Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1922-03-23

II fnoA dme Tor the payment o.
fa4 WaB extended and he feared
fk1t sueh IAN act would injure the
credit of'the State. The govern
'cr's fears do not seem to have
been well founded. On the con-
-trary, we have his word for it
that South Carolina 3 credit is as
good as that Of any State Of the
union in the money marts of the
rth--whieh proyesS that the
Contention Of the members Of the
Legislature Who argued for the
extension Of the time for the pav-
ment Of taxes was Just a little
better than that Of the governor
arguing seeinst i.
1t is q pity that the Legislature
|of South Carolina is not compos-
ed Of intellectuhl supermen. If
Il, were, we migSt see the State
government operated without tax
alton, and fhus satisfy the corres-
pondent of a daily newspaper
who says that the failure of the
Legislature ut its recent session
tto give the farmer relief from
bearing the heavier portion of the
load Of taxation has greatly en-
Ihanced the chances of election of
Cole l.. Bleasesas governor. 1t is
not prehaps outstandingly impor-
tant what the correspondent we
have quoted thinks about the race
for governor, but it is important
to know that the Legislature a
few days ago cut the levy for
State purposes from IL mills to Z
mills, which will be the amount
collected for this year at least.
Will the farmer share. in the re-
tioni One is one safe ground in
assuming that he will. All agree
that taxation is high in South.
Carolina, but it is a fact that no
other State government in this
country is operated as cheaply
per capita as that of this State.
and no fair minded man will
blame the Legislature for things
the Legislature is not responsible
for. Most of the heavy taxation
in South Carolina is for local pur-
poses-for the support and devel-
opment of the public schools, for
the building of good roads, and
for other public purposes. Much
OF this taxation was voted by the
people themselves, and those who
are dissatisfied with the amount
they are paying for the upkeep of
the, schools at least Gsight find
way to escape the special taxation
by influencing their neighbors to
vote off the special levies which
in many communities i'm the State
are higher than the amount the
same communities are paying to-
ward the support of the State
government. OF course there will
be few instances of the people
going to the polls and withdraw
ing their support of the public
schools, but it may be done by,
communities which do not place
|education in the category of neede
ful things.
In front of the great churches
in New York city for weeks past
there has BEEN bread line every
night, 1,500 strong. Many in that
bread line, toward the end of the
war, were seleeting $12 silk shirts
and asking the man in the shoe
store if he didn't have something
better than $1S shoes. This news
paper, along with others, urged
workers to remember that high
pay would not last and to keep
some of it. Sooner or later good
times will come back. Then again
this and other newspapers will
say, Keep some of it." But al
ways there will be rapid jump
from silk shirts to the bread line.
That is why a few people have
money and great majority have
none.