The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-08-24
Last County Campaign
Meeting Held On Friday.
(Continued from page /, column So
will beat anybody and everybody on

will beat anybody and everybody on
August 29th.
For the Upper District.
J.. S. Tant, incumbent for the up
per district, told the voters that ne
has given fair and honest service in
the Office during the 10 months he
has been there, and promised to con-
tinue to give the same attention II
elected again. He is on the roads
every day, and is in position to know
their condition. He thanked'the vot-
ers of Bamberg for their handsome
vote two years ago.
w. II. Collins was the last speaker
for commissioner. He was glad to
see the women present; he consid-
ers they were sent by the Lord. He
has lived in the county 62 years, and
always did business in Bamberg un-
til a few years ago, and still does
some of his business here. He had
rendered good service to the county
when he held the Office, though he
was handicapped by high prices;
lumber being worth $50 thousand
and hands demanding So day; thus
much needed work could not be done.
He wants one more term. He was
unable to canvass the county, he
said, because of sickness in his home,
but he will appreciate the votes Of
the people.
Riley for Tax Reform.
Hon. W. L. Riley, who has repre-
'sented Bamberg county in the legisla-
ture eight years, said that the coun-
ty has always sent good men to the
house, but they could have been Of
better value to the county had they
stayed longer, their influence would
have been greater. With this intro
duction, he launched at once into
the tax question. Last year, he
said, taxes had been the highest in
history-adding in a vein Of pleas
antry, the year Mr.. Kearse was sent
to the house. In good times, said
Mr.. Riley, we sought to better our
selves, and voted right along for ad-
ditional taxes and bonds; all these
things are good and well, but he feels
that the. time has arrived when we
must economic. He referred to the
Bamberg school bond election, which
had just voted three and half mills
taxes on the district. He said that
OF the 72 mills taxes in Bamberg,
only twelve go to the state, and three
mills of that come back in direct
appropriations, while the rest is spent
hesre at home. He told of the work
of the last legislature in reducing
taxes, stating that the county taxes
had been reduced as well as state
: taxes; the road tax had been lowered
from five to two dollars, and the
road levy had been reduced from
two and one-half to one and one
half mills, and he advocated taking
this off when present road work Is
completed, and only using the gang.
He favors the elimination Of every
possible salary and the combining Of
boards where it is possible. Too
much money is spent by the colleges,
he declared. During the war all
state departments expended, but he
feels where anything can be taken of,
it should be taken of now.
With all of this pairing, however,
real relief must come from tax re-
form. By eliminating the salaries of
all state officers and members OF
boards and commissions, a person in
Bamberg paying taxes on $1,000
worth of property instead Of paying
the s72 he pays now would still pay
$71, and this relief would be neglig-
ible. What he had worked for as
member Of the ways and means COM
mittee was a real relief to the mer-
chants, farmers and business men by
reducing the tax on visible property
and putting it on the big business
interests which have escaped their
just proportion of taxes. All of the
reform bills had been introduced by
his committee, and the house had
passed the entire programme, but the
senate had killed some of them.
Mr.. Riley feels that his service on
the ways and means committee puts
him in a position to render his coun-
ty good service. He has been on this
committee four years and vice chair
man of it two years, and if sent back
to the house there is a strong possl-
bility of his being made chairman.
This, he said, is position he covets,
and accounts for his being in the