Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-11-17
ulative reasons have been assigned,
hut they have not haen made clear

but they have not been made clear.
A citizen of the territory that Is be-
ing coveted by some of the manipula-
tors in the name Of and on behalf of
Cherokee, who is now a citizen Of
York, and who earnestly desires to re-
ago, and gave the reporter a few
points about the situation.
II understand" he said, that the
claim of the would-be secessionists Is
that there Is no purpose to take more
than a strip about mile and half
wide and four miles long. This strip
starts at a point south of the mouth
of Kings creek and runs up to Smyr-
ma station. Most of the people living
in this territory are renters and squat
ters. There are a few land owners;
but most of the land owners are nom
residents. However, the people Of this
territory can vote, and as the law
stands, they can take the territory In
question away from York and annex
| it to Cherokee regardless Of the wish
es Of the people who actually own the
land. The only reason given by the
people who say they want to go Is that
they object to the three dollar pol
tax, and they want to get over into
Cherokee to get rid Of 1t. Nobody
who understands the situation is ac-
cusing these people Of having origina-
ted this objection themselves. 1t is
very we'll understood that the whole
idea was inspired by emissaries from
Cherokee, who want more territory
for their county. These particular
reason that very few Of them are able
to read and they have but one side of
the matter They have never been
told that Cherokee has a floating in
debtedness of $85.000, and the fact
that the tax rate Is higher in Chero-
kee than in York Is Of little conse-
quence to them at all, because they
have no property tax to pay anyway.
I think If the matter comes to a vote,
1t will carry so far as this strip is
concerned; but do not think 1t will
carry further up the country. In fact
the more territory they try to take
over to Cherokee the less the proba-
bility Of taking any. AS a matter of
fact I think the real object Of the
original movement was to get Pied
mont Springs, Kings Mountain Bat
tleground and Smyrna over into Cher
okee, and that the manipulators are
lying low now because they have be-
come convinced that such a plan will
not work."
Another probable reason for this
movement to take a slice Of York's
territory over into Cherokee, Is the
fact that Cherokee Is not in the best
Of standing so far as foreign. credit
Is concerned. This Is because Of the
fact that she Is a county only by leg
islative fiction rather than by right.
The constitution requires an area of
400 square miles for the establish
ment Of a new county. Cherokee lacks
considerable of having that area. The
legislature went ahead and establish
ed the county anyway. 1t should not
have done 80. While 1t Is true that
the supreme court usually holds that
the legislature Is judge Of fact, and
for that reason would not ordinarily
render a decision that would disorgan-
lie the county, still outside investors
would probably be slow about taking
up a bond issue that such a county
might attempt to float. II there was no
question about the constitutional area
of Cherokee this objection could not
be urged. The ordinary method of
disposing Of large floating indebted
ness Is by converting 1t into a bond
issue 80 as to distribute the burden
over a number Of years; but under the
conditions as they exist In Cherokee
this is impracticable and annual lev
les will have to remain high.
OF course the foregoing Is more or
less speculative; but 1t is not alto
gether without foundation. Even now
Cherokee is imposing on the constitu-
tional rights Of citizens Of York coun-
ty. The constitution Of 1895 provides
that no new county line shall run
through an incorporated town or VII
lage. The town Of Smyrna was in
corporated before 1895. The Chero-
kee county line runs through the cor
porate limits Of that town, and citi-
zens living in that town are being
made to pay taxes in Cherokee. But
for this condition Of affairs, especially
since these citizens would rather be
counted in York, Cherokee is not alto
gether responsible. 1t has been up to
York and is still up to York to see
that these citizens have their rights.