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T O ANDERSON INTELLIGENCE ANDERSON C. H.,- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1874. TO THE CITIZENS * " : ' OF ." > ,.- .1 i;-f ' LO?.?:.- ' INDERSON COUNTY. Fellow-Gitizens : Two years ago I was a candidate for the legislature, and issued, an address appealing to the citizens of Anderson county, regardless of party, for their support. I received a handsome vote from both parties, and it is with pride I can say such a vote as certainly made me a true representative of the whole peopte. In that , address I made certain pledges, and as I am again a can? didate, asking for the suffrages of my constituents, I feel it a duty incumbent upon me to lay before you a full account of my stewardship. |1 shall call your at? tention to the various pledges, inade then, and endeavor to convince my most uncom? promising opponents that every promise has been redeemed, aud I fully believe that when you go to the ballot-box on the 3d day of next November, you xn\\ express by your vote your commendation of my course. 1.?bonded debt. My pledge in reference to the bonded debt was as follows: I pledge myself to work lor "financial reform, by advocating the suspension of payment of principal and interest on every bond of the State, to which can be attached the shadow of suspicion, and to provide for the punctual payment of interest on the valid debt, * .sift * .* ft * but if the contingency arises, I shall plant myself under the banner of repudiation and insist that the frauduleut debt be disposed of in that way." Let us see how this promise was kept. Among the first measures I introduced was a bill which provided that certain responsible gentlemen should be appointed as a committee, whose duty it should be . to examine every bond and coupon pre? sented to them, stamp the same, take a correct account of the amount, date of issue, class of boud, purpose for which they were issued, series, etc., and report the result of their investigation at the next meeting of the general assembly. It also provided that the collection of prin? cipal or interest on every bond or coupon not presented idiould be forever barred. It passed the house and went to the senate, and was there defeated by the fradulent bond ring; it was not to their intent to have an investigation. It is with pleasure that I can say that out of several bills introduced in the house, look? ing to the same end, mine was adopted as the most practicable. This bill being de? feated just at the close of the first ses? sion, no further action could be taken then ; we mot again and from the comp? troller-general's report found the bonded debt, including interest and State stock, to be $18,270,402.22, (eighteen million two ? hundred seventy thousand four hundred dred fifty-two dollars twenty-two cents,) which amount was enormous, and would have bankrupted the State had we at? tempted to pay principal or even the inter? act on it. After consulting with the lead- I iiifr members, it was deemed advisable that the committee on ways and means should prepare and report a bill to settle our bonded debt. I had the honor of being I a member of that committee, and ren? dered what assistance I could in pro par- j ing the bill known as: "A bill to reduce I the volume of the public debt!" After ! (0 i-idering the embarrassed condition of I the State, and that the people had re? ceived little or no benefit from the issue of a large class of bonds, issued since recon? struction, also the fact that the dcbtcreated before the war was at a time when the State was in a prosperous condition, and since then millions of dollars worth of property had been swept from the people by the result of the war, it was deemed advisable to offer a compromise to the legal bond holders, by giving them new bonds for the outstanding legal bonds and stock at forty cents on the dollar; in the same bill we repudiated the fraudulent conver? sion bonds, the fall of which amounted to five million nine hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars, ($5,004,000.) Including interest, they amounted to six million seven hundred and twenty-seven thousand seven hundred aud eighty dollars, ($0,727. 780.) The bill passed the house iu this form, went to the senate, and was amen? ded by inserting fifty cent*, on the dollar instead of forty ; the house agreed to the amendment which reduced the valid debt, amounting to about $11,542,072.22, (eleven million five hundred and forty-two thunsand six hundred and seventy-two dol? lars and twenty-two cents, )to the compara? tively small amouut of five million seven hundred and seventy-one thousand three hundred, and thirty six dollars aud eleven cents, ($5,771,336.11. ) This one measure saved to the State the enormous sum of $12,499,110.11, (twelve million four hun? dred and ninety-nine thousand one hun? dred aud sixteen dollars aud eleven cents.) I assisted in the preparation of this bill, advocated it in the committee, iu the house, and rendered all the assis? tance in toy power to pass it. The most uncharitable must admit that the pledge in reference to the bonded debt is fully re? deemed. I will now call your attention to the manner in which the bond ring came sc Dear gaining their point. After defeating my bill in the senate, which provided for an investigation, and that no interest should be levied-or collected, until an in? vestigation had taken place, they (the bond ring), through Morton-Bliss & Co., of Wall street, New York, went into the courts and obtained a writ of mandamus to compel the comptroller-general to levy a tax to pay the interest on the bonded debt, which interest at that time amounted j to $2,428,842.87, (two million four hun? dred and eighteen thousand eight hun : drcd and forty-two dollars and eighty seven cents,) which, to have paid, would have required a levy of two percent on every dollar of taxable property in the State, and simply meant confiscation or revolution. Before the time expired for the comptroller to make the levy, the general assembly was convened in extra session to divise some plan to prevent so great a calamity being foisted on the peo? ple. After mature deliberation, the gen? eral assembly repealed the law, giving the comptroller-general power to levy a tax, thereby defeating the bond ring from rob? bing the people. I advocated this plan and bill, and used what influence I had to pass it. As your representative, I ; could do no more. 2. ? KDUCATION. 