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DEVOTED TO POLITICS, MORALlTY, EDUCATION AND rO THIE GENERAL INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY. VOL. VII. PICKENS, S. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13,_18Th NO. 14 jisLtion, we may look, with assured c6nfidence, to an are of peace and prosperity in our State. This con summation, so ardently desired by every patriot, is to be brought about mainly by the labors of the General Assembly, and I rely confidently on the wisdom, the discretion and the patriotism which will direct and shape the ensuing legislation. Grave questions of public policy, upon which will depend in a large measure the future destiny of the State, will demand your attention, and will receive, I am sure your most earnest consideration. THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF TE STATE. First in importance is the financiil co'ndition of the State, for, until this is satisfactorily settled, all hopes of returning prosperity will prove de lusive. The credit of the State must be re stored to, and maintained at, its an. cient high character, before we can make good our promises of reform, or can expect her to take the proud position she once held, and to which it should be our highest duty and our nob est ambition to restore her. This object can, I feel convinced, be ac complished by this General kssem bly, without imposing upon our im., poverished people an onerous burden. As a commission wa6 appointed by the Legisluture at its last session to consider this subject, it would be pre mature, it not indelicate, in me to make any specific recoinmendations in fidvance of their report, and I venture now (:nly to-express the hope that under no cii cm(istatices %%ill re pudiation, direct or indirect, be coun tenanced Repudia'ion would bring inevitable disaster and would entail indellible disgrace. The public debt can surely be so adjisted that, while the welfaire of the State is care fully guarded, the rights of creditors shall not be violated ior impaired - The very fact that a State can excr cise powers in questions of this natiure against which no remedy exists should make its egislature doubly careful of the interests of' creditors whose sole protection is the honor (of their debtors. An ardent desire to see the credit of the State maintained and her faith untarnished is my sole reason for presenting these viewvs, and with the hope that they will meet the app)roval of the Legislature and of the patriotic people of the State, I leave this vital matter to you, who are the proper custodians of the wel fare and the,bionor of this Comm on wealth. THE PAYME~NT OF THE DEBT. In connection with tl'e puhlic debt I venture to make a suggestian for your -consideration. Unless some provision is made to meet the obli-. gatione of tne State when they fall due, we shalhl be subjected to great embarr'assment, and perhaps loss, as tLe State wvill be forced to issue new bonds in order to take up the outs standing ones. This system of bor rowing to pay our debts will hamper our people and may impair the cred it of the Stete. There are grave ob jections to a sinking fund, the strong est of' which is that it may be divert ed, under emergencies, from i' s legiti mate purpose. To guard agaAast this continigency, and at the same time p)rovide for the gradt'al pay mnt of the public debt, I advise that at spe cial annual tax of one-hanlf mill be levied, the proeedsof which shall be placed in the hands of the treasurer of the State, who shall be directed to buy in the bonds of the State annu ally to the extent of the fumnd s'o raised. It will be seen how profita ble to the State such a plan would be while the bonds are below par'. The proceeds of such a tax as has been indicated could, at the present time, retire bonds to the amount of one h unmdred tho usand dollars, realizing to the State a profit of twenty five or thirty per cent. The public debt could be gradually but surely redu ced, while the burden of paying it in this manner would fall lightly on the taxpayers. I merely suggest such a e.ystem, leaving its practicability and its details to the wisdom and experi ence of the General assembly. FREE ECHOoLs. Another subject of vital conse quence to our material prosperity, to which I beg to call attention, is that of the free schools. The super, intendent of education, in his annual report gives not only the result of his labors during the past year, but makes suggestions worthy of your grave consideration. Owing to cir cumstances with which you are fa% miliar, the facilities for the education of our people have not been, as yet, what we desired and expected them to be. We mn3t not forget that among the pledges of reform made by us there is none to which we are more solemnly committed than that of placing within the reach of all classes the mreans' of education. I earnestly invoke your favorable ac, tion on this subject, and I trust that you will be able to mature some syss ten which, while benefiting the schulars, will secure prompt payment to the teachers. Many of these lat, ter, after discharging their duties faithfully, now hold claims against the State, which should at once be paid. I recommend the ratification of the constitutional amendiment re garding the tax to support free schools, adopted by the voters at the last election. From the funds which will thoti be provided, toget'-er with those arising