The Anderson intelligencer. (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, April 08, 1880, Supplement, Image 7
?perattens ??*e?a * wo*dd bo' fr?
checks sod balaocea-Asoft of re
laUng power-which would pro!
to so/no extent the hacuble&l citt
?nd the largest taxpayer.
Because ll would, at least ia pi
have given the whit?? thai r?ur?;
tatiou which their ictelligeuce t
. property demanded*
Because the colored people,
justice, ought te hiv? *ecMded tl
mueh to the taxpayers.
Because I saw that the time %
?i??f when the ce4e**d maa coi
have and. retain their just share
representation only through ?u
system.
Because it would promote pea
K^y harmony and good will between I
ra*;, and secure to each a oertt
ratio of influence and voice in Sa
affairs.
Because the taxpayers of t
State, in two conventions, fe
asked for it, and it was acceptai
even to tho most extreme Dem
crate, "as a half loaf was bett
than no bread." Governor Set
recommended it. Governor Chat
berlaio, while Attorney General ai
as Governor, favored it
As it was. a new syetarn, my jud
meht led me to try it ia the gover
?'. ment Of towns and villages fire
Hence I introduced MA Bill I
amend the charter of the town t
Anderson." [House Journal se
sion 1872-3, page 288.] Tho Bi
was acted upon favorably by but
houses asid approved by Governt
Moses, March 14, 1874. Amob
ether things, this Act provided thi
in tho election of Councilmen th
voters'should be allowed, if the
chose, to .vote under the cumulatif
system. At the first sid second el?
Etions under this Act che Democrat
of Anderson, BO far as I know, di
not object, but seemed rasher please
, with the plan. I feel confident thc
good resulted from its adoptioi
After, my eleetiov to the Senate
endeavored to enlarge this system c
voting, and for that purpose offere
s Bill to extend it to other town
and villages in'the State; Gbverno
.Chamberlain, in his annual me&ftg
1875-76, epoke of this system en
Bill as follows:
."I commend to tao consideration of th
Genormt Assembly tho question of imaeling
Haw applying tho system or votins fcnoWn a
'cumulativeroting or 'minority represents
lion' to tho election? of incorporated cit1',
and towns In tho State. I do notfool prepare
to do moro than to recommend that tba systeu
bo tried on a email scale at present. As a mal
tor of theory tho system, promises tho bea
results, but I think our policy rcapootlno i
should bo tentative at first. If it? practica
resulta ?re satisfactory when applied to ou
cities and towns, pabilo sentiment will sivstaii
?"-.'.'.."it* application to other clcotlons. A Jilli Intro
iluocd by Sena.' irCocht.au, of Anderson, it nov
boforo th? Senate which embraces this fe?
tare among its provisions, and I commend i
tis tho favorable action of thc Uouaral Astern
??fti-Wy."
I also moved* to extend it t(
the election of County Co m minion
ere, but failed, to succeed in bett
efforts, if the members of th(
lC?rHouse of Representative*, Countj
Commissioders, city and town, officer?
had been elected In this mode, thc
WSl State would have been spared mud
* that occurred in the canvasses o?
1876 and 1878, and the whole
?copio might have been. benefited
y avoiding so sudden a change
?H^In this connection, permit me tc
refer to other Bills introduced bj
me looking? to minority representa
tion. As .is well known, the Aei
KgLof 1872 dividing the State into five
?^.Congressional Districts was gerry*
mandered, not in the interests ol
the people, but for partisan pur
?l'oses, without any regard to.popu<
ation, and in plaicv violation of thc
law of Congress requiring Counties
. to be composed of contiguous ter
ritory. To remedy tbw deface
and to give the minority a voici
in Congress, [see Senate Journal
session of 1875-76, paga 50J 3
presented "A Bill to divido thi
State into'five Congressional Dis
Il^?ri?ts/' which failed by reasor
of the Committee not reporting
upon it I .introduced the samt
-bill during the session, Jsee Seuatt
JV-Arnal, page 335,] whick Was re
l>trted upon favorably, and pass?e
tue' Cns?aio niter Suc-?? oppositii,::
When it reached tho House, it wat
. so a in ended aa to defeat tho objeci
for which it was' intended, througl
;v.?wie:efforts of. an aspiring carpet
; i Tue House ameodmeats secured t
colored majority in every. Congres
sional District, thereby establishing
the color line to be the policj
through which partisans, who haic
no interest in tee ,8tate excep
. stealoge, expected to obtain poa!
t'en. . The Senate, by a dose vote
concurred in theso^ amendments
At the time this original Bill wai
being; considered I am convineet
that tho Democrats looked upon ii
a* being ag aeknowiedgnisst the*
tho white people were entitled to t
fair coate of1 representation in Con
grew and would have received it ai
least ss an Improvement Theil
appeals b?ihg disregarded, and ni
hope left of obtaining any repre
sontatiou, tho white people of thc
State, aided by Borne Republicans
by whatever means it is not acv
nn??aaary to comment on or tritl
oise, wrested the power from tb!
