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- H . juDolqd (o ^j)i[idnUure, gjortiqulluri}, fl'imicstiq (?qcmauiy,VjH^fl|j^^fl^^^^^^^^HB|^^^^fl|j^^^^H^fl^HHHj^B|^B ??--- - -" -^. . * -== L, -? jjf ' J . . .-*Z-. .. - _ ^rlajl^fe^fe?- ^ v-'.^ - ?.-^4'?- - -' , ^ _ ..y.y^ '';?&. VOI>. X. -\k>v Sertfs. . x UNION G, JMbg* ^dVER.VOH W. IK MMP.SDV, TO Till-: ' GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AT ITS SESSION COHMEXCINUJUEaiUY, NOV. 23, 1879. Gentlemen of the General Assembly : It is with pleasure that, as the Kxccuti*^ of the State, ? tender you kindly greetings upou your reassouibliug for the purpose of ontering upon the discharge of the high duties imposed upon you by the Constitution I have no doubt tln^yoa lfrfve eaoh come prepared to uieet fully your responsibilities and to do all that you cau for the promotion of the welfare of the State, aud to this ond you shall havo my uiost cordial cooperatiou. My hive for South Carolina, always strong, has growu with my .growth and . *. unite with you in nn earnest offyrt tajifccrmplish daring this the last session of the General Assembly of the present administration such results as may rewound to her lastitig prosperity, honor and glory,?aud I earnestly hope that such may be its consummation. In addition to the ordiuary and daily duties of the Kxccutlve, some of which hare been difficult and perplexing, the Constitution provides that the Governor '-shall from time to timo give to the Gouoral Assembly information of tho conditiou of the State. ~...i .i- :.i 1. %iuiA luuuur.u jiiu iiivjii uumm'ji.iuuii Mtfil measures as lie shall jud^c necessary or expedient." This Message is intended to meet this constitutional duty, to wit: to give you information as to the conditiou of tho State and to recommend the adoption on your part of such measures as, iu my judgment, may be promotive of tho common gooa.* Iu proceeding to discharge this two-fold duty, you will permit uio, first brielly to Ofclt" yOur.attentiou, by way of information, to several matters which seem to mc should afford abundant cause for great congratulation, not only on tho part of the General Assembly but of the whole State, aud especially on the part of tho General Assembly, for the reason that sonic of these matters have been the direct results of its previous legislation. First, you will permit mc to congratulate .....i ?i.~ ............. .k- -r JWU tillVjl I lie t'J UlILIj Ull f 11 U UVIUCIICI'S IU agricultural industry which have couic up from all parts of the State. Agriculture, as all understand, is the most important of a people's various interests?it is. in fact, the groundwork of all else. Let it languish, and everything else languishes ; let if flourish, and everything else flourishes. When - in successful operation, it gives rise to all other improvements. It necessitates the building of railroads and the establishment of manufacturing enterprises. It creates commerce, and extended educational facilities are its legitimate results. During the past Summer this great interest was threatened at one time with serious :ind widespread disaster by an impendiug drouth, but at length the showers came and the rains descended, and this dauger, comparatively, passed off, and our people, taken as a whoio, have been blessed with a rcusouaable harvest. Their garners are generally . full. I have taken some puns to obtain * ' information on this subject, and the reports from the different counties show that the people of all classes and eonditi his have been more industrious, more energetic and enterprising, in t!iis dep.irtnieut ol'iudlist ry, during the current year than for many years past, arid I aui rejoiced to belieye that the new relations of labor and capital which our sudden transformation lias imposed upon us .as a people are beginning to adjust themselves in are harmoniously; we have certainly touched bottom and the rebound has commenced. These reports further show that while cotton still forms the main product, yet that the people all over the State are beginning largely to diversify their Crops. More small grain, especially wheat and oats, has been cultivated ami harvested, at least in tipper South Carolina, during the past year than at any period since the war, and greater attention is beginning to be paid to grasses and cuttle, and the people arc generally and wisely, I think, coming to the conclusion that while their soil is well adapted to the production of the great staple cotton, and that this product should 1 1 l 1 ? .1- * I - - uui. uu iiegieeieu, yet mat tucir corn cnos and meat houses should be built on their own lands and under the protection of their own eyes. When this practice is more generally