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lewis m. gkist, Proprietor. Jnbrjjenbeitt Jfamilg ftetosppcr: Jor % ^promotion of tjje political, Social, ^jriraltaral aitit dotnmeraal Interests of tjje Sonfjj. TERMS?$2.50 A YEAR, IN ADTMCE. VOL. 25. YOEKYILLE; S. O., THURSDAY, 'DECEMBER 4, 1879. 3STO. 49. I Jfate Jtffairs. GOVERNOR'S MESSAGE. Gentlemen of the General Assembly:?It is with great pleasure that, as the Executive of the State. I tender you kindly greetings upon your reassembling for the purpose of eutering upon the discli&rge of the high duties imposed upon you by theytonstitution. I have no doubt^hat you have each come [ prepared to meet fully your responsibilities, and to do all that you can for the promotion aad~*tf^rec?--the State, and to this end 4 you shall have my mosTcordial cooperation. My love for South Carolina, always strong, has grown with my growth and strengthened with my strength, until now it is one of the strongest feelings in my heart, and I assure you 1 am prepared to unite with you, in an earnest effort to accomplish during this the last session of the General Assembly of the present administration, such results as may * 1 redound to her lasting prosperity, nonor aim glory, and I earnestly hope that such may be ,r its consummation. In addition to the ordinary and daily duties of the Executive, some of which have been difficult and perplexing, the Constitution provides that the Governor "shall, from time to time, give to the General Assembly information of the condition of the State, and recommend to their consideration, such measures as he shall judge necessary or expedient." This message is intended to meet this constitutional duty, to wit: To give you information as to the condition of the State, and to recommend the adoption, on your part, of such measures as, in my judgment, may be promotive of the common good. In proceeding to discharge this two-fold duty, you will permit me, first, briefly to call your attention, by way of information, to several matters, which seem to me, should afford abundant cause for great congratulation, not k* only on the part of the General Assembly, but of the whole State, and especially on the part of the General Assembly, for the reason that some of these matters have beeu the direct results of its previous legislation. First, you will permit me to congratulate J it- - ' ? +1*^ A*Tl/jAMAflO of Q r?_ yUU UUU bite CUUUll J, uu me cviuguvs&o ui ugricultural industry which have come 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 it flourish, and everything else flourishes. When in successful operation, it gives rise to all other iraprove[Dents. 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 and widespread disaster, by an impending drouth, but at length the showers came, and the rains descended, and this danger, comparatively, passed off, and our people, taken as a whole, have been blessed with a reasonable harvest. Their garners are generally full. I have taken some pains to obtain information on this subject, and the reports from the different counties show that the people, of all classes and conditions, have been more industrious, more energetic and enterprising, in this department ot industry, during - (he current.year, tfcan for many years past, and I am rejoiced to believe that the new re-1 lations of labor and capital, which our sudden transformation imposed upon us, as a people, are beginning to adjust themselves more 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 and harvested, at least in upper South Caro r lina, during the past year, than at any period since the war, and greater attention is begin ning to be paid to grasses and cattle, and the people are 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 not be neglected, yet that their corn cribs and meat houses should be built on their own lands, and under the protection of their own eyes. When this practice is more generally reestablished and fully adopted, our future, agriculturally, I think, will become more se^ cure, and, while affording all of our people the means of a comfortable living, it will largely tend to relieve them from those fear ful pecuniary disasters which not unfrequent* ly 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 law, passed at the last session, has fully realized the hopes of its friends in those counties where it has been put into operation. Of course, a measure so radical in its character, and so suddenly adopted, would meet with some opposition, and, as was expected, some complaint was made against this ; but this was immediately upon the passage of the Act, and before the people had prepared themselves to meet it. Siuce then it has given as nearly universal satisfaction as any law ever enacted, and the concurring testimony, from all quarters, is that it is the greatest blessing to agriculture ever bestowed by the legislatiye. It is foryou to determine, whether or not, this law should be extended to the counties not now embraced, upon such information as you may receive from the representatives of these counties. It gives me pleasure, too, to state that the fiery elements of party contention which have hitherto burned in our midst and kept our people apart, at least during election years, and which, on account of the peculiar compoy sition of our body politic, threatened serious consequences in the past, if not entirely extinguished, have been held in abeyance during the present year, and our whole popula' tion, free from those discordant antagonisms which seemed likely to occur, have united in a common effort for the common good. There is apprehension, however, that in the near future all this will be changed, and that in the election of 1880 turmoil and party strife will * again rise to the surface. I hope not. It is true in that election, involving as it will, to a great extent, the future policy of the general government, and arousing, as it mu3t, the unholy ambition of the political aspirant as well as the noble impulses of the patriotic citizen, some excitement must ensue, and we may ex-1 pect that every effort will be made for party j * purposes and success, outside of our limits, to j keep this excitement stirred and burning. | My hope, however, is that the citizens of this State ar? beginnin^to feel that we constitute but one people; that our prosperity is bound up with each other ; that we are all Carolinians ; and that, while we recognize the general government as supreme in its orbit, and, to some degree affecting our interests, yet at last that our happiness as a people depends chiefly upon the destiny of our own State, and that we will not allow our internal and home interests to be swallowed up in the maelstrom of Federal politics. I desire also to communicate, as a matter A of most pleasing information, based upon re^ liable 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 State?diminished to the extent of at least thirty per cent, in this the third year of the party now in power, compared to any period previous to its inauguration. 