Republican parry, whit had thus re
faaed to adopt a fair and j UH repre
. eentatioti in State or national affetra
This supsase f?Hyjuirl indteposit?ot
to do common justice hes r?sult?e
; disastrously to ibo colored p?cpli
no far as political representttioi
../ goes. Bal charity should bo ey.
tondedl to them, as they were de
cet ved and misled by a set of office
cockers unequaled in villainy, cun
King and corruption by any tba
, ever fastened upon any people. ' I
^!-t forth :r.y reasons fer iatroduciB^
,,6r,d snpporting this Bill in Senat
Journal,, pages 641 to 64&
Tbs. next stop ? took in this di
reoticn was to .secure a proper rep
?' ? . -i
in th? Coastito?on. Whilst a mem
ber of tho House of Reprcsent?Uv?,
my coUeaga*, Mr. J. C. C. Feather
stone, ecdee?Giwd to ? ?eure the
passage of ai* Act to apportion Rep'
tesentaUvea lu the several Counties
in tho ratio cf population, but failed;
Othsr members introduced mesures)
looking to tho ?amo end, but. ali
failed to pass. After my election to
tho Senate I presented **A Bill to
apportion Representative* in the va
rious Counties iu this State in nc
cordanoe with the provisions cf the
Constitution of tho State,". [Senate
! Journal, 1876-70, pago 45. j This
Bill became a law, being approved
by Governor Chamberlain " March
2d, 1876. By virtue of Hs provi
sions Anderson and Picken?, l>oino
eratic Counties, gained ono Repre
sentative each, Barnwell and Rich
land; then considered. RepcbUcau,
j one member each, whilst th?' four
! then Republican Counties of Chartes
! too, Beaufort, Georgetown and
.Laurens lost one member each. At
tba election for members of the
General Assembly in 1876 the re
sult was that the X>emopratt, by the
gain of three members succeeded.
The power of the three Democ *atio
votes gaiued from the Counties of
Anderson, Picken? and Barnwell
cap be estimated when it is consid
ered that when the Wallace House
of Representatives was organized tho
majority was barely over a moiety of
124 members, &e constitutional
number of Representatives, mid by
having that majority that House
was recognized and declared to be
the legal House by tho Supreme
Court.
As a further evidence of my sin
cerity and earnest desire to give the
minority representation,. 1 submit
tho following extract from THE CO
LUMPIA REGISTER, February ll,
1876, uudcr the head of " Legisla;
ti ve Proceedings
" Mr. Cochran seconded tho nomination of j
Mr. Mcetio for Hogcnt of Ute Lunatlo Asyr
lum. Uatd that ho withed tho Dem?crata to oe j
I represented m all -iopart'jcata of tho btato
government, from tao big?:st to the lowest
poalUons. io that they wigu*, charo in part tn?
I rcsponsib'dity of tho administration."
KQKTHLY STATEMENTS.
; Under the administrations pre
vious to my election, and for a time
afterwards, the receipts and dis
bursements of public, funds were
involved iu mystery. I desired to
Save the people know how the pub
lie money was expended, feeling
that it was their right, and believing
it would to a great, extent prevent
its boiog improperly or unlawfully
applied. I offered a Bil), whilst u
member of tb? House, [d carnal ses
sion of 1872-73, page 268,] which
provided, among other things, for
the publication of weekly statements
of amounts received and paid out
hythe Stat*^Treasurer. This por
tion of the J??l was defeated. After
my. election ' to the Senate i intro
duced {\A Bill directing end re
quiring the publication of monthly
statements by the State Treasurer.
[Senate Journal of 1874-75, page
366.] This BUT was duly ratified
and approved by Gov. Chamberlain,
March 6,1875. AiW the passage
cf this Act the State Treasurer pub
lished a monthly statement of a
moneys received, from whom and
? on what account, to whom paid and
j on what account, with a staten/ent
of remainder on hand and where
deposited. These publications were
j mad9 at the Slate capital and in
I Charleston, and proved that, though
I the money was being extravagantly
? expended, yet it was. honestly ac-1
counted for and so applied.
I aleo introduced "A Bill to re
quire all persons authorized by law
to disburse moneys for the State to I
publish monthly statements." [Sen
ate Journal 1875-76, pago 531.] It j
WOB acted upon favorably, and .was
approved by GovernotCharaberlain,
larch 24th, 1876. Uuder its pro
visions, officers in charge of penal,
charitable and educational institu
tions were required to publish
monthly a detailed statement of
[ amounts received and paid out, to
whom and on what account. Th?se
Acts both accomplished much go^.i,
j and pointed out wherein reductions
could bo made in expenditures, <$0?fl
TUE STATE ??I?.?T??.
