Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1920-12-23
THURSDAY. DEC. 30, 1920.

+'S iti'iti your YOKE
heavy, and / will add to your yoke:
my father also chastiscd YOU with
whips. but | will chastisc you with
against the house of David unto this
day
And as the people of Israel re-
belled against the house of David,
So also will the people of South Car
DINA soon rebel against the state
government unless the tax burdens
they are bearing are lightcncd at the
session of the General Assembly to
meet next month. All over the state
the cry Is going up for relief and the
claim set up by the heads OF the
State departments and instit itutions
that even in the present depression.
the most serious the country has ex-
perienced sinse 1893, it Is necessary
TO impose further taxation upon the
people to meet the requirements of
these departments and institutions is
!being contemptuously flouted, as il
deserves to be. With the exception
OF the department of education.
the public school department.. there
Is not one of the executive depart
ments or institutions OF the St:ut
government which cannot get alon;
or less or no more money next y,,
than the General Assembly provide,
for 1t this year and still make S..
stantial progress in serving the pry
pie. For the maintenance of the
government next year, hundreds pi
thousands of dollars less should be
appropriated than was set aside for
this purpose this year. For instance.
the appropriation this year for the
State Hospital for the Insane was in
excess OF one million dollars. more
Atnan $500 per capita for each of the
, 1900 inmates. This amount should
he cut to thrcc-Quarters OF n million
dollars and no fcrthcr steps taken to
develop the State Park property for
the hospital. Thousands OF dollars
could be saved the taxpayers by
closing the feeble minded institution
at Clinton and transferring the in
mates TO the State hospital in Colum-
pia. where they should have been
oil the time, and by closing the
alleged reformatory for girls, shunt-
ed off on the people of this State at
tho close OF the World war by the
Federal government. This institution
is in Lexington county, near Colum-
bia. Recently. and perhaps at this
time. the presence of a peace officer
was necessary at the institution to
Keep the inmates from doing each
other great physical violence. and
II Is getting nowhere except IN
the matter of spending the peoples
money. If any obligation rests upon
the State to undertake the impossible
task OF reforming these Jezibels
there Is plenty of room for the un-
dertaking at the pcnitentiary. An
other costly venture in moral uplift
which the Federal government
dumped off on the people n year or
two ago. and which is of questiona-
wv Naiuc, Is tiiS SOCdHcu NeIeTeul
disease clinics now in operation at
n few points in the State, at heavy
expense to the taxpayers. Why not
cut out altogether the appropriation
for this purpose? The people of
York county, like the people OF four
fifths of the other counties of the
state, would owe no one an apology
for asking, "Of what value is it to us
and why should we be taxed to sup
port IT," This year the total appro-
priation for the State board OF health
was in excess of 100000. VIII any
disinterested citizen Of South Carroll
ma step forward with affidavit in
hand stating that he knows the
health conditions of the State would
be grievously impaired IL this appro-
priatlon were cut from $4,000 to
$4,000? And who will say that the
time Is ripe for the State to under
take any now building projects in
view OF the conditions which should
argue for economy? Perhaps the
request OF certain institutions for APP
preparations for additional buildings
Is meritorious.. but would il injurc
irreparably these institutions to wait
year or two to put into effect their