re-established and fully adopted, our i future, agriculturally, I think, will become more secure, and, while a Hording all of our people the means of a comfortable living, it will largely tend to relieve them from those feirfui pecuniary disasters which not unfrcrjuently occur among every people relying upon but one industry and the cultivation of a single staple. In this connection it affords me pleasure to state that the law known as the stock 1 iw. pawed at the list cssion, has fully realized the hopes of its friends in th >se (J Miotics where it has been put into operation. Ofeour.sc a measure so radical in its character an 1st ?u 1 1 oily nd >ptt d won! 1 meet with some opp tut'.ou, and, as was expected, setae complaints were nude against this; but this was immediately up >ti the pass ago of the Act anl before the people had *pr'p trod them-elves to meet it. Since I then it has given as nearly universal .-atis- j fiction as any law ever enacted, and the' concurring testimony from all quarters is that it is the greatest blessing to agriculture ; ever bostowed by the legislature. It is; for you to determine whether or not this j law should bo extended to the Counties not now embraced, upon such information as you may receive from the 15 'pro^mtatives ' of these Counties. It gives nie pleasure, too, to state that' I and ke^t our psoplo apart, at loust during election years, an i wnich, on account of the pocdliar composition of our body politic, threatened serious consequences in tho past, if not entirely extinguished, have been held hi abayauco during tljo prcsout year, and buf whole population, freo from those discordant antagonisms which seeuiod likely to occur, ^havo united iu a cotmuou effort Ibrthfe common good. There is apprehension, however, that in the near futureall this will be change], nud that iu the election of 18S0 turmoil and party strife will aguiu rise to the surface. I hope not. It is true iu that election, involving as it will, to a great extent, the future policy of tho general governmeut, and arousing, as it must, the unholy auibitiou of the political aspirant as well as the noble impulses of the patriotic citizen, some excitement aro beginning to feel that we constitute Lut one poople; that our prosperity is bound up with each other; that we are all Caroliuiaus ; and that, while wo recognize tho geuor.il government as supreme in its orbit, and, to some degree, affecting our interests, yet at last that our liuppiuoss as a people ilepcuJs chiefly upou alio destiny of our own State, and that \ve will not allow our iulernal and home iuterests to be swallowed up in the maelstrom of Federal politics. L desire also to communicate, as a matter of most pleasing information, based upon reliable data received from the Solicitors of the different Circuits, concurred in and fully supported by the Circuit Judges, that crime has greatly diminished all over the Statediminished to the extent of at least thirty per cent, in this the third year of the administration of the party now iu power, compared to any period pretfifeus to its in* > auguration. This, no doubt, has been the result of the fair and impartial administration of the laws which has taken place since that party has been in power and the confidence which all the people arc gradually begiuuing to feel iu the protective power aud willingness ol the govcruuicnt under the control and in the bauds of that party. These results it promised to bring about, and the statistics will show that its promises have been faithfully redeemed. This is a most gratifying l'act aiid augurs weli for our future. There is rootn, however, for further advance iu this direction. A niong the other evils lelt in the track ol' the late war there seems to have been engendered iu the minds of the people a loo great disregard of human life?not iwiu 111 uur niiust iiiuu eisewncre, out in | every part of the oouutry,, as is evidouced j by the startling homicides reported ia dit1'erent portions ofthd United States. This teeling is led and stimulated by that dangerous practice of carrying concealed and i deadly weapons, and by their manufacture and sale, which prevails so extensively in diil'erent portions < T the country. It is not surprising that the people should to some | extent forget the value of human life when ; thousands and thousands of these instru- | meats aro maaulactured and sold for no j other purpose but to kill and destroy it, and j when they are made familiar with the idea j of their fitness to that end, which the cou- ! staat wearing and handling of these instru- j ments must eventually produce in the minds j of those who thus use tlicni. This evil is-not more prominent with us j than in