Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-11-10
AT HICKORY GROVE.

The country Of which Hickory Grove
Is the centre has made remarkable
progress within the memory of people
not yet rs years old, and it is still
coming steadily and surely. A Hick-
ory Grove man who was in Yorkville
a few days ago, talked interestingly
about his town to The Enquirer.
1T has been pretty up hill business
with us in a good many things" he
said, land there are those among us
who realize that we have a good deal
Of hard work to do yet, but we are
hopeful.
"One of the best Indications" the
gentleman went on, "is our progress
in school work. For long time we
found 1t difficult to supplement the or
binary school fund with a special levy.
We tried It a time or two before we
succeeded. The opposition included
some good citizens-as good as the
best of us. They just could not see
the justice Of the proposition, and be-
ing good, hard fighters, they downed
the opposition grew weaker. I do not
mean by that, 1t lost its influence, for
that would not be true. The leaders
Of the opposition to the tax then are
as strong as they ever were, and If
they had kept on fighting there would
have been no special tax yet. They
just began to entertain doubts as to
whether they were right, and their op-
position relaxed accordingly. Now
everybody Is satisfied that the extra
levy we are paying Is the best invest
ment we can make either public or
private. I do not believe there Is 60
ing to be any more opposition.
And our bank. That has done lots
for us. It is being we'll managed. Ev-
erybody has confidence in it, and 1t is
a wonderful convenience. 1t Is diff
cult to see how we managed to get
along without 1t as long as we did. OF
course we had some good folks who
thought 1t would not do and who
would not touch the stock to begin
with; but now the stock Is hard to
get. The holders know they have a
Eood thing and they are not willing
to turn 1t loose.
"One of the most serious drawbacks
under which the town labors Is the
difficulty Of getting building lots along
Main street, Quite lot OF the prop
erty Is owned by first-class people,
who just won't sell. 1t does not seem
to be a matter Of price. Some time
ago there was an offer Of $500 for a
lot of less than an acre, and the only
satisfaction the would-be purchaser
could get from the owner was, ! just
don't want to SELL Unincumbered
property fronting Main street, within
300 yards Of the bank, on either side
Is commonly held to be worth from $40
to $25 front foot, but unfortunately
1t won't move because the holders do
not care to dispose Of it.
We've got a splendid school," the
gentleman went on, "but a very poor
school building. If outsiders think we
are satisfied with the situation, they
are mistaken. We are not at all salts
fed, The town has no bonded debt,
and there are quite a number of us
who think it would be real good idea
to vote bonds and put up a first-class
school house. We feel that If we could
get the property within the corporate
limits properly equalized, we could
easily float bonds to the amount Of
$500 or $4,000, and there Is reason
to believe that if we should do this
things would speedily change for the
better"