The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-02-23
THE CHANGING

We promised In our lasI ioooe ~
tell the people of the county, ard
especially the readers of this paper
why it is that taxes have been grow
ing at such an enormous rate IN re-
cent wears. There is really no Sc
cret about the matter, and we claim
no especial credit for discovering the
trouble, because the reason is pat
emit. and any mar who reads the
figures which we presented last week
will know what the cause is.
Taxes from 1873 to 1898 remained
at about the same figures. The gen.
eral running expenses of the county
were paid from a levy of three mills
during all these years with an occa-
sional levy of a half mill or a mill to
pay past Indebtedness, representing
unusual expenditures in the proceed
ing year.
But for the past five years we
have paid an average levy Of five
mills and an additional levy of mere
than one mill for past indebtedness,
and we believe, in addition to this,
the Supervisor is allowed to, n
does levy an additional n mill for
roads and bridges.
Some unthinking person might lay
this condition of affairs to the pres
ent administration, but in our judg-
ment the cause is not there. The
present Supervisor has probably
made some mistakes, we believe he
has, and who has not? We think
that he has perhaps played favorltes
too much, and that he has been and
is extravagant in some matters. But
all these count for little when we
come to figure the difference between
taxes now and twenty-five years ago.
Now what causes the great increase
in the tax rate? Why are we pay
ing three and four times as much
taxes as in 1890 and Heretofore!
The figures show that it is caused by
the iniquity of a chain gang. In
1898 the chain-gang system was
adopted by the legislature. We do
not recall just when it went into
operation in this county, but hive
years after the law was adopted we
find this county borrowing money
FOR THE FIRST TIME TO PAY
PAST INDEBTEDNESS, the amount
borrowed being TWENTY THOUs-
AND DOLLARS. And from that
day to this the chain-gang has drain
ed the Golfers of the county treas
ury of Abbeville County. We spent
last year according to the report of
the Supervisor the enormous sum of
FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS
TO WORK AN AVERAGE OF SIX
TEEN NEGROES. unless we are
misinformed. eve have heard the
average publicly placed at that figure
and it has not been denied) In
addition to this we spent about seven
thousand dollars for roads and brid-
ges, which we presume means at
least in part chain gang expenses, as
the bridges are built by the chain
gang.
We spent according to figures
which have been given to the writer,
forty-two hundred dollars for guards
to guard these convicts and in adj
dition boarded the guards and paid
Other incidental expenses. FOR
THE SUM OF FOUR THOUSAND
DOLLARS WE ASSERT THAT THE
COUNTY CAN HIRE AND BOARD
SIXTEEN NEGROES, AND THAT
A GUARD OR OVERSEER CAN BE
HIRED FOR FIFTY DOLLARS PER
MONTH, AND THAT HE CAN BE
BOARDED FOR TWO HUNDRED
DOLLARS, AND AS MUCH WORK
CAN BE SECURED FROM THIS
FORCE AS FROM THE ENTIRE
CHAIN GANG WHICH AT BEST is
COSTING THIS COUNTY AROUND
TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Will the people of Abbeville con-
tinue a system of working %convicts
on the public roads, when the labor
of every convict is costing the coun-
ty ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS
PER YEAR? Do the people of the
county feel that they are able to pay
about four dollars per day for every
days work done on the public roads
Of Abbeville county by %convicts, tina;
is if they actually work for two hum
dred and fifty days in the year.
The chain gang system can be
abolished in this county by the pro-
per authorities and the %convicts
. 4lo, .o,,+;ac 1rhora If iS