I was opposed to the militia, as
organized, armad and equipped by
I Governor Scott, and voted against
appropriations in its support. Refer
ence to House Journal 1872-73,
page 342, will show ; that it was. on
my motion that the contingent fund
of the Adjutant and Inspector Gen
eral was reduced to one thousand
dollars; and on the vote to decrea&s
.tho appropriation for-tho organiza
I fclon of the militia from twenty thou
1 sand dollars to five thousand dollars
? voted in the affirmative THouse
Journal 1872-73, page 359,] and
filed tho following statement of
M_L\-r__,
rviti^ruun ?nc,ciua .
"I roted 'jea' on tho qucsUoh of adopting
tho motion (by Mr. My cw) to strife ? out 'twenty,
thousand' for the organisation of too militia
Mdluaertlru?? ** thuusand7?rthb reason that
I consider twenty thousand doUur? ai? unreas
onable amount to Expropriate for thal pur
poso.aad enUroly unwarranted at this urns,
especially,when v/c toko into noratderoUon
now Twder^riild^ftUon. Vith^l?aW ??*M3
during this session, wo appropii$to a eonildera
bia amount ovor and ahoy* tho amount raised
'by'lh* tax laVyof ?7? willi/ plating ns in a
position, under the institution, to again Uvy
th* utmost commence, ? . - ry'? . " "
i (fibroid) JOHN lt. COCHRAN."
. : r???TE?STl?KY.
The support and maintenance pf
i this institution for a few yews cost
. the State of South Carolina ouo
t millbu of dollars^ the State receiv
[ big, comparatively speaking, no
I compensation or return for this largo
s expenditure of iisoriey. The somber
of prisoners wa*', increasing rapidly
- anti the expense in maiatt?alag
. arid guarding them. increasing eor
mm- ?^^f
1-fir?teocy cf ?fo?mi ip tho bnUdlnjj
t&e privets ware crowded into ele&l
qqarterivnnd their. ksaltb endan
gated therefexv For ti? purpose oJ
relieving the State, ia some degree
of this expense ?od to sacare br?tst
health and ?aoagetneut of th'e.*o?
viet1; X ? iuced the following
resolution, (Senate Joumal,1870-76,
'^fc?^t?? 6 viaeial arodHioo of Us? 8Ube
eiury^xpendHe^ awatji U^StuJail tba
tTono? tuTe^e?aJ7fe*flaf5fl^ *
eu be jBfrte le derive ? Mt ?vr . WttsiM*
labor o? tho ?rlwaor*} tod vtujwll U piala
that st tbyr-toor kQcrca?o of il? popuUOea
obtaining doriax.the past BU asen th*. Uv* ar
even AX h tumored prb?nors may bave to be
provided for durlug the pre?ex*ft?cal year.antt
that eveu a more moderate rat? of Increase
would in a few years become ?W bardcasomo
and oppiotnvet wd whereas the. exporiouao
of other States has lcd almost universally, to
the policy of contracting for Ul? support of
?Ut? prisons with priva?* pfcrUee as tho moat
.anrtaetory and ccoisoislpal provision'or tho
same: therefore.
? ii* a rt toiled hy tho Sea?!?, the. BOOM of
coiutnt or the Govoraor, bo dh*0ted to OAoef
?ah? whether auy contract eau be made with
any responsible party or parties fV tuelwj?ng
of tbfcoonvlct tabor and tho xpjtelenasjco of
the said P?nitenUary OD terms just and ?d ven
tes eons to the prison er? and to the State : Md
lo their dlserethw the <ald Directors of ?ho
Bute Penitentiary ?md the Governor are here
by authorised to draw and execute such ron
tr-wt v.nd submit the Mme to the General
Assembly for ratification."
Thia resolution was adopted, but
failed to oceorapliob the object for
which it vf as intended. The nu tu
ber of convicts continued to increase
in a distressing ratio, ind their proper
treatment and government, in a
manner consistent with the latta of
humanity, and at tho same time to
pavo tao people of the State from
unnecessary expense in their sup*
port, becan_a a question second, to
noue in importance in the economy
of State government. After muon
reflection, and obtaining all the in
formation within my means, I pre
sented to the Senate "A Bill to util
ise the convict labor of tho State
and to let out the same by contract."
[Senate Journal, session 1876, page
IO2.3 Tho Bill finally received thc
necessary readings, became an Act,
and was approved by Governor
Hampton, June 8,1877. The Act
provided under certain - circum
stances for the completion of tho
Penitentiary, and authorized the Di
rectors to take immediate charge of
the inmates, property, ?c. But in
order that you may more fully un
derstand tho object, scope and in
tention of this Act, and to prove
that the subsequent alleged ill-treat
ment of convicts is not because it
was net forbidden, br through- the
fault of the law, I submit several
Sections of this Act:
"Bio. 4. That tho said Board of Director? sso
hereby authorized and empowered to loaso or
biro out, upon such terms aird conditions ss
they may think moat advantageous to tho
Blata, sad Hm mUaeeare tho health and con
finement of tho prisoners, any or rU other
convicts in tht Penitentiary, except the con
victs un-?er eontenco for murder, rape, orson
and manslaughter, under tho following rales,
regulations rr.d restrictions, with all others
trapoEcd by th?saldBoard; thatthesaid Board
of Directors shall make an annual report to
tho Gv-iiural Assembly a; tho regular sessions
of all their actings and doings, showing tho
number and names of convicts birod oat, to
whom hired, for what purposoand for what
consideration; and as often as any sams of
money are received for the labor or hire Of
said convicts, or any of thom, the same shall
be iiald to tho Treasurer of tho State, of which
a full account shall be given ha said annual
food, clothing, lodging nndomodw of punish
ment to bo carefully provided for in any and
all contracts; second, convicta shall bot be re
quired to labor meru than ton hours a day, or
on Sundays or holidays: Provided, That con
victs shall not be hired oat for agricultural
purposes. '
"?BC. Cv That tho contractor or contractor!
