growing, and that no law can pre-
vent that.
The total State expenditures for
the year 1907 exceed the expendi-
lures for 1897 by $5S1,232. .5O-over
half million dollars increase; yet
there Is an increase Of $96,6S2,5S0
in the assessed value of the taxable
property.
Taxes are getting higher and
higher, and every man and institu-
ton, almost without exception, seem
to be asking for more and more.
Something radical will have to be
done before this thing will stop. 1t
is uncomfortable now.
e. E. Werner