other communities?ia fact, I am gratified to believe that it prevails to a less extent hero than elsewhere?but still itexists here to too great an extent and should be i corrected if possible. If within the reach oPlegislation, your wisdom will find the remedy ; in addition to this, the good, the wise and the lovers of peace and order everywhere should combine together and bring to bear upon it with crushing power that most potential of .ill inllucnees?public | opinion?and this 1 invoke. L do not ' know that any additional laws upon the J subject of homicide are necessary. What i is needed, perhaps, is a sterner enforcement of those already in existence; it is sale, ! however, to leave 'his to the Courts and the , juries. _ j Full information as to the operations of j the financial department, the public schools, I the militia, the Penitentiary, the Lunatic Asylum, the Institution of the Deaf and Dumb and other charitable institution*, the I Sinking Fund Commission, the Railroad ' Commis ion, the Board of 11 ,'alth, the Fish CuintnisMou and the phosphate interests will be found in the reports of the several officers j having these interests respectively in charge, j and which will he upon your tables. It | would encumber this Message unnecessarily j to incorporate in it tho valuable details I found in those reports; I shall, therefore, | present only such prominent points as I | may think advisable, leaving to you that lull and thorough exami intion which the importance ol these various matters will demand tit your hands. .MKASlltf.S ItKI *OM MKNUKH. The primal object of government is pro- ! lection?protection of the natural and abso- | lute rights of tin: p opie?the r'glit of per- j sonal security, p rsonal liberty, and the 1 right to accumulate and enjoy properly. These important rights hid existence hefore government, and came from a much higher source, and government was created and established for their protection. But j for the danger to these rights in a state of j iiafnro lliprii ivnnU I.hm .. . for government. I<aws are tlio i n strum .n(aliiics through wliicli government is j brought in contact with the people ami by ; which it accomplishes its great end. Such j being the (act, it would seem that all wise ; lcgisluti m should ha directed to the ends, ( first, of establishing and supporting the governmental machinery upon as good and , > oonouiiea! a haeis as possible, and secondly, its fundamental D^jSS, ^S of p?olectiou llavin^^^^thl^lbgialttjou has accent^ plishfc^oTftfiat it should sdck K> aooou*-. III ondaavjj^uf' i$~*n&c\i 4U14. resnlt, the tendency of mq^lajjislativo jfcdiea ii* :ho past has beeiWrovor legislation, rather than to too little?t^i the eoat ttuent of too, many, Intvs rather than to t<>o>.fiew. The Gcucrul Assembly of tbig , Stale has not been exompt froui this tondencyln the pasl as our volumiuous statute books will show, and you will pardon tno in warning you ngaiust its too great indulgence at this s<;sT.. ...1 1.. :.. .1?:1J OIWII. XII iiu miu'l IU IIII9| \TIIUC 19 UUMICU by all is an increase of w$llth, because as a people grow rnoro wealthy within proper bouuds they grow uioro powerful and prosperous and are the better enabled to surround themselves with ull the comforts aud improvements of a higher civilisation. . $M^natbnal wealth is b utth |'safest, and consequcnuy tlic wisest, government's that which is content rather to protect than to attempt to create prosperity, since tho former always promotes and the latter never fails to, iuipodo tho offoris of that individuality which uiakes men industrious aud enterprising aud which produces the wealth of a country. Having these views, aud looking at the Slate from my standpoint, I am impressed with the belief that but llttlo additional legislation is uow demanded by tho wants of our people, auii consequently I shall have but lew reeouiuicudatioiis to make. Whati they want is not so much uioro laws as more political rest and a quiet opportunity, through their own individual enterprise, activity and industry, of building up and rccuperatiug their lost fortune*. FINANCES. * ..