I'soim the poll tax, oi r Echools can be put on a footing of usesfulness. The late professors of the Univer sitV were iot paLd in ll when the institution was closed, and I suggest that provision be made to pay the claim held by them. My attention has been called to the fact that ther are also portions of the salaries Of Professors R eynolds, Rivers, and the late Dr. LaB3orde, of the old faculty still unpaid, and it appears to me em. inently pro~per' that whatever amounts may be due to these gentlemen, or their representatives, should be paid. These claims can be examined by a committee appointed by the Legisla ture, and a report embracing the fact can be submitted to that body for its final action. The daughters of Pro, fessor' LaBorde reqnest mre to trans mit to the General Assembly a me morial on this subject, and I take great pleasure in doing so commaend, ing it to y'our favorable considera iOton. TIJIC UNIVERsITY. The action of the Gener'al Assemn bly at tihe last session contemplated the reopening of the University as a echool for' the white youth of the State, arid the establishment of a simn ilar' institution for the black. Tis p)lanl sti ikes me as wise and well.con, sidered, and I recommend that such a mneasures be taken at the' present session as may be necessary for its successful inauguration It will, of course, be imp'ssible to put these uni versities or colleges in complete working order at once, but such leg islation to that end can now b>e had as will lay a secu:re f"undation for them. They can izradually be built op~ until they are able to offer to the youth of the Stat- every educational advantage to be found elsewhere. In no mode can the funds contributed by the peop)le of the State be more judiciously, more wisely, or more profitably expended thani by giving to their children cheap and ample means of acquit ing knowledge. PENAL IL;STITUTIoNs. Ignorance is thme fruitful parent of crime, and it we hope to suppress the latter we must first eradicate the for mer. The reports of the officers of the penal and charitable institutions will give sou all necessary informa. tion as to the condition and wants of these institution. Though they have been managed well during the past year, under the circumstances our rounding them, and at a material reduction in expense, many changes are necessary to bring them up to the pr'>per standard. Improvements in them are called for and are justified even in an economical point of view fvr if these institutionisare1put upon a proper footing they can he made self-supporting to a great extent, it not in full. This is more particular ly the case with the Penitentiary, and it is very desirable that the convict labor should be utilized, instead of being, as it now is, a burden on the honest people of the State. The su perintendent has recently visited many of the penal institutions in the country, and lie has thus acquired much valuable information, which has been laid before the directors. I suggest that there should be five in stead of three direc.ors of the Peni tentiary, to be elected by the Legis% lature. In my opinion the s.ime mode should be adopted as to the regents of the Lunatic Assylum, and I respectfully recommend the change proposed in the manner of filling three responsible positions, as I think that whenever officers of State insti ttions are to be chosen the celection Af then should Le in the hands A the General Assembly and not of the Executive. Tihe reports of the various officers of the State Government will give full information as to all matters per tain(in to the differeit departments, and hese reports will rccei ve, as tey merit, your car(ful considej ation, I am sure. The exhibit made is emi newly Fatistactory. as it shows that suibstaltial progrcs has been made in the march of r etrenchment and re. TAXP*S AND FORFEITED LANDS. The taxes levied at your last ses iion have been very gencially paid, though p)aymenIt fell due at a time not only un usual but unpoiou. In view of this fact, anid the addi Ltional one t hat in many cases the p)roceeds of the crops had b)een exs penided be fore the call for taxes was issued, I recommend th.at you ex tend such measures of relief to delin guoent taxpayers as in your discretion may see prmoier. Besides these tax payers, (whose poverty has prevented payment of the saxes of the last fiscal 3 ear,) there are many in t he State who are in arrears for several years p)ast. In many instances the lands of these parties have been forfeited, and they are thus deprived of their only means of livelihood. If you could adopt such measures as would secure the payment of last year's taxes in the cases oftthese unlortunate citizens, relieving them of past2 in debtedness on account of taxes and restoring the forfeited lands, it would be an act niot only of humanity, but, I think, of wisdom. .A new spirit of hope) would be infused into our so pIe, anid they would devote themisel yes to the task of repairinig their shattereJ fortu nes with renewmned energy. In doing this they would necessarily increase the wealth of the State and promote its prosperity. Some of our citizens have paid tax, es to officials who claimed authority to collect under the late ad ministration, and, though that claim was illegal, many of our colored p)opulationr, through ignorance andl credulity, have boen mado the victims of it. Those cases appeal strongly to our sympa thies, and, in the exercise