shall bo required to enter into bond ia tho
sum of fifty thousand dolla?, with good and
sufficient sureties, to bo approved by the
Board, for tho faithful performance of said
coatracti and any contractor or contractors
who shall ba guilty of maltreatment neglect
or cruelty towards said oonvlota shall be liable
to indictment, and on conviction shall bo pun
ished by imprisonment for a term not more
'than twelve months nor. less,than one month,
and by fino not moro than OJO thonrand dol
lars and not leas than etty'dollars- at the dis
cretion of ?10 Court."
lt is evident th*tif the law had
; been complied with no trouble could
?have arisen; the convicts would
have been more humanely treated,
their health and condition improved, j
and tho State relieved in a great
degree of the burden of supporting
them. Much has been accomplished
in relieving the State and in having
the aid of this labor in constructing
railroads,' drainage of lands and
other public enterprises intended for
the development of tne manufactur
ing, agricultural and mineral re
sources of our State; but it is with
deep regret, that I am compelled to
believe that in some instances the
convicts h "vc >iS6" inhumanly trott
ed. The sVbjeet Is one of .grave
importance, and I can only hope
that future ?iegislatures, warned by
tlie fearful experience of tho past
will devise and maintain such a plan
of government of tho institution as
will make it a place of punishment,
severe by its seclusion from inter
course with others, rlftid in discip
line and constant labor of ten boure
eaoh day, and, at the same : time,
whether the convicts ar? within or
without the walls, that no charge of
inhumanity, cruelty or withholding
tbs chance to reform abs?i ever be
justly mode against the people, of
this/State. If this can he accom
plished, at a proper exponent is all;
we can hope from any ponai institu
tion. My effort* have been directed
in the hope that at least 00 much
may be obtained.
?vurit?AnY Uris.
Among the strange events occur
I l|ttin 1871 and 1872 in this State,
and the bare mention of which will
cause surprise and wonder among
?r.H??y of cr." ptep?e, wee as ggyg
iz?d scheme to arrange for the ces
sion of all that territory West ol
Seneca River to its head waters to
' the State of Georgia. A Joint Resp:
tatton to appoint a Commission,
with power vp arrange and finally to
determine, the line between "the
States of Georgia and South Carc
1 lina, waa adopted and approved bj
G9V. Scott, January 8,1872. Thc
action of these, Comiuisaionera wa?
declared, under tho Joint Resolution,
" binding . upofi ike people of iht
State of South Oaro&uir U wai
> gui vu propenug. thF/Dgh oerta?r
. obviais, lo j^io Tu *.bo schema J
f wac greatly surprised : to karu thai
i many'good ci Usen* living; West P
1 the Bonces/ Biter ibbld ?oquiesce ii
this eeealob to the State of; GeorgU
a? the only means Left th>>m. to es
c?po from wh*t .they believed to bi
great oppression aud exorbitant tax
ation. I. opposed the ?eherne foi
many reasons--among thom thal
South Caroliua could net afford tc
lose any portion of her territory]
- a _i_ "...j;,!? .vj
ber- intelligent while population
would have beeb disastrous indeed,
No portion of tho State is now in s
more prosperous condition than thai
proposed to bo ceded, and now he?
did tho people do moro to restore
good and honest government than
those living between the Seneca and
T?galo Rivers. I determined, ii
possible, to defeat this wild and des
perate undertaking. To do so,]
introduced, as shown by House
Journal of 1873-74, page 8, thc
following: "Bill to repeal a Joint
Resolution to require tue Govornoi
to communicate with the proper au
thorities of tho State of Georgia
.with a view to a readjustment of th?
boundary line between the States oi
Georgia and South Carolina, and
authorising tho appointment of three
Comtnisaionera." The Bill to repeal
passed and waa approved by Gov
Moses, March 17,1874 : and thui
the Integrity of our territory was al
least saved from threatened harm.
FENCE LAW.
This question appeals particularly
label personally to many of roy lat?
KpjjAstituents, Rud hence J. desire thai
my views and acte shall be s or uti
I nixed and fairly judged. Believing
I after all the information I could ob
I iain, that the people at large wonk
I Mi benefited by a change of tho law
I ^Introduced "A Bill to regulate th
fence lat? in Anderson County,'
[House Journal 1873-74, page 250.
