The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1919-04-23
MIR. JOHNSON RIGHT OR WRONG?
The History of Bill That Passed at
the 1919 session. of Legislature.

~
the 1919 Session. bf Legislature.
l have been accused Of oppc sing the
passage of the bill, or law as it is
now, known as the recent county act.
10 that l humbly plead guilty, and
recorded myself as such and will give
to the people of Clarendon the history
OF and some of the provisions that
this law carries and by that I am
willing to be judged as to whether
l was right wrong.
First if the readers will pardon me
| will state that there are something's
going on in this county affairs that
the public have never been informed
of and it appears to ME that the peo-
pie are paying for some music and
deprived of the dancing-so it will be
necess ary for ME to give to the
people part of that part of Clarendon's
politics.
Your delegation was called together
at the supervisors Office by your sup
ervisor and your senator last Decem-
Der and at that meeting after the
business for which we had met for
had been disposed of, the supervisor
informed US that it was ,very neces-
sary that the road or communication
law of 1917 should be repealed, as
any law that carried official (work
or pay) provision was imperative.
When he was asked what would he
suggest instead? He replied, not today
but probably would send US bill
later when we got over to Columbia,
to that he kept his promise. So dur
ing the third week of the session here
comes a bill framed by the supervisor
with the request that we enact into
law" Now | could not see in this
blll that was for the special benefit of
this county, but on the other hand it
relieved the supervisor of the very
one thing that he was elected for, to
wit: TO repair and build roads and
bridges in Clarendon County I will
quote here part of section of the
law, THE said board Of District Com
missiOners are hereby charged with
the duty of constructing and main
tanning the public roads in their re-
spective districts by the use of the
most modern improved methods and
as prescribed by the Coiinty Board of
Road Commissioners" Also from
section IA it says: "The County
Board of Commissioners shall keep
and operate Il chain gang for con-
victs for building and repairing roads
in their respective districts, and fur
nish them with all The necessary
equipments therefor; Provided, the
chain gang shall be worked under the
erection of the chairman of each
board of District Commissioners when
operating within their respective dis
trcts, and the cost OF maintenance
and support Of said chain gang shall
be arportioned among the said dis
trict according to the work done"
Now what do we fin; that the SUD-
crvlsor has charged that the Legisla-
turc has taken out of his hands the
repairing of the roads Of this county
even before his successors had been
appointed and commissioned.
Another one Of my reasons for oD-
posing this bill was that these dis
trlct commissioners are empowered
with the handling of between fiftv
and sixty thousand dollars Of the
peoples money and the law does not
rennire that thcy should give any
bond to protect the county. I will
quote here the latter part Of section
!: "And all money paid ont Of the
County Treasury for the roads of any
district shall be paid upon warrants
signed by the chairman Of the district
board and countersigncG bv the sec
rotary and approved by the county
supervisor. Also section 5. THE
chairman Of each of District Commits
Sioners shall make a quarterly report
to the supervisor Of any money re-
r"lVcd and expended in and for these
respective districts. The county
board Of commissioners in empowered
to borrow for any district in antic-
patton of the collection of taxes,
eighty per cent thereof to be cypend,
cd upon it's roads and bridges, and
pledge the taxes Of the respective
district to pay such loau."
Not only are these men required to