* | As to our frinn-in1 rymrna "V-- proseut scuome iu operation for the support and maiiitcnauco of the government stands upon as just a principle and upon as ccouuiuiua) a basis as can well bo devised. It rests upon the broad principle that every citizen sh mid boar that proportion of the uecessary burdens of government which his ability and property shall demand. This makes 1 it boar equally upon all, and all arc satisfied. I am not aware of any improvement that 1 can bo made in either the collecting or disbursing oftjiat portion of the public money : which is administered by the fc^tate Troasu- 1 ry. As now conducted the present scheme 1 sccuis to afford absolute security both for the prompt gathering and the prompt and 1 honest disbursement of this part of the pub- ! lie funds, iiut while this security exists as to that portion of public moneys administered by the State Treasury, yet it sectili* -j to have been forgotten that a largo portion of the taxes collected is collected for County purposes and is administer d by (he County Commissioners of the several Counties without any sufficient check being provided for the correct disbursement thereof. It is true fhrit the County Commissioners are required l > make reports to the (icucral Assembly, 1 but it would be almost impossible for the (lencral Assembly to I mk fully into ail the ' aets and doings, contracts and vouchers of the County Commissioners of the thirty two ' Counties st us to aflfor 1 that cheek which 1 the magnitude of this part of our (iuancial 1 scheme demands. It w >uld be better that these reports ' should he made to some local authority, where the facts could be more fully examined anil the vouchers uiorc easily tested ; ' and for this better security I recommend that those reports be required to he made to the Circuit Court in the several Coun- ' ties, to be examined by the grand juries under its supervision, alter being published in ' the County papers just previous to the sit- ! ting of the Court to which they shall be made. Xor do I see at this time any opening for greater economy or retrenchment in current expenses. Salaries have been reduced as low as it i< wise to reduce them, and all the expenses of the government have been cut down as far as it is perhaps practicable to do so. This will he seen more certainly by comparing the expenses of the different departments of the government before the war and since. 1 refer to those xpenses which are paid from the State Treasury. In 185!) the aggregate of salaries of the executive d.'tiai tment. amounted to nineteen thousand eight hundred and Idly dollars. During this year the sum required i* thirteen thousand nine hundred, notwithstanding an additional ofiii-o, that of Superintendent of Ivlucation, with a salary of twenty-one hundred dollars, has been created since 18.~>0. He fore the war most of t he executive oftiecrs could live at their respective homes and discharge their duties hy periodic visits to the capitol. Now their duties are largely increased and they are required to live in Columbia and attend daily at their offices. It is true these increased duties have called fin an increase of clerical forec?, belli in number and qualifications, which has also increased the expenses of this department. which, when to the sum nhovc mentioiuul. will hriri<? thesj expenses to about vt'ltnl vvri'n li >? 1111?i* I \' Vnf wlwin tlio ad litbmal wi j-k imposed upon (his departlit, in consequence of hup changed conditi n, i.i considered, it will be sceu ilisit the strictest and closest economy has been observed. In the judiciary department the amount required in 16.">!> was $111),200 ; durin;.*; this year this department has required S.">t),80U ?a difference of ?1 7,GOO. This difference, however, has not resulted from an increase in the salaries of th s officers in this departni nt so much as on account of the fact that an entirely new system has been adopted since 1S.VJ. In l.S.VJ the Supremo Court was not in existence, and the Solicitors were then paid principally fro.n fees and costs derived from the eases i rescc itcd. Now /'In tho legislative department in 1859 th< l?l<:.. --* ?? :?..i.. J " ? cumu cA^cuau, imuuuiug pay or mctuuors Solicitors, clerks, attachecs, printing, Ac. amounted to 840,550. Now tho sum required is 840,145. All these expenses aggregated during the year 1859 amounted to 8105,000; now to 8124,895?a difference of SI8,295, chiefly on accountof the change in the judicial department, which was important and essential, and which absolutely necessitated this additional expense. Wh en we reflect upou the great change which has taken place in cur coudition, social, political and otherwise, aud when we remember that our citizenship has been onoro than doubled by the emancipation ot ^hosti^^urpeople who were formerly our in which had been brought ^5!t?u^mtirc rebuilding of'our political structure, it is not ouly a gratifying but a surprising fact that our expenses have so soon been brought down to the level of that peaceful and quiet state of things which existed ill 1859. and it will pver no ? monument to tliu patriotism ami practicil wisdom of those who have couducted public affairs f'or the last three years, within which time this result has beeu accomplished. This is still more striking when the