The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-08-01
August l, 1917
ANOTHER REASON WHY

as a reason why Cne people SllOulu HOI VOCe q
bond issue at this time, the fact that we are en-
gagged in the greatest war of all times, a war
which has destroyed more than seventy-five bill
lion dollars worth of property in Europe, and
which may, before it is ended destroy twenty
five per cent. or fifty per cent. of the taxable pro-
perty values in this country, thereby making it
impossible not only for the country itself to.pros-
per but for the people to prosper and be able to
meet their demands and pay the inevitable loss
es which will come to Them. A few nights ago
DR.. j. A. Hayne of Columbia, spoke to us in the
Court House on the subject of the Red Cross, tell
ing US of the enormous taxes now being paid by
the English people. In his address he stated that
in England the people were paying a tax OF SLID
upon every five dollars worth OF taxable proper
ty in the country. This should warn us that now
is no time to assume new obligations, nor to bur-
den the country and the people with enormous
debts for purposes which may or may not prove
of benefit.
There is another reason why the people in Ab-
beville county should go slow in burdenng them
selves with public debt. For the last year or two
we have been advised by those who claim to
know, that the boil weevil is making great prog
ress in it's way toward South Carolina. Situated
upon the Savannah River, Abbeville county,
along with Mccormick and Edgefeld counties,
will be among the first counties visited by this de-
stroyer of crops when it does come. And we are
told that the boil Weevil cleans up everything as
it goes. It carries away in a night, like an Eastern
Simeon, the property of the day before. The
people in this county have heretofore asked the
government to relieve them from the payment OF
even ordinary taxes on account OF nall storms
visiting their community, but there will be no
relief from ordinary or extraordinary taxes
when the boil weevil comes, because when it does
com it will strike all alike, certainly within a
few years.
The people of this country know that cotton is
their only money crop so far. 1t is the only crop
from which they get money to pay debts, to buy
mules, to buy clothes and shoes, and to pay high
taxes. If a man produces a crop OF fruit every
body else does likewise and it brings him in moth
ing. No other crop so far has proven successful
in this section as a money crop. When we can
no longer raise cotton profitably we must turn to
something else, but we do not know, nor does
any one else know, what it will be. For five years
at least this part of the country will be IN an eX-
detrimental state in the matter of farming, and
. in that time the people will find out something
about hard times. A man may not pay more
than $3.50, $500 or $1,000 taxes, but when ne
has no cotton to sell from which to raise the
money he will find it burdensome indeed. It these
taxes are raised fifty per cent. as they will be if
this bond issue is voted as we have attempted to
show in another column, the burdens will be to
that extent greater. Everybody will suffer ex-
cept men who have money, or the ability to raise
it. They will suffer temporarily in the deprecla'
ton of their property, but they will be enabled to
buy your property and your neighbours property,
which is forced on the market tor deots, ana IN
tho nnd will recoup their losses. But the man