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 are gradually beginning to feel in the protective power and willingness of the government under the con trol and in the hands 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 fact and augurs well for our future. There is room, however, for further advance in this direction. Amonjg the other evVeft in thS'TFSck"'of" the late war, there seems to have been engendered in the minds of the people a too great disregard of human life?not more in our midst than elsewhere, but in every part of the countrv. as is evidenced bv the startling hom icicles reported in different portions of the United States. This feeling is fed and stimulated by that dangerous practice of carrying concealed and deadly weapons, and by their manufacture and sale, which prevails so extensively in different portions of 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 instruments are manufactured and sold for no other purpose but to kill and destroy it, and when they are made familiar with the idea of their fitness to that end, which the constant wearing and handling of these instruments must eventually produce in the min Is of those who thus use them. This evil is not more prominent with us than in other communities?in fact, I am gratified to believe that it prevails to a less extent here than elsewhere, but still it exists here to too great an extent and should be corrected if possible. If within the reach of legislation, 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 1 with crushing power that most potential of ail . influences?public opinion?and this I invoke. I do not know that any additional laws upon the subject of homicide are neces- 1 sary. What is needed, perhaps, is a steruer : enforcement of those already in existence; it ' is safe, however, to leave this to the Courts 1 and the juries. Full information as to the operations of the 1 financial department, the public schools, the ! militia, the Penitentiary, the Lunatic Asy- j lum. the Institution of the Deaf and Dumb ] and other charitable institutions, the Sinking Fund Commission, the Railroad Commission, the Board of Health-, the Fish Commission and the phosphate interests, will be found in the report of the several officers having these interests respectively in charge, and which will be upon your tables. It would encumber this Message unnecessarily to incorporate in it the valuable details found in these reports; I shall, therefore, present only such prominent points as I may think advisable, leaving to you that full and thorough examination which the importance of these various matters will demand at your hands. The primal object of government is protection?protection of the natural and absolute rights of the people?the right of personal, security, personal liberty, and the right to accumulate and enjoy property. Theie important rights had existence before the government, and came from a much higher source, and government was created and established for their protectiou. But for the danger of these rights in a state of nature, there would have been no necessity for government. Laws are the instrumentalities through which the government is brought into contact with the people and by which it accomplishes its great end. Such being the fact, it would seem that all wise legislation should be directed to the ends, first, of establishing and supporting the governmental machinery upon as good and economical a basis as possible, and, secondly, of affording it just 1 such means as may be necessary, and no more, to enable it to meet its fundamental purpose, that of protection. Having done this, legis- J lation has accomplished all that it should ! seek to accomplish. In endeavoring to reach } this result, the tendency of mo8t legislative bodies in the past has been to over legislation, rather than to too little?to the enactment of ! too many laws, rather than too few. The J General Assembly of this State has not been exempt from this tendency in the past, as our . voluminous statute books will show, and you ' will pardon me in warning you against its too great indulgence at this session. In addition * to this, what is desired by all is an increase of wealth, because as a people grow more wealthy, ( within proper bounds, they grow more power- ( ful and prosperous and are better enabled to ( surround themselves with all the comforts 1 and improvements of a higher civilization. Now, national wealth is but the wealth of j individuals?which at last is the creation of individual enterprise and energy. It would ' seem then, again, that the best and safest, and 1 consequently the wisest government, is that which is content rather to protect than to at- " tempt to create prosperity, since the former ^ always promotes and the latter never fails to ' impede the efforts of that individuality which , makes men industrious and enterprising and which produces the wealth of a countr}r. - Having these views, and looking at the State from my standpoint, I am impressed 1 with the belief that but little additional 1 legislation is now demanded by the wants 1 of our people, and consequently I shall ' have but few recommendations to make. 1 What they want is not so much more laws as [ more political re3t and a quiet opportunity, through their own individual enterprise, ac- 1 tivity and iudustry, of building up and re- 1 cuperating their lost fortunes. FINANCES. ] As to our financial system, the present 1 scheme in operation for the support and 1 maintenance of the government, stands upon as just a principle and upon as economical' < a basis, as can well be devised. It rests | upon the broad principle that every citizen 1 should bear