The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-16
All Roads Lead to Rome.

\
Ii you asked a dozen thoughtful
men "What does South Carolina
need most?' you would get twelve
different answers-and all would be
correct.
Good roads" one would say. Our
roads are disgrace. We need
hundred million dollars worth OF
well-graded, hard-surfaced roads.
Why, when / was in Florida last
year" Cor maybe Massachusetts or
California;, and then you would
hear of a good roads paradise.
What South Carolina needs
most" another would say, lis not
material things like good roads, but
a more sympathetic and scientific
way of dealing with our dependent
and defective classes. The state is
not doing its duty in organized
charity and social welfare work.
TOO much is LEFT to chance and to
individual effort. The tr o n g
arm of the state must be stretched
out nightly and intelligentiy to
protect the weak and the helpless,
to give the underprivileged a fair
canoe and square deal.
The greatest need Of South Car
olina," q third would say, lis in
creased court facilities ana prison
reform. For lack Of judges and
court machinery justice Is delayed
for months and even for Years. And
our penal system is medieval and
cruel. We look not 1T the crlicl-
nal but at the crime. We puriSh
by hard and fast rules, fitting the
criminal to the punishment, not the
punishment to the criminal. The
criminal is usually man who is
socially sick We should try to cure
him and restore him to society, ir-
stead of bounding him down as we
would a mad dog or a wolf
why ask? another would say.
Everyone knows that the states
chief need is education. AS was
brought out at the recent Educa-
tional Conference in Spartanburg:
Il. South Carolina has the small
est number of citizens who can
read, with the single exception OF
Louisiana.
-. South Carolina spends the
smallest amount per capita for the
education OF the children in public
schools.
'3. South Earoiina has its pub
lie schools in operation the small
est numbers OF days in the year
10.
II. South Carolina has the
smallest percentage Of boys and
girls attending high schools-2.2 .
per cent.
-. South Carolina has the
smallest number Of free libraries
1.9 per cent.
"6. In all educational lines
South Carolina averages the low
est in the country-occupies the
4Sth place.
THUS IS our beloved state adver-
tised 20 the entire world. The
Palmetto flag flies over more mem
tai darkness and ignorance to the
SQUARE inch than exists in any other
state in the union, save possibly
one
Now, which of all these needs
could be declared necessary? Put
, it to a vote all over South Caro-
lima and you would get a unanl-
nous verdict in favor of al OF
them.
What is the trouble then? Why
don't :, e get them?
The trouble is that they all cost
money, much money. That is all,
but it is enough. Find a way to
double or treble the states incor,e
and all our troubles would vanish
But the only source of income the
! state has is taxation. And taxa
ton IS q sore subject. Nobody
wants to think about it, talk about
! it or hear about it. I'll discuss
education with you, or good roads.
or prison reform, or the League OF
Nations, but don't bring up the sub
/
know about taxes is that they are
too high and l want them reduced. '
All of which brings us right back
to where we started from. The
tax problem is the key problem of
/ South Carolina. Solve it, and of
necessity our other problems will
solve themselves. and not before.
+! 1t is largely a matter Of dollars and
cents. You can't get an automobile
! for the price Of a wheelbarrow.
! Nor can YOU coruuct, efficiently and
! progressively, he expensive busl-
! ness of modern sovereign state
without paying Tor it, either in
money or in failure.
/ DoT ory,,n'C Pharmacy Entered by