Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-03-08
CONCERNING our SITUATION, {
Oconee Greatly Rlesset--Let rs TAKE
Thought, tor, the Futsre. .sis

i Editor iKeowee Courier:
/ am very losth sto write anything
for publication buts have watched
the general Ssituation CLOSELY s, and i
dnd that Oconee has ESCAPED the
crisis, Of dedations and Fearful
boil JsWeeyil menace; so Hs ave
hmRde ia good crop; Of c6tt6 sin I0 At
land received q fair price forS IT, so
we are safe Sto date, }sRd mot banks
fnpt$as yet as som mle| 1 ath Ties
II sS c5I fify mad ~ S4s 900
bales and In 1921 not much over
1000 bales-about one to seven.
Now, what II SOconee makes only
5000 bales of cotton, this year in
stead Of 10000, as we made last
year? No State or county has ever
| realized the true state Of the calam-
ity until eaten up by the pest. Our
county has been greatly blessed so
far. But how about 1922? Cotton
being our only money crop, and that
standing a good chance to be ruined,
1t is not good idea to depend fully
upon cotton. Therefore, we must
keep out Of debt and raise all Of our
supplies at home. We are certainly
now facing one Of the most serious
problems In the history of Oconee.
We may escape total wreck but
we had better prepare for the worst.
Then, too, we are burdened with
seemingly excessive or wasteful tax
alton, and our lawmakers almost
totally ignore any appeals for relief.
'Lay on, McDuff,". seems to be their
motto. The Legislature Of the State
OF Mississippi took in the true situa-
tion and they have reduced all sal
aries and all appropriations from 80
to SO per cent. This action has saved
that State hundreds Of thousands of
dollars. AS to South Carolina, here
are a few comparative figures:
Appropriations for all
purposes for 1920. $6,091,241.3
Appropriations for all
purposes for 1915. 2,463,759.82
But this period was one Of unus-
ual prosperity, and we were having
quite lot Of cheap money. Our dol
lars got down to where they were
not worth more than 40 cents. But
now again our dollars are nearly
equal to the dollar Of 1915, so severe
has been the defiation. The govern
ment did this to safeguard the cur
rency. The United States being a
gold standard nation, the govern
ment could not stand for the Accent
dollar. Now, as our dollars are once
more dollars, and our taxes in 1915
were about two and one-half million,
surely II We will eliminate waste,
and with good dollars, insist that
four millions should supply ample
funds with which to meet all legiti-
mate expenses, that sum being one
and half millions more than was
used In 1915, and at the same time
with as much efficiency as the six
millions did in 1920. We cannot toll
crate inefflciency. but after close OBJ
servation we are quite sure that
there Is much waste.
All business had to pare expenses
down to normal to keep out Of bank
ruptcy, and 1t must be the lack Of
foresight on the part of our State
administration that they have not
done as Mississippi did, which was
simply matter Of Justice to all con-
cerned.
Now, two months after the tax
books are closed, there Is one million
five hundred thousand dollars still
due the State In taxes for 1921 This
is caused by the boil weevil and high
taxes, and hence We ask, "Where
will Oconee be on March 1st, 1919?
Echo answere, "Where?"
Prepare for war in time OF peace"
should be our motto.
Respectfully, w. A. Strother.
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