The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1909-03-03
Pref Derrick On Annea alton.

To my Dutch Fork Friends:
"Why the unrest in the Dutch
Fork, of Lexington County?" This
seems to be question that is puzzling
a great many minds nowadays. And
I appear not as one able to answer the
question, but simply as an anxious in
ouirer also. "Why the unrest?" Is
there any just reason for it? Having
been born and reared in the Dutch
Fork, and having lived and worked
there all of my lie, until ~ years
ago, and knowing those people as l
do, to the above question, I answer
there is no sane and just reason for
you to want to cut yourselves off from
Lexington county and annex to some
other county. But still if you want
to go you have a reason for it and you
think it is a just reason. Then what
is that reason, is it from pecuniary
point of view? Well if that be it, lets
see how that will work. Lexington
county to-day is clear of any debt
whatever, and if I mistake not she has
the distinction of being the only coun-
ty out of the forty-four in the State
Of South Carolina that is free from
debt. So you see that argument will
not hold. Well then you may argue
that the roads and schools are better,
both in Richland and Newberry coun-
ties. Grant that to be true, and l
must say from broader point Of view
I believe it is true. But why are the
roads in these counties better than
they are in Lexington county? There
is one of two reason; it is either be-
cause they have borrowed the money
and built their roads or it, is because
their county levy is higher than ours.
Then why are their schools better
than ours? There is one and only one
reason for this; it is because the indi-
vidual districts have voted an extra
school levy on themselves. Then,
gentlemen, if the above be your rea-
sons and you want better roads and
better schools, which hope you do,
why don't you do as these other coun-
ties have done, and do it in your own
name? You can do it just as well in
Lexington county as you can by call
ingyourselves Richland or Newberry.
You all know there is nothing in the
name, you are not going to have any
better schools nor better roads until
you pay for them, 10 matter what
you call yourselves. You might say
that you are living in "a land that
flows with milk and honey, and that
would not add one iota more to your
schools and roads, than by calling
yourselves>by the same old name,
The Dutch Fork of Lexington Coun-
ty." So, then, am sure you all un-
derstand that if you want these i'm
provements you must pay for them.
And hope and believe you 10 want
them, but why not do it in your own
name? Why do you want to call
yourselves Richlsnd or Newberry,
and thereby put yourselves in posi-
tion to be compelled to help pay off
dett consisting Of thousands and
thousands of dollars that you have
had nothing in the world to do with
contracting? Where is the logic or
reason about it? I must confess my
self as being unable to see it.
But then you say, "THE STEEL
BRIDGEW O, yes, I had almost for
gotten that. My dear friends, has it
ever appeared to your minds that Lex
ington county is the only county
in South Carolina that has a
river flowing through it for the length
that Saluda river flows through and
there is no steel bridge? I venture
the assertion that Lexington county
is unparalleled in this respect. We
have always been sorely in need of a
free bridge. But possibly you will
say there is GRAFT. If there is, it is
not the fault of the bridge nor the
fault of the advocates of the bridge,
but it is the fault of those who are in
authority. So it is your duty to have
that part of the situation investigated
and ascertain whether or not there is
any graft. And if you find that there
is, why then punish the grafters and
go ahead and build your bridge, and
if you find that there is no graft why
then give these men credit for having
the NERVE to go ahead and have
this much needed work done. Take
either Richland or Newberry and I
venture the assertion there are half
dozen steel bridges in either Of the
counties and that none of them are
paid fer, and possibly there wont one
~ 70,