The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-09-10
TUESDAY, SEPT. 10, 1918.
REFORM No. 1.

is coming after the war is a change
for the better in the management
of our county affairs. There will
be no doubt, as time progresses and
the people get tired of the ever re-
earring excitement of politics, that
the people will want the business Of
the government managed as other
business matters are managed.
It is true that in the matter of the
representation of the people in law
making bodies we shall for long
time yet elect by one method or an
other, in popular elections, the rep
iesentatives Of the people. But this
Is IS no reason why! the purely business
affairs Of the people in the county
Offices, and in the matters Of county
government, should not be managed
In a business way, BY, men specially
qualified to transact the business Of
the several departments.
@ A !county's business should be
handled as the business Of large
bsnk is managed. We say that it
should be so managed for the rea-
son that these corporations are as a
rule properly managed and the bust
ness is carried on with as little ex-
pense as possible, by men skilled in
their several lines, and not by men
who have the ear of the multitude
In matters political. Men who can
transact business better than others
are sought by these institutions,
while a county selects those men to
handle it's business who know how to
shake hands the better, who draw
the most money and yet boast of
being poor, who can tell the best
jokes, and who attend the most
gatherings, including funerals.
Now, if the county should adopt
the business methods of a bank, we
should say that it would be proper
to have the taxpayers, who are the
real stockholders of the county
corporation, so to speak, select by
election or in mass meeting nine
directors or commissioners for the
county, who like the directors in
most banks, should serve without
pay, guaranteeing that those who ac-
,tepted the position would do so be-
cause they were sought, and from
patriotic motives. They should be
retired, three each year, so that we
should at all times have experienced
men handling. the ship.
Just as the directors of bank Sc
lect the president and vice-president
of that institution so these direc-
tors or commissioners should select
a manager, or president of the
county, a cashier, and such other Of
5ficers as might be necessary. We
think general manager and cash
ier or treasurer to handle the mon
ey and keep the books would be the
only officers necessary at the seat
of government. These officers, the
manager in his department, and the
cashier in his, should employ num-
Der of experienced stenographers,
typists, ETC., who would perform
most of the duties now performed
in clerical way in the various Of
fees, the duties in an official way
of the office of the Clerk of Court,
Judge of Probate, Superintendent of
Education, etc., devolving on the
county manager.
In addition to the officers named
for the business of government at
the seat of the government it would
be necessary to have Superintend-
ent of Roads and Bridges, who
should be an employee of the direc-
tors, or commissioners, and who
would be selected on. account of the
fact that he would know the business
5of road-building, road-repairing,
grading, and other like work. 1t
would not be necessary for this man