This Bill met with opposition, bu
H finally passed, and was approved b;
I Governor Moses.
Under this Act this question wa
submitted to the voters of Anderem
County, and, although a mojorit;
? voted for tho mensure, a large pro'
portion of them claimed that the;
aid sb under a misapprehension
thercfovo tho Commissione rs, for fea
injustice might be done, and havinj
?.feign regard, for tho right: of th
people, ignored the result.
After roy; election to tho Sena!
I went io North Carolina to .sc
I for myself tho actual working
of euch a law there. This only coi
firmed my former convictions an
I induced me to persevere. Again
?proposed a Bill [see Senate Jou
nal 1874-76, page 359,] which fixe
I the boundary lines of land as tl
?lawful fence. It received a majori!
? zr?te in the Senate, but was defeat?
in^ the House. v. .
Again, et the regular sessiob
?1876, [Senate Journal, page 79,1
?presented "A Bill to authorize Cou
ty Commissioners to submit to t
qualified electors of their sever
Counties a proposition to alter t
fence law and to provide for effect
? atine the same. This Bill v,
acted open favorably in tho Sena
ljunended in several particulars
I the House, and approved by Gov
nor Hampton, June 7tb? 1877. ?
\ election waa held udder this law, a
! the people, by their votes, adopf
it. No comment is necessary nc
Experience has abundnotly vorif
the wisdom of such a measure, a
I doubt if, after another year's t
of the beneficent results bf the n
law, there will be found a eorport
guard in Anderson County ia fa
of the old system. Compel
judges are of the opinion that
County has saved the past sea
alone iu securing mutton that wo
I.hutvo been .lost under the old sys!
at least ons hundred thousand <
lars. Many other Counties h
taken adyontasa of this Act, ?
Tows.
STATE, COUNTY AN1> OTB EB FOI
By reference to House Jour
-ession 1872-73, sage 203, it wi]
found that I introduced "A BU
^gu?ate the deposits of State. Coi
_fkd other funds/' This Bill
quired the State Treasurer to dej
the moneys received by him in bi
? lb bu designated by a State Bo
ouch banka to give bonds for do
I the amount of their, avarage
posits. Section 7 of said Bill
quired tho State Treasurer to
uah mon''dy statements of anio
received, from whom, to whoa*-;
and on what account, it alu
quired County Treasurers to do
ail moneys received in a bank wi
tue limit? of the County in w
such collections wero made, or, ii
did net exist in such County,
to be deposited in the nearest I
in good standing, no money J
withdrawn oxeopt upon an. <
signed by a majority of the Co
?~<-Lil?uMM AA?ntSM?<M?l)
XAJIIIUJt^IVWV.^ www? -"fo - ~-'
their Clerk a,ud ike County '
surer; and required him to pu
mouthly statements of amount
ceived and paid out. It nisi
atilrcA PAasis ofL?iurLShsriiS
I budges of Probato to dsposi
* public moneys received in ban)
, publish monthly, a statemei
araduuts received and paid out;
; wheo received and to whom
i Any State or County officer fa
? neglecting br. refusing to cc
> with tho provirions of tills Ac
? to bo punished by fine and imp
? ment. When one contempl?t
t innumerable Josses sustained!
, people from 1872 to 187? th
i the failure of banks o??taimi
i f^to's racmeyBPnder^^dbfa
i I other State and County ;cJB<$r?, it
" will not ho qu^ioaad that tl.
i aotmeat of maha raWiBre'ra-'above
f referred to waa absolutely n?eessary
: to protect the iotor?at of the peopled
, I succeeded In securiag ita t*4*Kgti
in the House? but it waa defeated tn
the Senate.
I also Introduced "A Bill to pro
vide for ihedopiwit andaafe-kecpiog
of the moneys of the Stale.w$?M$
main features of this Bill threw safe
guards around the deposits of the
:? . - ITU.:!._... ?
OVIO ?j aWBBTB. ania nw; , ?wu?vr
dueed tn the Senate, f Journal, Ses
Bien 1874-5. page 6810 This ww
also defeated. Skvlog endeavored
ia ?ay capacity as a member of the
House and as Senator to provide
against and prevent Ices in thia roan*
ner, I reel that I have fully dis
charged ray duly in the premises,
and am act in any way responsible
for the failure of the ns ensures intro
duced or the unfortunate resulta fel
lowing their rejection^
CO'JHTY TREASURERS AND AI/DIT
OKS.
Reference to House Journal of
1872-73, page 58, will show that
I introduced "A Bi|l to abolish the
office of County Auditor end trans
fer the duties of said office to.the
Clerks of Courts In their, respective
Counties^ The Clerks, bring aleot
ive officers, would have in a large
degree the confidence of tho people;
and being in charge of all ?he land
records in their Counties, they would
necessarily be conversant with the
(value of real property, and could
assess; it as well as the personal
property with greater accuracy and
fess expense thsn the Auditors, and
their appointment to the service
would break up or prevent tho col
lusion supposed to exist in many
eases between the Auditors and
Treasurers. . The Bill, however,
failed to pass the House.