1 promised to advocate such legislation I as would secure the establishment of a thorough and efficient system of public instruction. I endeavored to discharge my duty as one of the committee on education, and as a member of t lie house. The constitution provides that the general assembly shall appropriate a sufficient amount for the nminlcnaiicc of the Uni? versity; this has been done, and many young men, both white and colored, are - now reaping the benefit of it. An net has also been passed which provides that at least one student from each county shall bo provided with the means necessary :o secure an education. After a competi? tor}- examination in our county. Green D. Williams, a prominent and worthy young colored man, passed tbc board, and is now receiving the benefit of this law. The constitution further provided that within five years after its adoption the general assembly should provide for the establishment of a state normal school. This has been done, and ere long that institution will send forth many compe? tent teachers to instruct the youth of our state; then we will have an educated population who will be prepared to cast their vote in the interest of good govern? ment. The year previous to my election, the appropriation for free schools was three iiunded thousand dollars, and not one- cent of it was paid: last year the same amount was appropriated, every dol? lar of which was paid. This year the same amount was appropriated, most of which has been paid. I have the best assurances that the remainder will be paid. So much for the practical working of the specific tax levy which I introduced. I favor a liberal tax as provided in our con? stitution for free school purposes, believ? ing, as has often been demonstrated, that it is cheaper to educate a people, and thereby prevent crime, than to pay the expenses of convicting them, where they have not received the benefit of an educa? tion. I claim that this pledge has been redeemed. 3.?TAXATION. I promised to work for a lower tax, and to advocate such a system of taxation as would prevent the Legislature from squan? dering the proceeds after it was collected. I have succeeded, beyond my most san? guine expectations, in redeeming this pledge. I carefully studied the old system of levying and collecting the taxes, and found that during the fiscal year, previous to my election, there was paid into the ' treasury $1;0J9,59fi.00 'one million ninc j teen thousand five hundred and ninety I six dollars.) This amount was collected ? while the Legislature was in session, and they fraudulently appropriated it to their own use, squandering in one session, for legislative expenses alone, more than nine hundred thousand dollars, leaving unpaid \ legislative expenses for the same session, ? several hundred thousand dollars. The J legislative expenses were so enormous for j this fiscal year that the comptrollcr-gcn I oral reported a deficiency of unpaid ap? propriations of $1,260,405 (one million two hundred and sixty-six thousand four hun? dred and five dollars.) 1 gave this matter ' my most serious consideration, in order to devise some plan to prevent such a reck? less and infamous expenditure of the peoples money. I submitted my plan to the committee on ways and means. It ; was a novel idea, and they rejected it j I then made a minority report, the Hon. ; R.. M. Smith, democratic member from j Sparenburg, signing it with me; seven of the most influential republican m'em ' hers of the house signedV.tho majority report, which favored levying the taxes as heretofore. We had a severe struggle, ami, as most of you know, the minority succeeded, and Smith Carolina adopted the new system of levying the taxes for specific purposes. It is made a felony by this act for the treasurer to pay funds, except for (be purpose lor which they j were levied and collected, and a glance ? will show that a great object has been ac ; coinplislicd. The tax is levied mos- l*.?r the next fi^al year, and one mill is levied i for legislative expenses, or about one liun i died and forty thousand dollars; conse? quently the next general assembly can . only expend that amount of the lax. no matter how long they remain in session, I as the remainder of the tax cannot be touched by them. This will serve you a E one example of the practical working of I the "specific tax levy." Again, the tax j for public printing is one-third of one mill, j or about, forty-six thousand dollars, and as that is all* that is levied for that pur? pose, they cannot expend one dollar more of the tax when collected. Do you not think this is cutting short the rations of the "printing ring?" When it is well known they have in one year absorbed, in their capacious maw, as ; much as lour hundred thousand dollars for printing. I claim that for the intro? duction of this system of taxation into the legislature it is due to me that the citizens of Anderson should elect me to the senate, if I had accomplished uo other good while there. It is destined to redeem i the State and drive away the money grab ' bers and spoilers. For the first time since ! 1868 the money is applied for the purpose I lor which it was levied and collected. 