Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1911-03-22

ready pay large taxes nave no relief;
the general levy is the same, and
they receive only $1,000, regardless
Of the taxes paid. There Is no in
centive here, because taxes are al
ready burdensome, and the people
are not going to add to their bur-
dens.
Our position in the matter was, and
is, that the provisions of the proposed
new form Of county government are
not based OF sound business princi-
pies. The appropriation of set
amounts Of funds for a given pur-
pose-as in this instance for roads.
without due consideration being
given to the needs and necessities Of
the various townships in the county,
cannot. we believe, work to the
best interests of the county as a
whole. The individual needs must
be considered first in order to be
taken care Of in a manner that will
look not only to the best interests Of
the township directly concerned. but
with due consideration as we'll to
the other townships of the county,
whose interests are so closely inter-
woven one into the other as to be
scarcely susceptible of separation.
The remedy for this. as we see It,
Is a uniform mode Of taxation, with
the privilege OF extra taxes for spe-
cial purposes, or, better still, with
the privilege Of a bond issue. Added
to this should be a system of help
for the weaker sections by the
stronger-that is, where the taxes
available In a weak township are in
sufficient to meet the demands Of
that township. the general funds of
the county should be available, as
far as business methods will permit,
to put all public highways Of the
county In the best shape, and as
nearly uniform as Is practicable.
At the good roads meeting held in
Walhalla last summer that body put
itself on record as favoring national
aid to State highways and State aid
to the various counties. The Ques-
vi VI SVuhl LII " Tie "c1KcI
subdivisions Of the county was dis
cussed. n there was no inconsider-
able tendency-and hat from all Sec
tons Of the county-to let each sub
division take care of It's own roads.
We suggested then hat we had bet
ter recede from the action asking ma
tional and State aid If, when We
brought the proposition down to our
W home affairs. we were ready to
repudiate the policy. To our mind
the policy that cannot be carried
through to its last analysis will bear
investigation as to its weak points.
If it is good for the State to receive
aid from the nation, and the county
to receive aid from the State, why
should it not be a good thing for the
smaller divisions Of the county to
receive aid from the county at large?
We favor anything hal will bene-
fit the county at large, or the indi-
vidual township, which is part and
parcel Of the county. But, as mat
ters now stand, we do not see where
we have much chance at the present
time to better ourselves.
We are in a wilderness, and we
are enjoined to get out If we can or
stay In If we feel SO disposed. Let
us do u best to get out. The Joshua
who leads us out is going to be a ben
efactor to Oconee with distinction
II honor but slightly less than that
which has fallen to the lot of Joshua
of old.
We are frank to state that we fail
to see the way out through the pro-
visions made by the recent session
Of the General Assembly.