of a liberal and magnanimous policy, the General Assembly could well provide that all who have so paid taxes shall be ens titled to credit for such payments, Action of this sort would show that we prfe to be governed in matters of this charaster by the rules of equity rather than by the technicalities of' the law. 81PRCIAL LIImfA[LATiOZ,. Among the reforms which I regard as important is the abrogation of the system, which has obtained here to a certain extent, of epecial legisla tion. Great abuses occasionally spring from this iMode of legislation, and it adds materially to the legisla tive expenses. Most of the States have experienced the ill effecs of it, and in &nany of them it is prohibited by constitutional enactments. AlF legislation should be, as far as poa sible, general in its character, plac ing all persons and all linterests on an equal tooting. TIIE PUBLIO PRINTING. A communication has been ad, dressed to me by Messrs. Calvo and Patton in reference to the public printing, which is herewith trans mitted for your consideration. The request wade by these gentlemen seems a very reasonable one, and I hope that 3 ou may fnd it expedient to grant it. JUDGE WRIGUT'S RESIGNATIoN. Associate Justice Wright, of the Supreme Bench, has tendered his resignation, to take effect on the is* of December next, and I have ac cepted it. A vacancy has occurred also among the Circuit Judges by the resignation of L. 0. Northrop, Judge of the Seventh Circuit. TUE COMMITEES. The various committees appointed by the General Assembly during its last session, while discharging their responsible and arduous duties, found that no appropriation had been made to defray their expenses, and I took the responsibility of advancing to them froni my contingent fund such sums as were necessary to en able them to prosecute their labors. This outlay will explain why the amount charged against this fund in the Comptroller General's report is s large. To avoid the recurrence of such a condition of things, I ad vise that there should hereafter be two contingent funds-one a State fund, to meet any demands for which no specific appropriation has been made, but w hich have been author ized by the Legislature, and the other the Contingent fund proper of the Governor. Should this suggestion be adopted, five thousand dollars would be amply suflicienit fur the latter. OONCLUr ION. Permit me, getntlemen of the Gen eral Assembly, in closing this comn munication, to express the hear: felt hope that y our deliber'ations may be marked by harmony and wisdom, that your acts maay redound to your own honor and to thme lasting welfare of our State, and that you may live to see her crowned with all the bles sings u hich can be bestowed by a mnercifut God on a free, enlightened, prosperous and happy Common wealth. W ADE IIAMPTO'N, Governor. Washington Correspondence. W AshlNGTON, Nov. 30, 1877. At thme op)ening of the extra ses sion of Conigress the Republicans had a majority of five in the Senate, Mor-~ ton's death and Vorhees appointment reduced it to three, including Shar on, the "bonanza king." The ex citement during the last few days has been intense, the possible loss of a working majority bas given serious alarm to the Repul>lican~s. Every inch of ground will be sharply con tested, and the struggle will be a bitter one. At this writing the Sen ate has been in continuous session for over 27 hours, and there is little chance of adjournment for as many more. Patterson and Conover are not reposing on a bed of roses. Thle former is resting under very grave cham ges of having secured his seat by bribery, while thme Jatter has doubtless been allured by promiies of political preferment, It ia annarent that some understanding has been had, and it is said that the vote whieh Stanley Matthews cast with the De mocrate to prevent an irvestigaton of the alleged alliance, is a, full con firmation of its existence. Whether this struggle shall shift the political supremacy on to Democratic should., ers or not, makes little difference, as it is certain to be accomplished in the near future, such changes seetm incident to every popular good. The political pendulum vibrates to and fro, and it is hardley possible for dny party to maintain the ascendancy for an indefinite period. The wreck of the United States steamer iurron, with a loss of 100 lives, is an evidence of tie value of the signal service to our cemmercial marine. This s'eamer was oidered to sea by Admiral Trenchard, in the very face of the danger signals at Norfolk and Cape Hatteras. The little disregard of all these sigials lust the Navy a hundred brave fol lows, and a thorough and severe in vestigation of the matter is demand ed by the public. The Pacific Railroads are seeking an adjustment with the Government, by surrendering 12 million of acres of land, granted them as subsidies. Were this possible, it would open to settlement by the advanicing army of emigrants, some of the most val uable lands of our national domain. Many :emnbarrassnents will arise from liens 'already created by land grant bonds and Governmont mort" gages. The flood so wide spead in its wotk of devastation, has done great dam. age here. A part of the famous 'Long Bridge,' so well known by every soldier, and which was built in 1808, succumbed to the angry waves yes terday. The United State3 Emigration re ports show that Texas is receiving a vast aldition to her population. by large