expenses of 187U are compared with those of the fiscal year commencing November, *875. ' The expenses of 1879 in the legislative, executive aud judicial departments, as will be seen above, amounted to $124,895, while for the fiscal year 1875 the sum required Was three hundred and fifty-ono thousand doifars?a difference of $228,205. This comparison has only cxtcudcd to the appropriations made for the legislative, executive and judicial departments for th? years mentioned. If carried out with the other appropriations, the contrast will be found still more striking, and will afford abundant cvideuce of the ?igilant economy of the General Assemblies of the last three years. The road, then, which leads to the lightL>?in?' nf tln? nrtnnli?'>i K? nJii/>Mnn o ? ( 1--" "J jf taxes, cither now or ultimately, is not through an unwise withdrawal of proper upport to the different dcpurtuicuts of government under the guise of economy, but by that increase of wealth and population which will certaiuly eouio from stability, effectiveness and vigor in these departments, impnr ted by a fair, just and liberal support, and bv the awakening of our sleeping resources through the increasing industry and enterprise .our people, fostered and protected by a just and stable government. The building of the Spartanburg and Asneville llailroad and other similar enterprises; the successful operation of the I'iedmout and Cauipcrdown and other factories in the State ; the discovery of the ash clement by l)r. Ka\tncl ; tho reclamation of thousands of acres of most valuable laud in the lower portions of the State from the grasp of present ruin by the introduction of some new product suited to the soil and climate or some new mode of culture ; the deepening of our rivers and the draining of our swamps; the extension of education; the fair, just and impartial administration of the laws?these are the agencies which will add to and increase the value of the property from which our revenue s to he derived. And inasmuch as the rate of taxation will decrease as property increases, the surest toad to permanent and substantial reduction of taxes is proiccti >n and encourgement to enterprises an 1 industries like these, and to tlios s ends, therefore, legislation should be directed. I invito your attention to the following condensed statement of our financial condition, gathered from the clear and able reports of tho Comptroller and Treasurer, which is heroin incorporated so as to he in Oitiiuonionl i i w ti\ I'm* ?o?r.?n.\?.rtA Consul l)oii Is nml stocks funded to November, IN?'.' $5,02 1,949 00 l.ess bonds retired by Sinking Fund Commission 30,000 00 $ >,088,010 00 Amount to be consolid'ited $1,101,820 00 Equal to 580,011 51 Certificates of ('bums Commission already funded for deficiency bonds and stocks, less $2,f't72.26 o f bonds retired by tbe Sinking Fund Commission in 1870 $557,615 06 Certificates still to be funded ",800 00 561,535 08 Total interest on 6,761,100 46 all bonds and certificates $619,516 35 l.ess amount in Treasury 175,451 80 414,051 15 Total debt and interest ?7,175,154 01 llonds declared invalid by recent decision of the Supreme Court, including interest conU/il i 11 ? f <*> 1 in irt>4>eo Sv*? - 770, ci|unl when consolidated lo I,IOG,18.7 00 Total approximates $ 7,070,-GO 01 Hills of I lie Hank of i lie .State supposed to bo still out '100,('00 00 ^This statement does not embrace the contingent liability, if any, of the State for railroad bonds guaranteed. Taxable property of the State: Ileal estate 0 $OC Personal property GO.77l.H7M 0(J Railroads 7,GO:!,000 (KJ Tolal $120,0.71,024 0(1 One mill will yield (net) $102,G20 00 Poll lax last year 102,000 oo This year 07,570 00 Tho present school system was organisedoy j the passage or an Act eniitled "An Act to alter and amend the school law of South Carolina," pnssod at tho regular session of 1877. 5 This system, though somewhat defective, was , the best tlmt could have beeu then devised, and t it has produced good fruit. Its defects arc of a character which, perhaps, at this time cannot be remedied oh account of our peculiar condi| tion. 1 A perfect school system would ho one which, ! by its own machinery, would bring into the school room alt the youths of the State between tne proper ages anil suiject them Tor the gren'^- ! part of the year to tl.e tuition of thoroughly competent ami professional teachers?competent to instruct and discipline the mind as well as develop and discipline the character. This last being, in my judgment, as, important it not more important, than the first. The present system provides no special mode , of furnishing the Stale with the class of teachers suggested. The different Boards