that proportion of the necessary 1 burdens of government which his ability and I property shall demand. This makes it bear 1 equally upon all, and all are satisfied. I am not aware of any improvement that can be made either in the collecting or disburs ing of that portion of the public money which is admistered by the State Treasury. As now conducted, the present scheme seems 1 to afford absolute security both for the prompt gathering and the prompt and honest disbursements of the public funds. But l while this security exists as to that portion of public moneys administered by the State Treasury, yet it seems to have been forgotten 1 I that a large portion of the taxes collected is i collected for county purposes, and is administered by the County Commissioners of the ' several Counties without any sufficient check being provided for the correct disbursement thereof. It is true that the County Commis- ' siocers are required to make reports to the General Assembly, but it would be almost impossible for the General Assembly to look fully into all the acts and doings, contracts and vouchers of the County Commisssoners of the thirty-two counties, so as to afford that check which the magnitude of this part of our financial scheme demands. It would be better that these reports should be made to some local authority, where the facts could be more fully examined and the vouchers more easily tested ; and for this better security I recommend that these reports be required to be made to the Circuit Court in the several counties, to be examined by the grand juries under its supervision, after being published in the county papers just previous to the sitting of the Court to which they shall be made. Nor do I see at this time any opening for greater economy or retrenchment in current expenses. Salaries have been reduced as low as it is wise to reduce them, and all the expenses of the government have been cut down as far as it is practicable to do so. This will be seen more certainly by comparing the expenses of the different departments of the government before the war and since. I refer to those expenses which are paid from the State Treasury. In 1859 the aggregate of BaUrks^the; exeoutive.4epartm?nt. ted to nineteen thousand eight hundred and fifty dollars. During this year the sum required is thirteen thousand nine hundred, notwithstanding an additional office, that of Superintendent of Education, with a salary of twenty-one hundred dollars, has been created since 1859. Before the war most of the executive officers lived at their respective homes and discharged their duties by 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 for an increase of clerical force, both in number and qualifications, which has also increased the expenses of this department, which, when added to thesum above mentioned, will bring these expenses to about what they were formerly. Yet, when the additional work imposed upon this department in consequence of our changed condition is considered, it will be seen that the strictest and closest economy has been observed. In the judiciary department, the amount required in 1859 was $39,200; during this year this department has required $56,800?a difference of $17,600. This difference, however, has not resulted from an increase in the salaries of the officers in this department, so much as on account of the fact that an entirely new system has been adopted since 1859. In 1859 the Supreme Court was not in existence, and the Solicitors were then paid principally from fees and costs derived from the cases prose- i cuted. Now, the salaries of the Judges on , the Supreme bench amount to $11,000, and the Solicitors are paid $12,000 directly from the Treasury. In the legislative department in 1859 the ( sntire expense, including pay of members, < solicitors, clerks, attachees, printing, &c., | imounted to $46,550. Now thesum required , is $46,145. All these expenses aggregated during the year 1859, amounted to $105,600; now to $124,895?a difference of $18,295, i shiefly on account of the change in the ju- ( dicial department, which was important and j accontiol onrl nhonliitplv JlPPPJiSltated 1 this additional expense. j When we reflect upon the great change which has taken place in our condition, social, political and otherwise, and when we remember that our citizenship has been more ihan doubled by the emancipation of those )f our people who were formerly our slaves, md the ruin which had been brought upon die country by the flagrant misrule and extravagance of those in power previous to 1876, all requiring new legislation, the application of new principles and almost an entire rebuilding of our political structure, it is not inly a gratifying but a surprising fact that iur expenses have so soon been brought down to the level of that peaceful and quiet state if things which existed in 1859, and it will iver stand as a monument to the patriotism ind practical wisdom of those who have conlucted public affairs for the last three years, within which time this result has been accomplished. i This is still more striking when the expen- j les of 1879 are compared with those of the iscal year commencing November, 1875. i The expenses of 1879 in the legislative, ex- f ccutive and judicial departments, as will be ? ieen above, amounted to $124,895, while for j ;he fiscal year 1875, the sum required was i ;hree hundred and fifty-one thousand dol- i ars?a difference of $225,205. This com- j larison has only extended to the appropria- ] dons made for the legislative, executive and i udicial departments for the years mentioned, [f carried out with the other appropriations, ( ,he contrast will be found still more striking, , ind will afford abundant evidence of the vig- ( lant economy of the General Assemblies of t ;he last three years. ] The road, then, which leads to the lighten- | ng of the people's burdens by reduction of ? otm oittior nrvuj or liltimntolv is nnf t.Vlrhntrh ( m unwise withdrawal of proper support to | ,he different departments of government un- | ier the guise of economy, but by that in- ; urease of wealth and population tfhich will , certainly come from stability, effectiveness ind vigor in these departments, imparted by | i fair, just and liberal support, and by the j iwakening of our sleeping resources through j the increasing industry and enterprise of our ] people, fostered and protected by a just and } stable government. i The building of the Spartanburg and ] Asheville Railroad and other similar enter- ] prises; the successful operation of the Piedmont and Caraperdown and other factories in j the State; the discovery of the ash element ] by Dr. Ravenel; the reclamation of thou- , sands of acres of most valuable land in the ] lower portions of the State from the grasp of j present ruin by the introduction of some new < mode of culture; the deepening of our rivers j and the drainage of our swamps ; the exten- , sion of education ; the fair, just and impartial j administration of the laws?these are the agencies which will add to'and increase the value of the property from which our reve- { aue i8 to be derived. And inasmuch as the ' rate of taxation will decrease as property in- j Qreases, the surest road to permanent and ^ substantial reduction of taxes is protection and encouragement to enterprises and indus- j tries like these, and to these ends, therefore, legislation should be directed. " , I invite your attention to the following condensed statement of our financial condition, gathered from the clear and able reports of the Comptroller and Treasurer, which is herein incorporated so as to be in convenient ' form for reference: Consol bonds and stocks funded to November, 1879, $5,624,949 99 : Less bonds retired by the Sinking Fund Commission, 36,000 00 $5,588,949 99 A'tto be consolidated, $1,161,829 09 Equal to 580,914 54 Cestiticates of Claims Commission already funded for deficiency bonds and stocks,less $2,672.26 of bonds retired by the Sinking Fund Commission in 1879 $557,645 93 ? Certificates still to lie funded, 3,890 00 501,535 93 1 $6,731,400 46 Total interest on bonds and certificates, $619,513 35 Less amount in treas'y 175,451 80 444,054 45 i Total debt and interest, $7,175,454 91 Bonds declared invalid by recent decision of Supreme Court, including interest consolidated, in gross $2,392,770, equal, when consolidated, to 1,196,185 00 Total approximates, $5,979,269 91 Bills of the Bank of the State supposed to be still out 400,000 00 This statement does not embrace the contingent liability, if any, of the State for railroad bonds guaranteed. Taxable property of the State: Real estate, $76,583,866 00 Personal property, 36,574,858 00 Railroads, 7,392,900 00 Total, . $120,551,624 00 One mill will yield (net) $102,320 00 Poll tax last year, 102,000 00 This year, 97,579 00 PUBLIC SCH00L8. The present school system was organized by the passage of an act entitled "An act to alter and amend the school law of South Carolina," passed at the regular session of 1877. This system, though somewhat defective, was the best that could have been then devised, and it has produced good fruit. Its defects are of a character which, perhaps, at this time, canuot be remedied on account of our peculiar condition. A perfect school system would be one which, by its own machinery, would bring into the school-room all the youths of the State, be irtfeen the proper ages, and subject them, for the greater part of the year, to the tuition of thoroughly competent and professional teachers?competent to instruct and discipliire-the mind as well as develop and discipline the character. This last,, being, in my judgment, as important, if not more important, than the first. The present system provides no special mode of furnishing the State with the class of teachers suggested. The different Boards authorized to license teachers are dependent upon those who apply?many of them entering the work as a mere temporary business and for present support. The examinations are necessarily, to some extent, superficial, and cannot reach fully into the higher qualifications of capacity?learning and character?required on the part of those into whose hands the educational interests of the young of the State are entrusted. I know no mode of remedying this defect, except the establishment of one or more normal schools, to prepare and fit teachers for this important work. It may be, on account of our depressed condition, that the State is not yet prepared to undertake a scheme of this sort and establish it on a firm basis; but the whole school system depends, in a great measure, for complete success, upon the character of teachers emploj'ed, 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 3hort period during which the schools are kept open, is due, not so much j.o the system as to the fact of deficiency in the sum appropriated for school purposes. The schools are kept open to the full extent of the means appropriated, and, through the energy and most earnest efforts of the State Superintendent, are doing all the good that * l ' 1 - _ Jl !xL i! . i; can possioiy oe accorapnsnea wun me linmeu means provided ; and until the State is prepared to enlarge its appropriation, either through State or local taxation, this evil must continue, unless* i& the meantime, private effort can be combined, in some way, with public aid, to continue the schools after the public funds are exhausted. . This matter of public education, however, is of the very highest importance, and requires the maturest consideration ; and in a government like ours, resting, as it does, upon universal suffrage, it is, indeed, the question )f questions. The time is coming, and is rapidly approaching, when public sentiment will not mly approve, but demand, that education in ill its grades, higher and lower, shall be free :o all, without money and without price. If I bad the power, I would hasten the arrival of ;hat time, and would then rejoice in the con?ciousness that I had borne some humble part n a work than which no greater can mark ihe history of any people. But you are far more competent than myself to deal with this ;reat subject, and into your hands I commit :t, commending to your consideration the very ible report of the Superintendent with the valuable facts and suggestions contained ;herein. It will be seen that this report furnishes much important and interesting information jhowing the growth and improvement of the school system. The number of pupils at;ending the public schools during the last i'ear was. 122,463; of this number 58,368 were whites, and 64,095 colored. This is probably the largest number of pupils that las attended the public schools in any one fear. The improvement in the