Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-09-07
and philosopher Emerson served a

/ lClkAoi Va AN WV oSSS
nual meeting. IF there Is any new
plan or any change in old plans that
we believe would help the communi-
ty," as one Massachusetts, man said
to me, I'VE begin talking about it and
agitating it before the annual town.
ship meeting. Ten voters can get any
pertinent subject listed for discussion
and action by their fellow-citizens. and
this means that everything worth
while gets a hearing. Even a frank
can likely get nine men to sign with
him and have his idea brought for
ward!"
Just to give an idea of how COM
pletely the people rule themselves in
these New England communities or
townships, I may mention a warrant l
saw for the annual has meeting Of
the voters of Hadley township, in
Hampshire county, which 1 visited. 1t
provided for discussion and Hction up
on the following subjects:
/. To select a moderator.
2. To heal reports of township Of
ficers.
3. To elect township officers for the
ensuing year.
4. Road and bridge improvements.
s. License or no license.
6. To confirm or reject the men
proposed by the selectmen for jurors
in the county court.
Z. To consider appropriations for
the ensuing year.
8. To consider plans for having
the state highway come through Had
ley township.
9. Should we close Hockanum
school and transport pupils there to
the central school?
10. To consider lighting the town
ship hall Cor community center) with
gas.
II. To consider plans for improv-
ing the fire-fghting equipment.
IL. Should the township spend $500
to improve the road from Thomas
Flaherty's to the four at East
Hadley?
10. Better drainage of shipman's
swamp.
IA. Appropriations for the high
school.
Is. Should the charge for renting
the township hall for dances and n
tertainments be reduced?
16. Should the township spend 500
to harden the road from P. Ryan's to
the North Amherst line?
limo for the South to Follow Jefferson
And even this list Of sixteen sub
jects does not exhaust the list of top
les listed for action by the freemen of
Hadley township. But this simple re-
cital of some of the things discussed
and settled by the people themselves
once a year at least, in each New Eng
land Notwithstanding ought to
make it clear how free and unhamper-
ed is the stream Of progress under the
township system Of government, and
how damned and clogged Is the
stream here in the south where we
have nothing but the county to act for
us, and the small communities hav.
no power whatever except to elect
their constables. Or rather we should
say that the small rural communities,
the communities Of farmers, have no
power whatever except this, for just
as soon as a community Of villagers Is
formed, it is incorporated and given
all these powers. In other words, the
~townspeople everywhere have local
self-government, while communities OF
farmers have no such power.
Consider conditions in your own
county, Mr.. Farmer. The people new
er have any stated time for getting
together in mass meeting unless 1t Is
in county conventions of their respec-
tive political parties every two years.
and this plan does practically nothing
toward helping community progress.
In the first place, distances are so
great hat only a small part Of the
voters attend. In the second place,
the convention is so intent upon the
distribution Of offices and upon state
and national politics, that county af-
fairs of real Importance get scant at
tention. And in the third place it's
meeting for the whole county, and the
members have no time to listen to any
plan for the improvement of your W
particular neighborhood.
~ 14ttnfxy any m NJ fSoinna ORG
or other governing body Of the coun-
ty are elected to look at everything
from the standpoint Of the county, and
cannot, If they would, work out plans
for local betterment as we'll as the
people would do for themselves-to
say nothing Of the humiliation the
freemen Of any township must feel i.
having to entreat a lot Of official boss
es higher up about the management
of every item of their w affairs. And
yet nearly all yer the south not only
are people in rural communities or
townships without power to act for
themselves, but in hundreds Of cases
they must even go up to the state cap
ital, hat in hand, and beg a crowd of
city lawyers in a state legislature for
the power to regulate such purely To-
cal matters as chickens running at
large or the drainage Of a stagnant
stream!
And yet the south calls itself free
and democratic! Great heavens!
Keep the Counties Big and Give Local
Communities Self Government.
OF course our people have felt the
burden of this shameful system or
lack Of system, and in q laundering
way we have been feeling about for a
remedy. But the trouble is that in
trying to improve matters we have
jumped from the frying pan into the
fire by splitting up counties and MAX
ing more cour.ties-each new county
meaning a new sheriff, n new register,
a new clerk, q new treasurer, a new
Jail, q new ~poorhOuse, and heaven only
knows how many other things and
persons, all to be supported from the