Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-10-03
MORE LAND GRABBING.

Cherokee Is after some more Of
York's territory and unless somebody
gets busy pretty quickly this county is
going to lose a strip about four miles
wide and twelve miles long, extending
from the North Carolina line to Broad
river and including something like
forty-eight square miles.
The scheme has been under silent
way for several weeks; and Is only
just beginning to get a little publicity.
Messrs. r. w. Whitesides and E. D.
Darwin told The Enquirer about it
yesterday, and pointed to the thirty
or forty citizens Of the involved terri
tory who were in Yorkville for the
purpose Of getting registration certifi-
Gates, the first they had ever had in
their lives, for the purpose Of voting
on the secession question.
According to Mr.. Darwin's under
standing of the matter, Messrs. T. B.
Butler and e. D. DeCamp Of Gaffney,
spent some time recently, in the COW
eted territory telling the people how
great and numerous would be the
benefits citizens of Cherokee would
derive over those of York, and urging
them to get busy and come across.
Mr.. Darwin heard Of promises Of a
steel bridge over Broad river at
erty taxes and a Communication tax of
only 81 against SO in York county.
From the best information obtaina-
BILE the full plans of the Cherokee
emissaries are not to be made known.
Mr.. Whitesides, for instance, says the
Smyrna people are being lead to be-
lieve that their village Is not to be in
cluded; but Mr.. Darwin insists that Of
course Smyrna is to be taken in. Ac-
cording to his idea, the plan would be
not to alarm Smyrna or anybody else
who Is likely to give trouble until 1t Is
too late for them to make effective op-
position.
AS a matter of fact Cherokee never
did have the constitutional area, and
Is a county now only as a ridiculous
fiction of law. The constitution pro-
vides that no new county can be erect
ed with q less area than 400 square
miles. Cherokee has only 361 square
miles. The territory was erected into
county by means Of false certifica-
tion Of records and other expedients
that are hardly less creditable.
Included in the proposed strip, even
though it does not take in any more
than Mr.. Darwin understood 1t was
admitted would be taken ina strip
two miles wide-will be Kings Noun
tain battle-ground, Piedmont Springs
and Smyrna, and quite a number Of
good citizens who would esteem 1t a
great hardship to be separated from
York, and removed still further from
their court house.
The procedure for the formation Of
new county, under the law, briefly
speaking, is a petition of one-third Of
the qualified electors for an election,
and then If a majority Of the voters
voting in the election express them
selves in favor Of changing the line,
the line will be changed. On a petit
tion in a case like this the election Is
ordered by the governor.
In this case, the people included in
the territory directly affected who do
not desire to be changed over to Cher
okee and the people adjoining the ter
ritory who desire to help their neigh
bors, would do we'll to see all others
interested, and see that each individ-
ual thoroughly understands the situa-
tion 1t will be well to keep In mind,
too, that Cherokee needs at least thir-
ty-nine miles of additional territory to
make her a constitutional county. and
no matter what promises may be made
the people the probability is that II the
county line Is changed at all, 1t will
be moved not less than four miles to
the east.