Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-02-10
.eArs THE STATE CAPITAL.
High School Law Will Stand-May
Have Lower Tax Levy.

bill to repeal the high school law
This law was enacted by very close
vote, but the number OF communities
and towns that are making an ef-
fort to establish high schools shows
that 1t has grown in favor as an en-
courager of popular education. All
measures Of this kind are only for
the benefit Of the people, who i'm the
end must foot the bill, and If they
are pleased with the law we have
no reason to complain.
A bill has passed the House, and
has fair chance OF passing the Sen
ate, to give sufficient State aid to
rural common schools to run them at
least five months in every year. This
will be more beneficial to the citizen
ship OF the State than anything that
has yet been proposed. The wealthy
districts that have more money than
they know what to do with will by
this means help the weaker ones.
The common school is where the
greater part of the people must be
educated, and it must be brought as
near them as possible SO that they
can take advantage Of 1t.
The expenditures for common
school education is almost as much
as the departments of the State gov
ernment. The attendance Of the
public schools and population for
last year are as follows: White pop
ulation (estimated) 100000; in
school lac 6,000-23 per cent Of pop
ulation in school. Negro population
(estiInateO, $4,000; in school
l72, ,0O0-20 per cent OF colored
population in school. This shows by
actual figures that the white peo-
pie are. from a numerical stand
point, getting the advantages of the
schools. Comp uiSOry education
would mean to bring the negro up
in attendance to that Of the whites
Again, no notice is taken OF the diff
ferent lengths of average cnrollment
The figures on the actual days of at
tendance show greater disparagc-
ment than that in favor of the white
population. Then compare the
amount of money actually used by
the white schools for last year
t$l, 102, ,09i with that for the ne
grOeS, $25i, ,16l. More negro chill
dren in school. but getting less than
one-iourth of the money. Would it
not be wise, from these bald facts,
for the white people to cease agitat-
ing this question?
The present prospects are that the
State tax levy will be about one-half
mill lower than last year, but this is
yet dependent upon the apprOpria-
tionS for this year. The Comptroller
General suggests more economy and
less levy, while the Governor is
asking for a higher levy in order to
get the states finances on q cash ba-
sis. AT present the State officials
have to borrow about half enough to
run the government for about six
months, and gets Il small amount Of
interest on the money deposited un-
I'll II is used. II the total amount
were collected Il year before it is
needed for the various appropriate
tions. the State would only get about
, per cent interest on half of il for
six months. and it would be taken
from general circulation, and at the
same time large number Of tax
payers would be paying per cent.
The state gets these loans at 1 to )
per cent, which means saving Of at
least per cent to the taxpayers.
Our county levy will be the same as
last year. which made Il total of II
mills. The people on the TugalOo
river, below Westminster. are MAX
lnE an cnOrt TO get a bridge built
near JcnkinS'S Ferry, but up to this
time We have not received any re-
quest from the County Board OF
commissioners, and ii is now too
late TO get il through at this ses-
sion.
Th. reports of the state Penitcn-
tar ,0W there were 81 prisoners
thrr" on December 81. 1905, against
154 for the same date in 1907. The
products of the State farms show
S9i bales OF cotton. The fertilizer
bill amounted to $l2.l2S. The net
profits in available assets on hand
AT III" close Of the year were $5S.-
3I.i3. The ConI"act with the hos
icrN mill will run out in 1911 and
the additional two hundred hands
VIII have TO be put at something
else. The business upon which every
person III this State is either directly
or indirectly dependent is farming
Hence, If any interest should receive
at the hands of the gov
crnmcnt ii should be that of agricul-
ture. Instead Of the state making
Il thousand bales Of cotton TO fur
thcr dcpress the market it would be
so easy to convert this convict labor
into another channel--that of max
ing fertilizers to be sold to the farm
ers OF the State in competition with
the trusts. The State already has
ample buildings in connection with
the pcnitentiary to operate ferti-
lizer factory with a capacity Of 10O,-
600 tons.
The total assessed value of all
taxable property in this State is
81 .367.956. Farm lands and
buildings $S3,234,457: city and
town real estate $51.301, 500; per-
Sonal property, 9i.S72,32S: rail
roads Sal, ,959,377. A careful study
of these figures will show where the
burden Of taxation falls. There is