The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-01-07

lie CdpCdiu says
Editor of Press and Banner
There never has been such time IN
the history of this country as that
confronting the people today. 1t is
far worse than 1914. In the first
place, the people are more in debt
They owe three to one more today
than they did in 1914. On the other
hand everything which must be
bought is two dollars to one higher
than it was in 1914. In addition to
this we have the boil weevil coming.
All of these things are operating bad
ly against the renting and tenant
class of our people.
It seems that this year it will be
impossible for renter to rent land
unless he can run himself, as the
merchants and bankers say they can
not afford to take chances on him.
Numbers of the tenant farmers,
white and black, cannot get homes
as the landlords will not run them
either, and some of the tenant farm
ers are getting in bad shape.
The people are raising great hue
and cry about high taxes. 1t is not
any use to hollow, Hello after you
get dog bit. l blew my cavalry horn
for the people and told them not to
vote for the bond issue which has
added three mills more taxes for them
to pay. The very men who voted this
tax on themselves are making the
most complaint about high taxes. 1t
will be remembered that I told the
people in writing about the bond is
sue, that a good thing would not last
always and that we would never pay
this bond tax with forty cent cotton.
A one-eyed man can now see who
vas right. All you can hear now is
fifteen cents cotton and high taxes.
/ noticed a statement a few days
ago in one Of the daily papers that
was made by Hon. R. A. Cooper,
Governor of South Carolina, in
speaking of high taxes, in which he
said he could see no way by which
taxes could be reduced, and if the
legislature could see any way to re-
duce taxes it was up to them. do
not want to be understood as dictat-
ing to our legislature or to the Gov
ernor, but let everybody listen and
everybody count. Let US commence
with the Governor and 60 on down
to the road overseers reducing sal
aries ten per cent. and see what it
will amount to. 1t will reduce taxes
a little I am sure. Remember now,
the legislature should reduce the Gov
ernor's salary ten per cent, and re-
duce every other state officers salary
ten per cent, and then commence at
every court house in every county in
the state and reduce the salary of
every officer ten per cent. We will
see if this will not reduce taxes a
little.
Some people say that if taxes are
reduced it will ruin the colleges and
our institutions of learning. But this
is not true. The salaries of the teach
ers and professors may be reduced
zen. per cent. along with the rest. All
working people are having their sal
aries reduced twenty per cent. and
why not the people who work for the
state. If this is done, there will be
no. necessity to otherwise reduce ap-
preparations to the colleges and in
stitutions of learning. These col
leges and institutions of learning
should be able to employ men and
'wome.. at less salaries than a year
ago, and they should be able to pur-
chase supplies for less. They can
.:ave: Tie same service and the same
supplies on smaller appropriations
Thi; will not cripple them at all.
1t will only be making the dollar do
It's e. duty. I hope that the delega-
tior r ON Abbeville County will sec
that .,rt dollar is appropriated fol-
any purpose which Is act necessary
The - cannot afford to be eXtrav'
agsl zen the taxp: 7ers do moi
kno, ere they are . get the mon
ey t the taxes.
w. G. SAW,
Lowndcss q, S. c.