The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-02-25
NO E.lsY TASK.
((News and Courier.

yesterday that the people Of South
/ Carolina arc showing disposition
TO demand rather too much of the
legislature is not without weight
Let it be stated as frankly and as
emphatically AS possible that the
rask which the present general as
SembIy faces is the most difficult
with which any general assembly
in South Carolina has had to deal
in many years. On the one hand
he legislature is confronted with
vigorous. widespread and inSs-
tent demand that the tax burden hC
! lightened 1t is pointed out that
agriculture is passing through d
crisis and that land simply cannot
continue to pay. for the time bcins
; ut least. any considerable part Of
the expense of government. II is
J
chants and bankers and manufac-
rurers are beset with difficulties
/; scarcely less acute than those cX-
! pcricnccd by agriculture. The
question therefore. OF where the
money is to come from to meet
contemplated appropriations is u
very serious one Yet on the 9TH
er hand the public does not want
to sec the state discontinue activi-
ties which the people have come to
expect and demand.
In a general way tho belief is
widespread that appropriations can
be cut and should be cut. But
whenever the Legislature does show
a disposition to reduce appropria
tons at once an outcry is raised.
Tie action Of the house in reducing
| the fund For the office of superin-
/ tcndent of education is Il case i'll
point. In 1919. as 3Ir. Bclser stat
ed yesterday. this appropriation was
! s545.000. The appropriation bill as
J it has passed the house carries
this year s1,i8G, 200 for this item.
The public does not take into ac-
count that this is more than double
the appropriation OF 1919. 1t sees
only that it is q cut as compared
with 1921. apparently OF s34S, $50,
actually. as Mr.. Belser shows, Of
s193,13o.
The point which is being clearly
brought out is that the people do
not want the support Of the schools
reduced at all. The general feeling
is that the schools should receive
more money, not less money. With
such an attitude no one can take
!! issue. We know that the pub
lie schools of South Carolina. have
never until very recently been
maintained in such manner as to
produce an educated citizenship.
{ We all know that unless the schools
can continue to receive very much
more money than they formerly sot
it will be impossible to make them
what they ought to be or keep them
what they ought to be. Yet the
further fact confronts us. as point
cd out by Mr. Belser. that the to-
tai funds available for school sup
port in 1921 amounted to approxi
mately sl1. 100000. If this fund
is not to be cut at all, where are
reductions to be made?
Confederate pensions? Roads?
The State Hospital for the Insane?
Such institutions as the Reforma-
tory at Florence? Even If all these
appropriations were omitted en-
;irely the tax burden. would still
continue u fairly heavy one; but
il is Of course an absurdity to Sus-
Scst that the State Hospital for
The Inanc. for example, shall not
be maintained. though il cost. as
it must. approximately tfree-quar-
ters of a million dollars a year: OF
that institutions like the. Florence
Reformatory. established by stat
ute, shall be abolished over night.
Most of these institutions can be
run this year for less money than
it has cost to run them in the re-
cent past, and the house has shown
a, disposition to pare approprla-
tons. as for inStance. in the case
of the State Hospital. which has
been cut from S764.123.44 to
s693.9722.74. despite the fact that
the number of inmates has shown
substantial increase If both
branches Of tho legislature in deal
ing with the various institutions
shall pursue the policy Of thus
requiring operations to be conduct