schools for the jolored race has been marked. It is worthy >f note that since 1876 the average increase )f attendance of colored pupils has been more ;han 45 per cent, greater than under the Republican administrations. Four of the coun ;ies, it appears, had not made returns or me jchool fund collected when the report of the Superintendent of Education was submitted, )ut enough is known to warrant the asser;ion that the school fund for the fiscal year 1878-79, was greater than for any preceding pear. The expenditures have been kept within ;he receipts, and the general management of ;he school fund deserves especial commeuda;ion. The heavy load of debt which was left oy the school officers under the Republican idministrations, has embarraseed greatly the working of this department, and the shortness of the school session is due in some measure to this cause. I would earnestly recommend some legisla:ion which will secure to teachers in the public schools, the prompt payment of their saliries. The difficulties with which teachers nave to contend becauEe of delay in this matter, are fully explained in the report of the Superintendent of Education. It will not be possible to retain competent teachers if we Jo not make provision for paying them promptly for their services. MILITIA. The condition of this department of public service will be found fully se; forth in the report of the Adjutant and Inspector General. This officer has been most untiring in his efforts to place the militia of the State upon a proper footing, and the result of these efforts will be seen in his report. The militia has been surrounded and embarrassed with many difficulties, not the least cf which is the scanty support given it by the Legislature. Notwithstanding this, a splendid nucleus has been organized, which, if encouraged, could be easily extended to meet all the necessities of the Sts.te in this department; but if it fails in the future, as it has in the past, to meet that cordial encouragement from the General Asijeinbly which the 1 - ? J ~ .A- 'n HIIA 4-f Atr ^Vin Aafok. system ueiuunus, it is iuio ca^cul tuc ooiaulishraent and continuance of a well-organized militia, such as would do credit to the State and be prepared for any emergency that might arise. The spirit, patriotism and State pride of the young men of the State stand ready to respond to any demand upon them to build up this system and make it an honor to South Carolina. But they cannot do this at their own expense. They need arms and suitable equipments; let these be furnished and they will do the re3t. The report of the Adjutant and Inspector General, however, will present the wants and necessities of the system, and I commend this report and its recommendations to your careful consideration and favorable action. BUREAU OF STATISTICS. Frequent inquiries have been made of me during the year, by parties outside of the State seeking investments or new homes, as to the agricultural, mineralogical, manufacturing and other resources of the State, with such statistical Snformation as I might be able to furnish; but there being no department in charge of these matters, with collected and arranged data from which I could draw, I have beei unable to meet these inquiries as fully as was desirable. There is no doubt about the fact that the State abounds in resources of the character indicated?that there is a wide field here for the immigration of the agriculturist and the manufacturer, and that we have a belt of mineral resources running through the State as rich, if not richer, than any that have been discovered elsewhere. In fact, these natural resources are far more abundant and important than is generally known to our own people themselves, much less to outsiders. If it is the policy of the State to encoura ge immigration, to bring foreign capital into our midst and to have these resources developed, nothing, I think, would tend more to the accomplishment of these ends than reliable facts and data collected by some authorized and responsible agency and condensed and methodized into statistical reports aud results, so that the character of our resources could be seen at a glance and the valuable iiifbrmaiicr. th\12 .collected promptly utilized to the ends suggested. *" ??-. _ I This is the age of rapid thought and movements, and condensed information is of the very highest importance, and nothing has played a more effective part in the pro gress of other communities than reliable statistics in reference to the various material interests upon which their growth depended, and what has been made useful elsewhere can be made useful with us. I therefore recommend this subject to your careful consideration, hoping that some plan may be adopted by which we may not only be put abreast with other States in these matters, but also our valuable resources brought to light in such way as to attract that attention which they so eminently deserve, and may be made the means of promoting a widespread prosperity. PUBLIC ROADS. "The roads of a country have been frequently said to be accurate and certain tests to the degree of its civilization. Their construction is one of the first indications of the emergence of a people from barbarism, and their improvements should keep pace with the advances of the nation in numbers, wealth industry and science, of all of which they are at once an element and an evidence ; they are the veins and the arteries of the body polit ic, through which flow the agricultural productions and commercial supplies which constitute thelifo-biood of the State, and upon their condition, sufficiency and number depend, in a great degree, the health life and vigor of the industries of the people." If our civilization was tested by this rule, I fear that our position would not be as high in the scale as we are disposed to claim. Our public highways, as a general thing, are in a wretched condition, and one of the necessities of our situation is a radical change in the road system. We have railroads now running to most of the County sites in the State, and as a consequence, the County villages have become market towns to the inhabitants of the Counties in which they are located, where their produce is sold, and from which they are mostly supplied with their commercial supplies. What an impetus would be given to agriculture, to progress, and improvement