During tho regular session cf
1874-78 faa shown on page 33 of
Senate Journal] I proposed "A
Bill to make the offices of County
Treasurers and Auditors elective.
This Bill being defeated, I again, at
the session of 1876-77, jj3enafce
Journal, pago 102,] introduced "A
Bill to provide fer the election of
County Treasurers and Auditors.'*
This was also defeated. I. tried
agata {Senate Journal, eesaiou of
1877-78, page 27,3 by presenting a
Bill with the same title as the last
introduced, which passed the Sen?
ate .but was bot acted upon lu the
House.
REDUCTION OF B?XAB?E9.
. After relating* my policy and
votes in regard to retrenchment and
reform generally in tho State gov
.ernmenb it may seem unnecessary tc
further specify, ?ad yet I think il
proper to refer to other actions o!
mme in the same direction. M5
vote and voioe were invariabl
given in favor of a reduction o
salaries to the lowest minimum con
sistent with the proper performanei
of the duties of the eoveral offices
At the session 1875-76 [S?nat
Journal, page 280,] I introduced "I
Bill to fix the enlsrics of cextaii
officers, with tabular statements ii
?relation thereto." Although no
passed In the form in whiob ?ofi?rei
xt, yet its provisions in tho mai
Were reported by the Fijance Con
mittee as amendments to a Bill fror
tho House on the same subject an
eventually became the law.
The Committee not having adojp
ed that portion of my Bill referriu
tb tho commissions so be ollowe
County Treasurers, when it wc
being. considered iu the Senate, f
shown on page 825 pf Journal,
moved to amend the amendment I
Section 2 by striking out ti
words 'twenty-five , hundred do
Ilara' and inserting the won
' two thousand,9 in reference tc tl
commissions of County Treasure!
so that it should read ' they shall n
r?-ceive moje than two.ihdusnnd di
lars,1" ana my amsnameni to tj
amendment was adopted. Tl
alone saved the State annual
nearly 816,000. During tho sar.
session, when thia BUI w
tinder consideration, I also offer
: to fix tho amount allowed the Au?
tor of Anderson County for. as?e
menta at $400 instead of, 87i
Several Democratic Senators mov
to include their Co?uti?s, whi
operated to postpone tho considej
Hon of the Bill. When my amen
ment came up I produced a te
gram from tho County Commissii
era of Anderson County, also a 1
ter and telegram fr??a Mr. T.
Webb, thou Auditor, that 0400 ?
sufficient r?mun?ration. Notwl
standing, my amendment was vol
down--13 to 10. One would natur
ly ask'tho reason. I answer, sleij
to prevent a cbtnpavlc?u being mc
between thu expenses of the Count
where tho reductions were propel
to be made and tho expenses' of 1
Counties represented by thosew
opposed the reductions, and to g
to: the friends of certain r-f?nat
larger amounts for assessing ti:
were 'necessary. I merely refer
this that yob may.have some c
coption of the obstacles in tba v
opposed extravagance
*? During tho extra session of li
. -?Senato Journal,' page 18,] I . ID
duced ?*fA BUI to fix and red
salaries of certain officers." 3
' Bill passed the Senate, but In
! House of Representative was
fcrrod to tho Committee, pf W
i and Means, reported upen unfa'
i : ably and rejected. .Being scrpri
.lat ?JHa, X asked Senators Qi
i .Witherspoon, Jeter, Butler ?
f' ethers to see than* friends sn
j also asked/Mr. Sheppard io move a
/. TvckmiideraUon, which be kindly
vcnaeutvd to do. He did KO, hgt the
nicufcsuro waa thsa postponed uptU
the next soosJon. This did, not
satisfy mt\ I called upon Mr. N;
B. Myers, ft Republican, who had
joined tho Wallace House of Hep.
ressntalivee, and who had prov A
himself a staunch friend of referi?
upon many occasions, to take charge
of tba measure and. if possible. nu?h
it. through. He immediately wads
emotion (HouseJournal,page 12tkj|fl
iuat the Bill be placed upon the
Calendar and printed, which moiioii
prevailed, Tho Bill wa?, ?t my
request, reconsidered by the Com
mittee of Ways and Means, and I
was invited tc bo present. Tbs
result was that a majority of the
Committee favored the Bill, with
sumo amendments, It was acted
upon favorably by the House, be
came an Act, and was approved by
Governor .Hampton, June 7,1877.
ThistAct fixed tho salaries of Slate,
officers, their clerks, Judges, Solici- !
CotSBty' Treasurer*, Auditors,
School Commissioners, and tho
amount allowed each County for
'?lajniinpients. The follow?g com
parisons will demonstrate the effect
and saving to the State fey tho
Acts referred to.
B*l*r!cs of 8Ute o?ecro, Ac. before
tho. passage of finit Art 1875 for
Mah year..".."?317^501 00
Balarie*. -A-o., after tbe para?t of
first Actoachjcar.,..".. 204.376 00
Annual reduct ton.&3.S30 00
Batar!?, Ac, after tho pu??ago of .