authorized to license teachers arc dependent upon those who apply?many of them entering the work as a inerct. temporary business nryj, for^Pfacut support. TU#,examinations ate nec^M^P to some and character?required on the part of those into whose hands the educational interests ef the young of the State arc entrusted, l.know no mode of remedying this defect except the establishment of one or moro normal schools to prepare and fit teachers for this important work.? It may be on account of our depressed condition that the Stato is not yet prepared to undertake a scheme of this sort and establish it on a firm basis ; but tlie whole school system depends in a great mcasnro far complete success upon the character of the teachers employed, and we will be compelled, ultimately, to adopt some better mode than is now in existence to meet this demand. The other defect referred to, to wit, the short period during which the schools nre kept open, is due not so much to the system as to the fact of deficiency in the sum appropiatcd for school purposes." The schools are kept open to the full extent of tlie means appropriated, and, through tho ener-' gy and most earnest efforts of the State S'-j/jrintendeut, are doing all the good that can possibly be accomplished with the limited menns provided; and until tho State is prepared to enlnrge its appropriation, either through State or local , taxation, this evil must continue, unless in the me&utiuio private efforts can be combined in some way with public nid to continue the schools i after the public funds nrc exhnusled. This metier of public education, however, is , of the very highest importance and requires the maturCst consideration ; and in a government . like ours, resting as it does upon universal suf- , frage, it is indeed the question of questions. , The time is coming, mid is rapidly approaching, when public sentiment will not only approve but demand, that education in nil its grades, j higher and lower, shall be free to nil, without money and without price. If I had the power , I would hasten the arrival of that time, and ] would then rejoice iu the consciousness that I had borne some humble part in a work than j which no greater can mark the history of any , people. Hut you arc fur more competent thau , myself to deal with this great subject, and into j your bands 1 commit it. commending to your ( consideration the very able report of the Super- , intcndcut with the valublc factsjind suggestions | contained therein. , It will be seen that this report furnishes , much important and interesting information | showing the growth and improvement of the | school system. The number of pupils attending | tho public schools during the lust year was 1 'J2,- , It'.:: ; of this number f?8,.'.l?8 were whites and | til,Obo colored. This is probably the largest ( number of pupils that has attended the public | schools in any one year. I The improvement in tho schools for the col- ( s/i vvi . *%w ucuu iij.u ivci , n 129 wiirnijf ?ii nuic } lliut since 1 ST 'J the average incrense of alien- ( dance of colored pupils lias been more than 45 ( per cent, gentor than under the Republican ail- , ministrations. Four of the Counties, it appears, had not made returns of the school fund collected when the report of the Superintendent of lvlucation was submitted, but enough is known \ to warrant the assertion that the school fund for ( the fiscal year 1S7H-70 was greater than for any , preceding year. The expenditures have been kept within the receipts and the general management of the \ school fund deserves especial commendation.? ( The heavy load of debt which was left by the : school officers under the Republican administra- j lions has embarrassed greatly the working ol , this department, and the shortness of the school session is duo in some measure to this cause. I would earnestly recommend some legislation which will secure to teachers in the public schools the prompt payment of their salaries. The difficulties with which teachers have to contend because of delay in this matter aro fully explained in the report of the Superintendent of IMucation. It will not bo possible to retain competent teachers if wo do not make provision for paying them promptly for their services. MI I.ITI A. The condition of this department of public ! service will be found fully set forth in the report of the Adjutant and Inspector General.? This olliccr has been most untiring in his efforts to place the militia of the State upon a proper j footing, and tlio result of these efforts will he j seen in his report. J II u IIIIIIUII lltl.