The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-01-10
THE LEGISLATURE

sion. We hope that the members meet
with due appreciation of the bur-
dens of debt and taxation which the
people find themselves carrying. 1t
has not been so many years since the
total appropriations by the General
Assembly amounted to only one mil
lion dollars. Now the estimated ap-
preparations amount TO something
like nine millions of dollars. In ad-
dition to this there are all kinds of
local taxes and assessments which the
people must pay.
This paper does not ask that any
necessary government agency be
crippled. We believe that the mem
bers of the General Assembly should
make a full investigation Of the
claims of every department of the
government, however, before provid-
ing for. the payment Of a single dol
lar from state appropriations and
that all unnecessary items be elimi-
mated.
IN most government departments
there is multiplicity of clerks, as
sistants,>and other help, much of
which might be gotten rid of. There
are in addition useless offices which
have been created in recent years
without which the people managed
to exist for long time. If there
ever was time when we needed to
be rid of extravaganza it is now.
The demand for new appropria-
tions, or for increased appropriations
we imagine, will not meet with much
favor. The largest of these demands
so far as we are advised comes from
thei office of the Superintendent of
Education. We have before opposed
the manner of making appropriations
for the benefit of few schools in the
state to the exclusion of those more
in need of help. We believe that a
general law requiring every school
district to levy a tax in addition to
the constitutional school tax Of five
mills, the money to be- spent in the
district where levied would be fair
law. If the state desires a few CEN
trail high schools appropriations may
be made for them. But until more
pupils begin to attend the state high
:chools, we do not believe pupils
should be admitted to these schools
without paying some tuition. The
amber of pupils who commence in
the first grade and who go through
the first seven grades is much larger
han the number who finish the ninth
nd tenth grades. The fact is that we
. not believe one fifth of those who
start in the first grade ever get to
the tenth grade. The money srrrrro-
priated for the high schools is thus
appropriated for small percentage
of the people, while the idea of the
public school system is to assist the
majority.
The state is interested, Of course,
in the development of the high
schools and in assisting the one fifth
of the pupils to finish the high school
work so as to be able to attend the
colleges. Br' he pupils who thus fin.
ish the high school work are for the
most part children of those who are
:. able to pay tuition. We believe that
they should pay some part of: the ex
penses of CITING them this high
school education. Certainly if they
are able to secure college education,
they should be able while at home to
contribute something to the local
schools in addition to the amount Of
taxes paid.
We see no reason why the colleges
should ask for increased appropria-
tions. The teachers have made cam
paign for two or three years for bet
ter pay, and they have deserved and
. have received better pay. But there
IS no reason why this pay should be
now increased. Every dollar which
shall be received next year will be
worth at least one and a half times
as much as each dollar received the
past year. There is no reason why
they should be dissatisfied if they re-
ceive the same salaries. All other
laboring people and salaried people