Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-06-16

where paid from tax money, except
where trades have been made and
prices agreed upon. None should he
| exempt: because the price of all ne
cessities of life have declined ut least
80 per cent on an average, thus maxi
ing $50 now, buy as much as $10O
would do in 1919 and 1920. This being
true one can live as well now with GO
per cent. OF what was paid III 1919 and
1920 as he did then. This being true,
why should the salaried man object
c:iously to a reasonable reduction,
especially when the people who have it
to pay have had their earning capacity
cut about IS per cent, as shown by the
1919 cotton crop, compared with, the
1921 cotton crop? All industrial plants
I,have also slashcd the price paid per
day TO their employees.
If you will figure on the earnings of
the class who have to make the stuff
to sell from which their earnings
come, you will find they are not get
ting much more as whole, than
about % per cent of what they earn
ed in 1879, when the present salary
bssis was arranged. For instance,
take the 1919 cotton crop: The state
produced about 100000 hales of cot
ton. The price was around 80 cents
per pound, average. Counting these
as 500 pound bales, this cotton yield
ed the growers $262 100000. The 1921
crop was about 100000 bales for the
state. It loohs like the average price
will be about Is cents. Again count
ing these as 500 pound bales, the 1921
crop will yie!d the growers of the
state $zO,O00,O0O. or just about 25 per
cent of the 1919 crop.
In the face of these facts, why
should those who serve the state con-
tihue to demand the same amount of
salary when its bleeding the state and
counties to death? The proof of this
is the unpaid taxes and the homes
that are for sale. If the people do not
adjust these matters, they will adjust
themselves as scme positions become
undesirable because OF shortness OF
term, or inability to pay salaries when
due. If all will pull together and help
each other over the present hardships'
the efficiency of state and county
should not be impaired in the least
and all will emerge from our present
condition much quicker than if the one
class oppresses the other class. 1t
would have been much better II our
general assembly had listened TO the
pleadings of the people when they
went before them in Columbia, and
granted their request. If they had'
there would have been no call or de-
sire for the people to step in and use
their authority as some at least now
desire TO do. That was strange pro-
ccdure for the emI loycr.to go to the
employe begging anyw2y. When we
hire servants around places of busi-
ness and homes, we tell them what 10
do and expect them to do IL II we pay
them. If the laws of the state are
such that the party who employs mas
no say at all rs to WHIT the employed
shall or shall not do, there is some
thing radically wrong. Now | don't
mean by this that the people should
dictate to the general assembly in ev-
cry little detail. The people have TOO
much sense TO want to do that, but L
do say that in extreme cases, the Peo-
pic have q right TO dictate to tic gen.
eral assembly when its for their own
well being, and l say further, that
had the general assembly been sensi-
bic, it would have listened to and
obcyed the voice of the people. Or
course this charge is not made against
most of them for the majority were
against the wishes of the people.
In closing / want to say, that ow-
ing to conditions which caused some
of our people in the state to be una
BILE. to pay their taxes, I fully believe
their taxes should be RENTED. we