in every way, if to these different County sites, from the extremities of the respective Counties, were running well graded, level and firm highways ? Every 'branch of industiy would thereby be materially benefitted, the expense of carrying to market every article reduced, and the necessities of life greatly cheapened to the consumer. The difference as to ease and 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. As an illustration of this fact, I would refer to a statement made by one who has thoroughly examined this subject, as follows: "In a road rising a hundred feet in the distance of two thousand, its ascending slope would be one in twenty. One-twentieth of the whole load drawn over it must be actually lifted up the entire height of one hundred feet; but upon such a slope a horse could draw only one-half as much as he can upon a level road, and two horses, therefore, will be needed on such a road to do the work of one if the road was level." If this be the fact?in the matter of leveling and properly grading simply?the cost of carriage could be greatly reduced ; and when added to this the constant repairs of the Burface?which could be kept up by a judicious 6ystem?the advantages would be almost incalculable. These advantages would not be confined to those who trade at the market towns, but would extend to the towns themselves, enabling thein to grow and expand indefinitely, multiplying their population and increasing their wealth. Our present system, if adhered to for all time, coula never produce these results. It is deficient in two essential particulars?skilled superintendence and control, and constant and efficient labor. These cannot be supplied by the present system. Each county should have a practical engineer or road commissioner, in sole charge of the county highways; his whole time should be devoted to the business. The necessary labor should be furnished him by county and other convicts, comrauta tion tax, and such other labor as might not be able or willing to pay the tax. And this officer should be held strictly responsible for the condition of the roads. In a system of this sort, after a short experiment, I am fully persuaded the people would most cordially cooperate ; 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 up in the different counties, and with the different officers in charge, which would soon work a most wonderful change in the face of our country? leading to the wealth and prosperity of the whole State. I most earnestly recommend this subject to your consideration, as the one matter most needing attention in our present condition. Governor McDuffie, in his Message to the General Assembly in 1837, in discussing the road system of that day, said : "The roads through the State are in a much neglected condition. I traveled through some of the Western districts of the State soon after the crops were laid by, and found the roads in many places almost impassable by a wagon or carriage. The citizen loses, as it may be safely affirmed, four times as much labor as is rendered to the State, and the portion that is bestowed on the roads is so injudiciously directed that it seldom does any substantial good, and very often amounts to a public nuisance." This was said more than forty years ago, and is as appropriate now as then. Suppose that a more efficient system had been adopted then, and since that time faithfully carried out until now, nearly a half century. The imagination could scarcely picture the difference. RAILROAD COMMISSIONER. Under the Act of the General Assembly, passed at its last session, creating the office of ~ --J j? Kaiiroaa commissioner, anu ueuumg its uuties, I appointed General M. L. Bonham, of Edgefield, to this office, who entered upon the discharge of his duties in January. The Act requires that the report of this.officer should be made through the Governor to your honorable bodies, and I herewith transmit it. The salary of this officer and the incidental expenses, as provided for in the Act, are to be borne by the several corporations owning or operating railroads in the State, according to their gross income, to be apportioned by the Comptroller General. All the railroad companies in the State have promptly responded to the assessments made upon them by the Comptroller, for this purpose, ex cept the South Carolina railroad. This company being in the hands of a receiver, appointed by the United States Court, has declined, as I am informed, up to this time, to pay its apportionment, awaiting the judgment of that Court as to its liability. The proportion due by this road constitutes a very considerable part of the Commissioner's salary and other expenses', and, remaining unpaid, is calculated to impede this officer in the discharge of his duty, and seriously to affect his efficiency. Iu most of the States in which railroad commissioners have been appointed, all expenses incident to the office, as I understand, are paid directly from the treasury, and !. > onmu onkoannantlv frnm fchfi rnftdfl. Some legislation is necessary to meet the difficulty above mentioned, and to have paid to the Commissioner that portion of the expenses and salary which the South Carolina railroad has rail&u la pay; and in taking action on this subject, l\vouT<r r^oj^end^mhju&ktr action be taken as will prevelrtr.inl'uture, the recurrence of a similar difficulty, and I further recommend that the salary of this officer be paid monthly, as other salaries are paid. PHOSPHATE COMMISSIONER AND AGENT. By virtue of an Act of the General Assembly entitled "An Act to establish a system of general rights," Ac., Ac., approved December 24, 1878, I appointed Messrs. John Bratton, J. D. Pope and Zimmerman Davis as Commissioners authorized by Section 12 of said Act, charged with the duty of inquiring into the rights and interest of the State in the phosphate rocks, Ac., Ac., phosphatic deposits in the navigable riv&rs, Ac., Ac., of the .State, and also of devising the best system of protecting the rights of the State therein. By the Act, this Commission is required to report directly to the General Assembly, and for information upon this subject I respectfully refer you to this report I also appointed General R. H. Anderson as Special Agent under Section 10 of said Act. This distinguished citizen, who during his life had reflected so much honor upon himself