Year: 1871

For the Greenville Enterprise.
Aessrs. Editors 1 see in a re-


cent number of your paper, a call


tor public meeting Mt Tandy


Babb's store, four miles below


Fairview,. to consider the practi


bility OF forming a new county on,


OF the lower portion of Grcenville


and upper portion Of Laurcns.
That any actual necessity exists


for such O move, is extremely


doubtful and although it is not a,


all probable that the Legislature


can be influenced to make such an
injurious change for the general
prosperity of our County, it may


be well enough to state some of the


objections to such policy, for the


benefit of those who are prompted


by mere personal interest to advo.
cate so ruipous policy for Green.


vile County.


In Article Q and Section 8, of
the Constitution of the State, will
be tound the following sentence :
" No counties shall hereafter be
formed of less extent than 625
square miles ; nor shall any exist
ing counties be reduced to a less
extent than 625 square miles. y
Greenville County, by the late sur
vey, Las 7S5 square miles, and so
1t is plain we have but very little
more available territory than is
required by the Constitution, for
it is we'll known that over 100
square miles Of our territory is so
mountainous that it can never be
available for farming lands, or in
any way be made to add material.
ly to the wealth of the County
Over 500 sqnare miles of terrific.
ry must be taken from Laurens, or
some other County, to form this
new county. The portion that
would be taken off of Grcenville,
would throw the county in the most
awkward shape possible; the Court
House would be thrown on one
side of the County, ard then the
upper part of the County would
have just cause Of complaint for
being thrown so far from the Court
uonse; rs it is, the Court uouse
is about centered, and we have no
howl of complaint from the upper
part Of the County; although the
Citizens :;,ttf have to travel farther TO
than the citizens of the lower part
of the County. Il would be well
for the upper part of the County
to watch alter their interests rs
this movement progresses, for they
have much to loose, If the change
can be made, and nothing to gain
by it.


This is question that should
come directly before all the peo-
pie of the County, because all are
interested. Ii a meeting is held at
all, it should be at the Court House.
There the sense of tile County
could be fully ascertained. The
idea of one portion of. the County
seeding without co operation and
approval of majority of all the
citizens, is rathei q novel and ir-
regular procedure, and the obiec-
tions to such policy, at this time,
are of so serious q nature that it is
not at all probable that one man
in fifty in the County would ell
dorse the move rs good one for
the general interest Of the whole
County, and not but very few that
would desire it, that 1.-Two in the
territory that is proposed to make
the new county of, when it is fair.
ly discussed on its true merits
Doubtless this may be a very de.
sirable object to a few individuals
in the lower part of the County,
who are personally interested, and
who expect to enhance the value
of their property by the change,
and even intliis they will be sadly
mistaken, unless their property is
located in some other County -
There is no reason, no indncement
whatever, for any one in Green.
vile County to favor this move
mcnt for, in the first place, the
amount OF territory that could be
taken from our County is so Small
that it would not place the new
Court House convenient or nearer
to any one than the present one is
now, and in this respect the evils
that many citizens complained Of
will in no way be remedied for the
lower part OF the County; and in
the next place, are we prepared to
give up one million of dollars
north Of the taxable property of
the County, and one hundred
square miles of our best farming
lands, in our present embarrassed
circumstances, and by 90 doing be
forced to increase the present rate
Of taxes at least one fifth more, or
40 ~