? flrit Ait.......$3?iM CO
Balarles, Ac., atlc? the passa*? cf
? , tawnd Act ?877......r^v-v 153.830 00
Additional annual reduction .. ".tUD.426 00
UNJUST- AK? FRAUDULENT CLAIMS.
It might bo sufficient to say that
during my term of service iu the, I
Houso of Representatives and Sen
??te tho Journals will show a steady
and persistent opposition on my part
to ail claims presented that ap
geared to bo unjust or fraudulent,
ut to give you a better conception
and idea of tho nature of some d? I
Bthjese claims, I shall have to go
somewhat into detail :
"Claim oj the Souih Carolina
Bank and Trwi (hmpany."-?Qi\Q
among the most noted and perhaps
most unblushing claims presented for
payment to tho Legislature had
the above caption, but was more
familiarly known os 41 Hardy Solo
mon's claim." It purported to be
made up of large amounts of pay
iertificates and other evidences of
.cdehtriducia. tba rrreater Dart of
Wilch waa of a doubtful and suspi
cious character. ' The claim came
before tho Comraitteo of Ways cud
tfeans of tho House of Representa
lines'. Being then a member of that
Committee, l opposed thoclaim, and,
with Hon. Ii. M. Smith, submitted a
minority report. [See House Jour*
nal, extra session of 1873, pago 93.]
Amongst other reasons set forth
against the passage of the Bill pro
viding for the payment of this
claim, tho following will appear ;
?. .. . " That although tho Bill itself
pretends In bo based upon a quantity Of pay
oert?lle??*s, bills payable or Trossary notes of
tb? lato Trcasuror, Niles O. Parker. Dot H
?Ingle ono ot them has been produced for oar
examination as to, its validity or legality, ?1
tV?i*Er. n?H?<rUv rf p?sP?SOTU**T repeat
edly and formally demanded them. Tnnt ino j
wording of tho Kill itself ls so obscuro and tu
doflnlto that lt U lmposslblo for your minority
cst therein mentlonw. ana urns nscsflfttn
vrhvjh ls tho greater amount. . * *
"That theprorbiOMofthoBccondSootionof
said lilli ar? eo mandatory upon tho 8tata
Treasurer that they doprlvo him of ail illscro
tlon ?nd preclude him from makin? any ta
Testifiation whatever as to tho legality of tho
claims presented Cor pay in cit..
"Wo would further call tho attention of
Smr honorable body to tho nnxoltlcd condt
onof tho countrr.sad.otpoclallr tho embar
rassed and critical condition of tho fln.moesof
the Bute, at an Insarmour.tablo objection to
tba psseag* of such an extravagant and doubt
ful mclure." rcg
; This pretestoaour part andover
efforts to defeat this measure; al
though we were aided by otha*
members, were of no avail ; tho Bill
passed. Subsequent investigations
have demonstrated that tho sum of
eighty thousand dollars was catered
upon tho boolla of tho bank, of which
Hardy Solomon was then Prwidowtf
na 41 I?gishititf? espouses," anti -tho,
^~AA,xfu^i : "nnw?d a. lai'??o
portion bf it was expended in brib
ing members of the General Assem
bly to vote for . tho passage of tho
Bill. What a comment ou such
legittlatlon-that 880,000should have
hean oxnended to secure an appro*
priatlon'of $125,000-^and bow ut
terly futile any. honest effort tb de?
feat iii That we were correct in
our suspicious, founded on the vogue
and indefinite wording Of tho Bill,
j was Boon apparent; as Treasurer
Carders discovered a duo bill for
?25,000, in tho haadwriting of ex
Treasurer Parker, held by Ino hankel
for which payment wai demanded,
the samo being issued without any
?b?cher? fe? y?e same being found
'$$thc Treasury. Cardozo protested
against psy:=g tbs sam?, but th?
matter being decided against him, he
could do no more than succumb'tb
the inevitable. It has also been
proven that' legal claims hold at
that time by that back, which were
included hr the schedule of tho
claim as passed, amounting to
-?early 520,000, ".ere abatr?otfcd bv
its officers and co ii cc ted as deGuNc*
raes, in violation of tho express pro
visions of the tax levy, and a ?iko
j amount of fraudulent pay certifi
1 catas ieaued Cheine ?nte-dated) and
jsubnUtuted in place of the l?gal
I claims, and thus collected as a part
I and parcel of tho original claim.