-) UUCII r?II I | IJ11 1111I illl'l Vllltfill' j rassod with many ditlicultics, not tlic least ol , which is llie scanty support given it hy the beg- J islature. Notwithstanding this, a splendid nucleus has been organized, which, if encouraged, | could he easily extended to meet all the neces- ' sities of the State in this department ; but if it j fails in the future, as it has in the past, to meet j that cordial encouragement from the General j Assembly which the system demands, it is idle I to expect the establishment and continuance of ! a well-organized militia, such as would do crcd- 1 it to the State and he prepared for any emergen- i cy that might arise. The spirit, patriotism and j State pride of the young men of the Stale stand ready to respond to any demand upon them to huild up l it is system and make it nn honor to South Carolina. Ibit they cannot do thisnt their own expense. They need firms and suitable ' equipments: let these he furnished and they ; will do the rest. Tha report of the Adjutant j and Inspector General, however, will present the I wants and necessities of the system, and I com- j mend this report ami its recommendations to j your careful consideration and favorable action, j IMRK.Al,' OK STATISTICS. Frequent inquiries have been made of me dur- ! inir (lit* vi'iir l.v tcitfiiM mifuitlf* of tin* seeking investments or new homes as to the agricultural, mineralngical, manufacturing and I oilier resources of f'uc Stale, with such stalirtic?l information upon these subjects as I might be i'lile to furnish ; but there being no department in charge of those matters, with collected and arrange 1 data front which I could draw, I have been unable to meet these inquiries ns fully as was desirable. There is no doubt About * ! the fact that the Stale abounds in resources of 1 the character indicated?that there is a wide l field here for the immigration of tho agriculturist ami the manufacturer, and that we have a > belt of mineral resources running through the 1 State as rich, if not richer, than any that have ' been discovered clscwlicro. In fact, these nai1 ural resources ate far more abundant and impot If it la the policy'of the Stalo to enenorsfca ' Immigration, to bring foreign capital into our * i.ii.1st noil to have theso resources doveloped, nothing. I think, would tend more to the aocdrflplishmont ol these ends than r^lnbie facts and data collected by some amJplTued and rosponslble agency nnd coudewi/t and methodised into statistical reports and results, so that the character of our resources could be seen at a glance and the vnlublo information thus oollectcd promptly utilized to the ends suggested. This is an age of r^phl thought nnd more* mcnts, nnd condensed information is of the eery highest importance, and nothing lias plnyed a more cll'eclive pait in the .progress of other communities thnn reliable statistics in reference to ilie venous material interests upon wviqu their growth depended, nud what lias lieon made useful elsewhere can be made useful with us. I therefore recommend -this subject to your careful consideration, hoping that sonic plan may be adopted by whi di wo mny not only bo put abreast with other Slntes in these matters, but also our valuable resources brought to light in such wuof aa.ta eitraot that attention which thcy^o etntnerftly deserve, and mrfy oeanlule llio means of promoting a widespread prosperity. **"*** ^WIW' lt?mv The roads of a country 1?* * . \ ly said to be accurate and degree of its civilisation one of the first iiulicati a people from barbarisr -yr should keep pace wit'tiou in numbers, w of all which they ?n brought evidence; they ni commercial suppl J blood of tho St?' C, sutBcieiicy and i^ grce, the licnlth of the pc<>plc."4k.)) If our civilir fear Hud our p,pociai attention t tic scale as we lie highways, as cd condition, and one of tlie Jt our ? situation is i? radical change in the road system. \Yo_liav.. railroads now running to most of the.;*.r County sites in thcHtatc, and, lis aconsequence, V the County villages have becoino market towns to the inhabitants of the Counties in which they aro located, where their produce is aold, and from which they are mostly supplLed-witb their ?commercial supplies. What "au impetus would lie given to agriculture, to progress, and Improvement in every way, if to these dilloreut County sites, from tiio extremities of the res peclivi* ('nmitifM worn rnniiinrr ui-11-orinlotI Invnl - - p r?"?"