The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-06-01

back which convinces us that ever
since Lee county was made. Sumter
has been figuring getting a slice Of
Clarendon territory Times.
Either the editor or the printer hi,
upon exactly the right word to char
acterize the comments of the Manning
Times on the proposed annexation of
the Pinewood section of Clarendon
county To Sumter. "Illusions"-thats 5
it. Practically everything the Times
has said come under the head of IL
lusions.' The town of Sumter does
not and cannot control the legislative
delegation, for the vote Of the town
| is only about one-third of the total
Vote of the county. If residents
Of the town are elected to the legis-
lature ii is because the majority want
| them Furthermore. if the PinewOod
section should be annexed TO Sumter
the preponlerence of county votes
would he greater than it is at pres
ent. Another Illusion" is that the
legislative delegation fixes the tax
levy for the county. The fact is that,
in Sumter county, it has been this GUS
tom for many years for the county
board of commissioners to make up
each year an estimate of the expenses
of the county and the levy for county
purposes is made on this basis The
legislative delegation really has moth
ing to do With fixing the levy. ex-
cept to See that the proper legislation
is secured to make effective the rec
ommendatiOn of the county board of
commissioners. 1t is fact worth
noting and remembering that not one
of the five members of the board is
a resident Of the town Of Sumter-one
comes from Shiloh. one Wedgefeld one
Rembert. one Brogdon and the Su-
pervisor from the Jordan neghbor-
hood. Another "Illusion' is the
statement a; to the $4,000 appropri-
alton to aid the city in securing the
rights of way for the Seaboard. The
legislative delegation did nothing
more than secure the passage Of an
enabling acr authorizing the county
board OF commissioners to appro-
PIRATE and pay over the money to
the city of Sumter for the purpose
specified. The grand jury, repre-
senting the entire county. only a small
# the towr. after full and deliber-
ate consideration unanimously recon-
mended the appropriation. The
county board Of commissioners sub
sequently. after giving the matter full
consideration, unanimously voted to
make the appropriation. as authoriz-
ed, and the money was paid over.
Another matter that the Times ap-
pears to regard as bugaboo. but
which is quite the reverse, is the
growth and development of the town
of Sumter. The town now pays more
than one-third of the taxes OF the
county. prac ideally all of which is
spent for the benefit of the
county. outside of the town linz
its. The bigger the town and the
more taxes il pays into the
county treasury the less the burden
the people of the county will have
to bear. The town of Sumter con-
tributes annually about 200 to the
county ordinary fund and more than
$4,000 annually To the school fund for
the support Of the schools outside the
| city. y large and growing town i'm a
county is not an unmixed evil, as the
| Times insinuates.
| We have no idea the people OF
the Pinewood section will be
deluded by the specious "illusions" of
the Times. They know the facts or
can easily ascertain them, and if they
Juccldc that 1t Will be to their inter-
est To annex To Sumter they will do
So otherwise they will continue as
| thcE are. lf they come into sumter.
theE VIII be given Il cordial welcome
and Il fair deal thereafter. if they rn-
mann in Clarendon the people of sum
| ter Will continue their worry good
friends ana ncignbors That's nj,
there is to it,
Preaching at Chandler school.