The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-20

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citizen at the beginning OF this
year may well take stock and
seriously consider conditions and
seek means and methods to pro-
mote the public welfare. The
world, what we have heretofore
designated the civilized world,
has been and is stirred to its
depths as never before. Grave
problems, unknown, unforeseen,
unexpected, present themselves.
The, complaisant assumption OF
continued worldwide peace and
prosperity has been shattered,
and the fact is impressed forci-
bly, upon the minds of men that
independent governments can be
destroyed in a day, and that no
nation is so strong that itcan not
be thrown into a struggle for its
very existence. The interests
|of nations are so interviewer
that disaster at one spot even
tually affects the whole great
system. The immense upheaval
in E urope is felt by every South
Carolinian.
A TINE FOR ECONOMY
1.-THE policy and function OF
this legislature should be to for.
sake personal ambition. forget
any lingering remnant of fac.
tionalism, and all that is behind,
to plan and execute measures for
the service Of all the people.
This is not a time for increased
taxation. Economy of govern
ment should ever be Democratic
policy, but especially is this i'm.
perative now, when financial
strlngency and actual need are
being felt as not for a generation
before. When the wage Garner
of the individual family is plan
ming and struggling to keep his
expenditure within his straiten'
ed means, so through you rep
resentatives of the people, State
and county appropriations
should be cut to the bone, enough
being given surely to prevent
retrogression, but this is not a
time for enlargement, rather for
retrenchment.
81 beg to recommend the pass
age of an act establishing a max
imum limit for a State levy. An
ever increasing burden of taxa
ton falls heavily upon the av,
erage citizen. A flexible and
ever increasing levy to meet ap
preparations, based upon experts
showings made by interested
parties before a single commit
tee of the legislature, is not con.
ducive to economy. A 6 mil
levy or even a 5 mill levy, to-
gether with the receipts from
the insurance commissioners
Office, from corporation taxes
and from other available sources
of income, coupled with a fail
tax upon water powers within
the State when made available
for profitable service, will and
should meet the needs of the
State.
! CONDEMNS THREE MILL TAX.
ST consider the present 3 mil
! tax an obstacle in the way o1
progressive methods of taxation,
a problem which must be met
1t should be repealed and direct
appropriations made based upon
present expenditures to keep ur
the present efficiency of our com
mon school system and our insti
tutions of learning.
s'South Carolina IS pre-emin
emily a State of rural population
and interest and there should be
established a working system o1
rural credits to meet the genera
demands of the people and te
promote ownership Of land by
the many rather than by the
few. Our banking system is
faulty in thatit does not recog
nize land as a safe and flexible
basis of credit. The establish
ment Of a system of land regis
tration insuring safety to hold
ers OF mortgages and an ac'
authorizing and encouraging a
banking system to extend long
time loan at a reasonable rate OF
interest to farmers and those
who wish to become farmers and
land d-owners, is worthy o
thought. The sinking fund Of
the State might be made the
basis of such an institution,
which, under the guidance of