4.?MILITIA. I have told you, again and again, that i I was opposed to our militia system, and : that it was an evil that should be reme ! died. For several years previous to my ! election, the appropriation for the militia amounted to a sum ranging from fifteen to thirty thousand dollars annually. I ' am glad to inform you that to-day there ' is only five thousand dollars appropriated for this organization. 5.?BLUE RIDGE SCRIP. There is a copy of my pledge in refer? ence to it: "I am interested in revenue } bond scrip, and leave the matter with ; and abide by the decisions of the courts, but should it come before the legislature, I I will be found representing the people j and not myself!" Did I keep it? I ! asseverate most solemnly that I redeemed that pledge, and my own financial ruin ' was the costly price ! I am interested in I j the scrip to the amount of forty-two ! thousand dollars, and when they endcav ! ored to force their measure, to levy a tax j to pay it, I fought it in the committee, iu i the house and out of it; voted against it, j and used every energy of my nature, to prevent this tax from being levied upon you ; and without assuming too much, J know J could have, carried iL if I had put my shoulder to the wheel. Few men can conceive of my position at that time; on { the one side, my wife and children, and a I certainty of financial ruin ; on the other ! side, my duty to my constituents I un ; flinchingly wont through the fiery ordeal, j and 1 am unutcrably proud of it. 1 ! thank God that he gave me strength to i resist the temptation, and although 1 may < ; be made homeless by it?the confidence i j of my people, and the consciousness of I having performed my whole duty?bctray ' ing no trust confided to my keeping, is far dearer to me than money; one I can love, the other cannot be taken from mo ! This pledge has been redeemed to my financial loss, and if elected to the senate, I shall again represent the people, be the consequences what they may. fi.?ATTACHES. I favored a reduction of the number of attaches. Tin' journals will show you how this promise was kept, and that I was foremost in fighting against a larger number being employed than was abso? lutely necessary to condui t the business of both houses. I introduced a bill to regu? late the uuiuber and pay of the same. Ft is now an act: and hereafter the number cannot be increased, us heretofore, by simple resolution of cither house; to an unlimited number, because the act pro- . [ \ ides for a spiici/ieil. number and flair sal- : fury, also that their names, uiuf amounts * \ due, shall hereafter appear in the appro priation bills?the treasurer being forbid? den under heavy penalties to pay other? wise. It further provides that the num | ber shall never be increased except by act I or joint resolution, which will have to be \ read three times in each house and fully I discussed; consequently one may safely I conclude, the number will never be iiir creased. 7.?FINANCIAL AGENT. I advocated the necessity of abolishing this office. It has been done ! I helped do the work that brought us the good result; so this pledge has also been kept L S.?OFFICES. I favored the abolishment of manyr and the blending together of two or more, wherever it was practicable. I en? deavored to abolish the office of county auditor and aliow the clerk of the court to perform the duty. This one measure I failed to carry; I could do no more than try. We aoolished hundreds of" attaches and useless clerks and officers, around the legislature. The office of state auditor has been abolished ; also the office of financial agent and the office of physician for the Charleston jail. We repealed the law giving the Governor authority to appoint a chief constable, or as many constables as he desired, thereby riddiug the state of many more unneces? sary, useless and expensive hangers-on. I rendered what assistance I could to accomplish this end. 0.?PUBLIC PRINTING. I claimed that it should be given to the lowest responsible bidder. I take great pleasure in saying that I fought this most infamous and outrageous swindle from first to last. I gave the matter more of my time than any other business before us, and introduced two bills to regulate it. J failed to secure a report on either, but they wore referred to a joint committee, who reported a substitute. This was the best I could do, for the "printing ring" was the strongest and best organized ring that has ever been in the State. This bill provides that the cost of printing hereafter shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars, and shall be given to the lowest bidder, and as the specific lev}', for print? ing amounts to only about forty-six thou? sand dollars, I think the notorious organi? zation, known as the "printing ring,'' has had its death wound. In addition to this. I introduced "a bill to provide for the granting of certain charters." My object in this was to pre? vent the useless printing, engrossing ami enrolling of hundreds of bills to incorpo? rate various churches, societies, etc.. such as, a bili to incorporate "the Young Men's Refulgent Society, of Rich laud, ' "the Pee Dee Guards," "the Journeyman Tailors' Union, of Charleston," "the Jericho African M. E. Church," etc. T could go on and enumerate hundreds of such bills, which had to be printed, en? grossed and enrolled at a very heavy ex? pense to the State. These bills consumed two-thirds of the time of the members of the general assembly, while in session, reading and considering them. My bill passed the house, and when the proper time arrived, our senator had it passed through the senate. Thereafter, under this act, all such societies will have to apply to the clerk of* the clerk for acts of incorporation, and unless they are refused (hey cannot apply to the legislature ; con? sequently, it will save a largo amount in printing, clerk hire, etc. It will tend to shorten the annual sessions of the legisla? ture, and thus reduce the expenses of the same. This is proof conclusive, thai my promise in reference to the printing has been redeemed.