and his State by his brilliant career in the late war between the sections, and by his ever faithful and uncomplaining performance of duty in whatever position he was placed, died at Beaufort, on the 26th day of June last, while in office, universally lamented. The vacancy created by his death was filled by the appointment of Mr. E. L. Roche, ot Charleston. FI8H COMMISSIONER. It will be seen by the report of the Fish Commissioner, Hon. A. P. Butler, made to me under Section 3 of the Act authorizing his appointment, and which report is herewith transmitted, that this officer has been very active in the discharge of his duty. It has indeed been a labor of love with him, as he receives no salary. Yet he has been zealous and diligent, and has accomplished much with the small sum appropriated to his use. The importance of tnis enterprise I do not think is fully appreciated. The time was in the history of the past when ouf waters all over the State were full of valuable fishes, furnishing abundantly at certain seasons of tbe year cheap and most healthful food to nurubers of our people. The supply, however, has been exhausted for some years, and you rarely meet now, above tide water, fishes of any value. It has been demonstrated by actual experiment elsewhere, that rivers and streams thus exhausted may be restocked and in a few years made to abound with a new and more extensive supply than formerly. This is no speculative opinion, but the.teaching of actual experiment, and in several of the States the people are now reaping the rich fruits of their efforts in this direction by a constant and never-failing supply of this most invigorating food, which they find free to their hands, crowding all their streams and rivers. I recommend a careful consideration of the Fish Commissioner's report and the establishment of this enterprise upon a wider and firmer foundation. PENITENTIARY. It will seen from the report of the Superintendent of the Penitentiary, that the convicts number 640; of these 350 have been hired out to private individuals and to railroads and other corporations, leaving about 290 constantly confined in the Penitentiary. With these convicts not hired out, under the supervision of tbe Superintendent, whose zeal and faithfulness in the discbarge of his various duties caonot be too highly commended, the Penitentiary grounds and property have been greatly improved?th? wall extended 780 feet and several large necessary and commodious buildings erected, a large amount of brick manufactured and other industries inaugurated. The money value of these improvements and buildings cannot be jess than $16,000, besides other work done On the State House grounds and elsewhere. The discipline of the institution is without objection, and the health of the convicts better than it has been for years, and is now as good as any other portion of the people in the community. The practice of hiring out the convicts to any and all parties for any and all purposes, as authorized under recent legislation, has not been in operation long enough to enable us to form a correct opinion as to the wisdom of this policy. Elsewhere this practice has given great dissatisfaction, and I understand that in some of our sister States the laws permitting it, after trial, have been repealed. In some of the counties in which the convicts have been hired in this State, complaints have been made, and the grand juries in one or more of these counties have presented the practice as an evil. It has been objected to on the ground that the convicts have not been sufficiently guarded and their labor comes in competition with the labor of^the country. In my last Message I recommended that this labor or a portion of it should be utilized outside of the Penitentiary walls in works of a quasi-public nature and in the development of-our resources; and while due consideration should be given to the opinion of the grand juries referred to, I must say that I have seen as yet no sufficient reason to change my opinion on that subject, and before this policy is abandoned, I think it should be given a thorough trial. The evils complained of, growing out of the absence of proper guarding, can be remedied, and I do not think that the labor of the country is so abundant as to be seriously affected by the competition referred to. At all events, these convicts should be made in some way to support themselves, and the peonlfi therebv and to that extent relieved from I - w taxation. And until some-remunerative industries can be established ioside of the Penitentiary in which all the convicts can be employed, the alternative is presented either to hire a portion of them out or to support them in idleness from the public treasury, which would require an annual appropriation nearly double that at present made. Of the two, the former course, in my judgment, is the best. The reports of the Board of Directors, the Superintendent and others connected with the institution will be before you, and to these reports I refer you for further information, calling your attention especially to the wants of this institution stated and the recommendations made therein. In addition, I would recommend that the law in relation to hiring convicts be amended so as to make it a criminal offence, with a penalty sufficiently high to enforce prompt compliance, for any contractor to refuse to return convicts to thePeniten tiary upon the termination of the contract, and upon the order of the Board. This is important, so as to give the Board that complete control over the convicts, which their proper protection and proper security demand. It is also important to enable the Board to meet the responsibility which their relation to this institution imposes upon them and which is expected at their hands. There will be found attached to this Message a short communication from the Rev. Wm. Martin, of this city, bringing to my attention the destitute condition of the inmates of the Penitentiary in a religions point of view. It is hereto appended, because it presents the necessities of the institution on that subject as fully and within as short a compass as can be done, and under the hope that, pre-' ^ - seated in this way, it will more certainly" attract aH^nf^nnndr^fl{YP vflfly frftnda the needfi^ig^tioDr ^ LUNATIC ASYLUM. The report of the Regents will give you all the information