The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-05-31
sUAeTER's SHORTCOMINGS
POSED.

Ia n
the International Association of Ro-
tary Clubs. tho chaptauqua lecturer.
last night discrsseS ''Thc City of
SUMTER" from tho standpoint OF n
Kindly critic of ali things that are
anA expert adviser as to things as
they should be. 'Hcwing Mr.. Albdrt's
performance In as charitable manner
% possible and paking allowance for
the eupe, ielalitypf his Investigations
--<he timc heshad Toy collecting infor-
, nation beiI,s SO short that 1t would be
TOO much % expect that he would not
y naas n'itskes AM, srlw wrong con-
cns'ep1kTlhe {noak sthat can be said
5or y. lecsrre is that he evidently
) meant his criticisms to be helpful and
that ne has abundant confidence in
his! s,s s,n' : 7. = arsS spsr' advice on
NSthins chat hsfsPid was altogeth-
er untrue or With sut a basis Of fact,
nor was there Anything that ne said
- Yhich the peosas: Of Sumter could
justt take ofense. But all through
& HIS lecture he hold tho attitude OF
seeker after something to criticise.
tor Instance. he said that Sumter has
= oemmisszon forth OF government
q : sdft--thd thS people were so
anxions % ,xetsetNsd men that they
4 elected three banl: presidents'' TO the
ezclPrl>n te{ ss9iaaefs. Now. il Mr.,
AlbrH BAD been well informed. he
would have know that the comiiiis-
sion ts.mads up Of !, successful lawyer,
I sa1cessful ilsestocx dealer aad
scevrssfun saiirc ~ nann. who arc In
I cideatally presidents OF ,l,anks--.nd
o1e ef them was rot even incidentally
bank President when elected. Tho
people OF Sumter did not elect bank
presidents, but capable business men
who had demonstrated their ability in
several linca or business. The people
Of Sumter selected them to manage
tho city's affairs for the same reason
that the stockholders Of the banks se-
iected them to direct the affairs OF
the banks OF which the5 are presi-
dents. II was this sort OF criticism,
based upon half-truths. that permcat-
Cd the entiro lecture and that detract-
"a from It's forcefulnesa and heirful-
\ pessL
His rather sncerinx reference to
tho fact that the city Is paving twelve
miles OF streets and leaving forty
miles unpaved and his advice that
Sumter forthwith proceed to pave the
remaining forty miles totally ignored
the fact that sumtcr has gone to the
extreme limit permitted y the con-
stitution of the State in issuing bonds
for street paving. More streets
would be paved fort.hvlth if sufficient
bonds could legally be Issued to pro-
vide the funds necessary.
He also derided tho low rate Of
taxation for municipal purposes and
condemned the imposition of license
taxes as a aoubtfui expedient OF
course he did not know that the peo-
pie OF Sumter have long been aware
Of the fact that license tax Is not
the most desirable, nor the most ap-
proved method OF raising funds for
municipal purpose, nor did he know
that the license tax was adopted only
as an unavoidable expedient when the
maximum limit OF direct taxation on
property permitted by the charter OF
the city and the law had been reach
cd. Nor could he have known that
the people OF Sumter have for years
returned their property at a higher
tual market value, than other sections
Of the county and other parts of the
State. In consequence OF which we are
paying more taxes than our just share
OF taxes for State and county pur-
poses. For instance, IN, the single
item OF school taxes under the con
stiutionai S-mill school tax tho city OF
Sumter is paying and has paid for q
number of years $4,000 per annum
moro than the city receives from this
source. This Is not because the city oi
Sumter Is richer and contains moro
taxable property than all tho balance
% tho county. but because the assess
rSent Is higher.
Again consider his criticism Of tho
apparently abnormally high deatf
rate. He was quoting statistics, hui
he did not know that these statistics
., ouid:ndv6 accompanied by tn,