"A ?ill to pay the claims held by
j* Woodruff was another of this
class. I opposed it before the Com
mittee and on th? floor of the House,
and, with others, fought it from first
to UaV By reference to Hones
Journal, session 1873-74, piges 491
. <?o 498 inclusive, it will appear that
at ons tiao the opponents of the
Bill were in a hopeless minorityr bot
gained strength steadily until. the
rmft^ofX rallied' v?rV "5ii?r??f'?'t?''Uv
opj^ .1
ilowever, under tbs swllfu? man
agoiaeui pf Representative H. Ii;
?iye/e, the co?t?e*waa prolonged
until we gabled coufid^?c? and
agreed to take a vote; V?t, te our
surprise, the EUI passed its second
jread?aK by the clc^Q vote of 40 yeajBMHBH
to4-3nays. .\TJnr>*? the third rending
we still opposed it, and succeeded in
having lt indefinitely postpone^ by
a voie ci 42 tn SO. niucn pr'?ois
work WAS accomplished'between tho
second and third readings of tho
Bill, and other . members joined
Le&rtUy ia its ?nal Many
similar claims were opposed in hko
manner, as the Journals fully show?
It was astounding and humiliating
to.witness claims, without merit or
common honesty, rushed through by
Concurrent Resolutions. Although
no appropriation!} wero made to pay
them, nevertheless, by their pue-jege, . ?
I jtt$trge floating indebtedne.-^ wau
entailed on the people of the State.
This was generally accomplished at
the close of a suasion and amidst tho
hurry end confusion attending such
scenes. Many suen. claims passed,
como for large amounts, without
scrutiny f.hd common care. To euro
such a slate Of things I presented
two Bills with the following title :
" To provide the manner of pas<aing
claims against the State by tho
General Assembly." [Sanato Jour
nals 1874 and 1875, pago 609;
1875-6, page 313.] The secoud
Bill I presented was passed, and
was approved by Governor Cham
berlain. It provided that all
dalma exceeding a given amount
should be passed only by Act or
Joint E.'.Jclution, and that ali vouch
ers pertaining thereto should, before
a certificate could bo Issued by thu
officers of the two houses, be filed in
tho office of the Comptroller General.
This Act had the effect, for a time,
of cheeking and correcting so great
ari abuse in the management of the
passage of claims by the Legislature.
I think it bot inappropriate in this
eol&ectien to "state that payment of
many of the claims which had .been
improperly passed before tim Act
.waa rendered impossible by the sub
sequent exposures of the Committee
to Investigate Frauds.
A UKG1GTBATIO?T I.A.W.
Artlclo VIII, Section 3, of tho
Constitution of this Bt&te provides
that ;< lt shall ba the duty of tho
General Assembly from time to
tittie to provide for a registration
pf all electors." Thia provision
and the duty it enjoins soern plain
and unequivocal. Tho'Journals
will show that from the time I took
my seat in tho General Assembly I
?cy?red and advocated, the enact
ment of a proper registration law,
because it contemplated and pointed
ont the most certain mode by which
tie purity of elections could bo
4<t?red; so far as tho number of
eligible voters was concerned. It
offered a safeguard aa well for tho
s&fei S& iha cck-?Dd w&ar. of ihr. .
l?t?te, by removing all illegal at*
?templa to swell a majority.beyond
the number of authorised registered
voters, so that in no olectiou pretend
ing to be fair and just could tho nura
ber of votes castappearlorger than th??
number of actual registered voter?:.
That it was tho true'policy of tho
Republican party of this State .tc?
have such , a law enacted, I have
often urged and pressed upon them.
The present condition of affairs Will
doubtless prove a forcible reminder.
The first distinct move. I made
will bo foand ia Houso Journal
1873-74, page 448, as a member of a
Committee appointed to report what
legislation was necessary. Among
other things that Committee recom
mended "A Bill to provide for'a
registration law." This was disre
garded.
j Senate ?Journal ?I574-70,"pge 14r>.
will show that I introduced "A Bill ...
to provide for the registration of tho
electors of this State in conformity
with the.provisions of the Constitu
tion." This Bill waa referred to the
Committee, on the Judiciary, of
which B. F. Wbitlomoro waa Chair
man. The Bill never saw the light
afterwards. Again, at the sessiou of
1877, [see -Tournai of Senate, pager
18,] I introduced "A Bill to provide
for. tho registration of electors in
conformity with Artiolo VIII, Sec.
tion 3, of the Constitution". This
Bill waa likewise suppressed in Com
mltteo, Whitteraoro being Chair
man. Again, as will bo found, by .
reference to Senate Jountsl 1877-78;
pago 748,1 offered a third Bill with,
tho same title . as the bvit named.
Whittemore by thia time had fled
the State. The Bill was reported
on favorably tv>d po?sod the Senate,
bat was defeat?.i in tho House by
being retained in Committee, al
though I am confident ot that time
a majority of the House favored the
B.measure, and it ia within my knowl
edge that Governor Hampton ap
proved it. Thus a-plain and direct;
provision of tho Constitution baa
been ignored and disregarded by
DO WI political. imriics Jiu ?ure uxmrv*
The sequel will shaw whether ic ia
tide or wiso at any lime or for any
purpose or pollsx to r?eglcot the en
forcement of any part of the organic
DR?-ISTAOB OP LAm#.
Among tba many subjects agitated
and discussed to preservo the public
health and increase the production .
, of swampleads,. drainago. excited '
mach attention and interest, espe
, oblly in Andorocn County-tho
, pioneer in thia among the upper tier