necessary in reference to this noble institution: Its work and design is of a character which meets the warm sym- ' . pathy of each and every one, and its management, both general and in all its details, ' seems to be as near perfect as can be accomplished, s.nd I most cordially commend it to your continued fostering care. HOMESTEAD. The Constitution, Section 32, Article 2, after providing for a homestead in the lands of a debtor, goes cn to say: "To secure the full enjoyment of said homestead exemption to the person entitled thereto as the head of any family, the personal property of such person of the following character, to wit, household furniture, beds and bedding, family library, arms, carts; wagons, farming implements, tools, neat cattle, work animals, swine, goats and sheep, not to exceed the value in the aggregate of five hundred dollars, shall be exempt as the homestead," &c. The legislature in 1872, by Act, extended this exemption to other personal property besides that mentioned in the Constitution, em bracing corn, cotton, provisions and other necessary articles, as a matter of justice to those who were not entitled to the exemptions under the Constitution, not owning land and the personal proj>erty therein mentioned. The Supreme Court has recently decided that this Act is unconstitutional, and that, therefore, the parties intended to be protected thereby, cannot claim its benefits. The law, as thus adjudged, works unequally, and while one class of unfortunate debtors is protected, another may be destroyed. There is no remedy, however, except by an amendment of the > Constitution. If, in your judgment, the evil ^ is of sufficient magnitude as to render this neo s essary, I would suggest that the proper steps be taken at this session, by the passage of a joint resolution, looking to such amendment ? And it should be remembered that the party now in power is not responsible for this evil, but it results from the want of proper foresight and care in framing the Constitution. CONTINGENT FUND. The contingent fund, appropriated for the use of the Governor, during the last fiscal year, was $5,000; of this sum $2,170.34 has been expended, leaving a balance of $2,829.46. There may be one or two claims still standing against this fund; and inasmuch as, under the present law on this subject, the funds of one fiscal year cannot be applied to the payment of claims of a preceding year, I recommend that out of this balance I may be permitted to pay these claims when presented. There are also one or two small claims chargeable to the contingent fund of my predecessor, which were left unpaid, and which ought to be paid, and a part of this balance might be used for this purpose if authorized. J?A?HJU'i'XVJU JBJUSBiUH. The Executive Mansion and rounds need some repairs, improvements, ana certain fixtures for the preservation of the property and for its. more comfortable habitation. I recommend that a small appropriation of $600 or $800 be made for this purpose, to be expended, or so much as may be necessary, under the supervision of the Secretary of State. conclusion. If this General Assembly would promptly pass the supply and appropriation Acts, extend the stock law to such counties as may re- * quire and demand it, mature a wiser and more judicious road system, provide better means for the comfortable support of the poor of each county, cut up, root and branch, the practice of carrying concealed weapons, establish a bureau of agricultural, mineralogical and geological statistics, foster and encourage the labors of the Fish Commissioner, .provide for the other matters herein above suggested, and lay the foundations of the State University broad and deep, so that as time rolls on story after story can be built thereon, as the educational wants of the people may demand, until it could stand forth amid the educational structures of the world, grand and majestic in all its proportions, it might then adjourn. And leaving the rest to the people themselves, it would adjourn with the pleasing assurance, on the part of its members, that generations yet unborn would rise up and call them blessed. W. D. SIMPSON, Governor. Columbia, October 24,1879. Gov. W. D. Simpson?Dear Sir : Having been appointed by the South Carolina Conference, M. E. Church South, at its last session, to look after the waste places of Columbia, and to inquire into the spiritual condition and wants of destitute neighborhoods, especially of those remote from the churches, and of persons so circumstanced a$ not to be able to attend religious services at any of the houses o? worship, among other places, at an early period of the year, I visited the State Penitentiary. Here I foqnd a mass of human beings, averaging nearly four hundred souls, without any regular means of grace but such as could be furnished by the Young . Men's Christian Association, sending a layman, or occasionally a minister, if one can be found disengaged. This, however, is only . n # v . nit ,i voluntary work, ana connnea to oanDatn ministrations, while the hospitals, with an average of from twelve to thirty, and sometimes even more, sick and dying, are without any religious instruction or advice. In view of the destitute condition in this respect of these people, I have done what I could for them by visiting these hospitals once a week and ministering to the spiritual necessities of their inmates. Now, as the object iD establishing this prison was not only to punish, but also to reform the transgressors of the law, it appears to me that the State should provide tor the moral ' . and religious wants of these convicts, and also for those whose duty it is to care and watch over them; regular religious services by the. employment of a chaplain, or in any other way that your judgment may suggest or the Legislature may determine. Respectfully, WM. MARTIN. A Generous Man.-*A certain old gentle man, very rich and still more stingy, is in the habit of wearing his clothes to the last thread. One of his friends, meeting him, exclaimed, "They told me that you had a new hat, and I'll be hanged if you haven't V*'' "0, yes," said the miser, looking a? if he were a trifle ashamed of himself; "you see my wife kept telling me that the old one was a good deal worn out. Well, yesterday was my wife's birthday, and I got myself a new hat for her birthday present." J