colonies of thrifty Germans, and from present indications the Teutonic element will soon be in the~ majority. The action of the HIouse in the passage of' the anti-resumption bill has croated serious misgivings on account of the manifest sectional diversities indicated' in the vote. Were the individual views <f our Representa'ives not confined to, and made up by sections, no alarm would be felt. It can :;ot be denied that thme West and South are allied against the East. Is its p)ossible that bidden in the smoke of this conflict, the real contest is being waged between the debtor and the creditor classes? A new maebine is nowv on exhibition in thme Treasury Department, which will take the place of the band press, and strike off5,000 reversed stamps and greenbacks each day, and re duce 90 per cent of the force now employed ini the Bureau of Engrav', ing and Printing. There are some things real. Uere are two silver dollars, one of them coined by a na tion so insignificant that in face of her outrages and indignities, were we to declare war against her we should be the laughing stock of all ( nations. Yet this piece of coin will pass for one dollar, and purchase it's equivalent in every land. H ere ip another, beantiful in exterior. It bears on its face the motto of a great country, on its shield a pronid birds imtage. The flag it representd waves under every sky, and commands res pect. This coin is by no means equal in value to the Mexican ones, and will not p)urchase in Canada a dollars worth of Florida oranges. FAX. Law is like a sieve; you may see through it, but you must be conside, rably reduced before you get through it. Subscribo for theo SENTINEA THE SENTINEL 18 PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY. BY D. F. BRADLEY & CO. Terms of Subscription. One fear ... ........... 1 50 Sit Months...... 75 Advertising Rates. Advertisements inserted at the rat e of $1 00 per square, of (9) nine lines, Of L188, for the first insertion, and 50 cents for each 'subse quent inser tion. Contracts made for THREE, siX or TWZLVE months, on favorable terms. Advertisements not having the number of i nsertions marked on them, will be published unt il forbid and charged accordingly. These terms are so simple any child may understand them. Nine lines is a square one inch. In every instance we charge by the space occupied, as eight or ten lines can be made to occupy four or five squares, as the advertiser may wish, and is charged by the apace. g- Advertisers will please state the num ber of squares they wish their advertisements to make. S&- Business men who advertise to be benefitted, will bear in mind that the S ENTINEL has a large and Increasing cir culation, and is taken by the very class of persons whose trade they desire. GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. ADVICE FROM A MAN WHO ALWAYS KEEPS HIS WORD. Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Representatives : In discharging the duty of addiress 4 ing the General Assembly, imposed on me by the 0 tistitution, it seems eminietily appropriate that I should begin by congiatulating its members ni pon tGe ausloicious Circum6tances 1un(der wl.ich they reassemblo. Ihe past year has been a mmor able taie. Twehcl%e mouths ago we wit iitsstd a condition of things which t ieat'etied the exia'ence of republican ifttitutions under our ancient systen ot cistitultional Government. The whole country was convulsed by a naltiln-al puli Ical contest, which as binud sich portentous shal e that - eqery pairit)t dreaded, as i's fearful result, a civil war. Atijid the throes atid the perils of this convultion, the gove~rnmkent of which you constitute a part was placed in power by the people of the State Encompassed by dangers as novel as they werec -* startling, we looked in vain to history for the light to guide us which ex perience alone can give. The rep resentatives of the people, chosen as their rulers, were called on to fulfill as hi1gh duties and to assume as grave responsibilities as have ever been im posed on men. No human wisdom could have brought us safely through the dangers that beset us on all sides, and we should reverenitly give thamAks to aim who alone has wrought this great deliverance. Our State is re habi litated; peace prevails through out our bordere; the laws are impar.. '' tially enforced and fully respected; good will between all classes is fap idly obliterating the anomosities of' the past; health blesses our people, and the labors of our husbandmnen have been crowned with abundant harvests. Wo surely have cause for profound gratitude lor' the blessings which have been so lavishly bestow ed upon us; but while it becomes us to acknowledge these gratefully, we Bhould bear in mind that their con tinuaunce depends on the condition of our proving worthuy of them. 'THE PLEDGES MADE DURING THE CAN *The first step in this direction is for us to observe, in perfect good faith, the pledges made during the canvass which resulted In our success. Upon this point I feel well assured that the conservative and thoughtful ( people of,the State are thoroughly united, dnd that their representatives will be found in full accord with them. With Impartial justice in the administration of the laws, with the regnition of. the perfect equality of all citizens under those laws, with the assurance of protection to all in their rlghts of person and property, and with jnstz liberal and who~lesome len~