** ----Mid firm highways ? Every hrnncli of industry would thereby lie inatcriully hcncfitled, tlie expense of carrying to market every article reduced, and the necessaries of life gicatly cheapened to the consumer. The difference ns to ease an 1 rapidity of transportation resulting from improved highways? improved by proper skill and labor bestowed in laying them out, leveling and keeping them in constant repair?is much greater than is usually imagined. : '* \s nu illustration of this fact, I would refer to a statement made by one who has thoroughly examined this subject, us follows : "In a road rising a hundred feet in the distance of two Ihousand, its a'cending slope would he ono its Iwcnly. One-twentieth of the whole load drawn over it must bo actually lifted tip the cntiro height of otic hundred feet ; but upon such a dope a horse could draw only ono half an much us he can upon a level road, ntul two horses, Iherefore, will be needed on such a road to do lite work of one if the read was level." If this Lie the fact?in the matter of leveling and properly grading simply?the cost of carriage could mi great ly rcuuccu ; nun mien is nuuou 10 una lie constant repairs of tlie surface?which couhl lie kept up by n judicious system ? the advnnlagcs would he incalculable. These advantwould not he confined to those who Irado nt the market towns, hut would extend to the towns themselves, enabling them to grow mid expand indefinitely, multiplying their population and increasing their wealth. Our present system, if adhered to fur all time, could never produce these results. It is deficient in two essential particulars?skilled supeiintcndcnce and. control, mid constant and efficient labor. Thesecannot be supplied by the present system. Each I'oiinly should have n practical engineer or road commissioner in sole charge of the County highways ; his whole lime should be devoted to tho business. The necessary labors should be furnished him by County and other convicts, commutation tax,and such other labor as might not be able or willing to pa)' the tax. And this otiicer should he bold strictly responsible for tho condition of the roads. In a system of this sort, after a short experiment, i am fully persuaded the people would most cordially co-operate; and, besides furnishing employment for many deserving young men, and inducing scientific education in a direction much needed for the full development of our resources, a patriotic rivalry would spring lip in tlie different Counties, and with the different officers in charge, which would soon work a most wonderful change in tho fuco of our country?leading to the wealth and prosperity of the whole State. 1 most earnestly recommend this subject to your consideration as the one matter most needing attention in our present condition. Governor MeDtiflic, in his Message to tho Gencrul Assembly in lKd7, in discussing tho road system "filial day, said: "Tkc roads through the Stale are in a much neglected c( nditioli. I traveled through some of tho Western districts ol' the State soon after the crops wero laid hy, and found the roads in many places almost impassable by a wagon or carriage. The citizen loses, as it may bo safely afiiriiied, four times as much labor as is rendered to the State, and til" Iiortioll Mint is bostmi'dl r>n thn points is injudiciously directed that it seldom does any substantial good, and very often amounts to ru public nuisance." This was said moretlinn fifty years ago, and is as appropriate now us then.? Suppose that a more cflicient system hnd been adopted then, nnd since that linte faithfully carried out until now, a half century. The imagination could scarcely picture the difference. 11 AII.R6AD PuMMISSIOSKR. Under the Act of the General Assembly, passed at its hist session, creating the offico of I Itailroad Commissioner, and defining its duties, S 1 appointed General M. I<. Ilonham, of fUgofield, y'* ' to this office, alio entered upon the discharge of his duties in January. The Act requires that (he report of this officer should he made through the Governor to your honorable bodies, and 1 herewith transmit it.? The salary of this officer nnd the incidental expenses, as provided for in the Act, are to be borne by the several corporations owning oropI crating railroads in the Slate, according to tbe | gross income, to he apportioned by the Comp , (roller General. All the roilroad- oompaaiee in : the Slate hnvo promptly responded to the assess: mcuts made upon I hem by theComphtoUer for j this purpose except the South Carolina U^ilroad. This company being in the hands of a UShiVer, appointed by the United States Court, has declined as 1 arn informed, up to this time to pay its apportionment, nwuilitig the judgment of that Court as to its liability. The proportion due hy tnis road constitutes a very considerable part of the commissioner's salary and other expenses, and, remaining unpaid, is calculated to impede this officer ia the discharge ot his duty > aud seriously to affect his efficiency. In most of the h'tatea in which ttuilroad ^Commissioners