Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, December 04, 1879, Image 1
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