The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, December 07, 1855, Image 1
^ V ^ *_>
' ^ .::
BLLUJ"-[ '- ' ?- M. 1 1 iM iiiu -j i...i_i JJJ...11..iiI'l. 'g IJJLJ. . ?i-i-- r-,-J- - L- IH u?Sjf
V0I. 2. GREENVILLE. S. C.: FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 7, 1855. NO. 30.
1..II !! nil ^ mi II I i j | L iual a ...mUl I Li_ B mm I ' - - i ' j " r ? i m i r mm i
- Cijt lautjjtrc (gtrttrprist,
A REFLEX OF POPULAR EVENTS.
?raaiis.3&iMi a>, i&Raga,
tflltOR AND PROPRIETOR.
l to, pitnbl* in advanse ; #3 if (i.Urod.
CLUJi-S of FIVE iuiJ npwards 111, the money j
in every instance to aeuompany the order.
AD v EHTTSEMEXTrf innrrte"! conspicuously at
% the rates of 75 oents per equare of H Hues, and
Si cents for each subsequent insertion. Contrasts
for yearly a-1vertiaing made reasonable.
LrunLsuiKo or t. i. rnioc.]
!'. II 1 JL-' II 1..,' II !_'
GOVERNOR'S MESS A OF NO i
Extnrnm Department, Not. 27, 1853.
Gentlemen of the Senate
and House of Representatives :
You have resumed the discharge of your
constitutional duties under (lie most encouraging
oircuinstances. The pecuniary pressure
which, at the beginning of the year,
bore bo heavily upon all classes of society,
has happily passed off without ita anticipated
disasters. Commerce continue to prosper
and widen hVr domain; agriculture rejoicea
over full harvests; and labor of every
description feels the stimulus of remunerating
prices. The year has been one of unexampled
health, and our people, in quiet
and security, have successfully devoted them
selves to their various vocations. Representing
a Commonwealth thus blessed, you
will unite with me la offering to the Giver
of all Good tlio homage of grateful hearts,
and devoutly supplicating a continuance of
His favors.
In the di*chargo of the duty imposed on i
me by the Constitution, I shall recommend |
to your consideration various measures which ;
I think important to the public weal. Your
intelligence will enable you to select, and
your patriotism will prompt you to adopt,
such of tliem as will advance the interests
ami. promote the general prosperity of our
common constituents. The public good csi-hilly
committed to your keeping, cannot,
in niv judgement, be more ccrutinly attained
man by a steady adherence to the long set-1
tied policy of the State. New enactments,
and modification* of existing laws, are sometimes
required to suit the varying circumstances
of our condition : but TeirisJation
which ***'h* 10 break down the forms and!
U-suages 10 which a people have, long Itcen
. accustomed, should not be resorted to except
o hi lor the exHoiing pretuure of necessity.?
The people of South Carolina Inure great
reason to-rest content with their tJonttiuition
ns it stands. It is far better tli t its immaterial
defects should be 'borne, than that
we should begin the hazardous work of constitutional
reform. All of the old States of
the Confederacy, except our town, have at
different times made fundamental changes1
in their Constitutions. Tho.-e changes may !
have served for the moment to captivate the
populace; but I have not been, able to discover
that those for whofe especial benefit
they w?;re introduced have been distinguishediby
a higher elevation of .sentiment, or
been rewarded with greater prosperity than
our own people, who stili ehng with confidence
to their old forms, and g.-,hor boj>e
for the future from the encouraging rccollectiorfx
of the past. Continue, then, by your
example and policy, to teach your const)uents
not to lean on government, but rely
oa their own energies to work out their destiny.
A people thus trained will be more
jealous of their lights, and when .assailed
will stand up more manfully in theirdefence
than if their miuds aie bewildered and their
time wasted in fruitless efforts to better their
oPodition by periodical changes in tbeir organ
ie law. The proclivities of the age are, to
vaj mind, ominous of everything but good
to the eause^of true progress. In certain sections
oftheoountry doctrines have been avowed
and scenes enacted which ui the Jay?
* of the Republic would have consigned their
authors to lasting infamy and execration.?
The advocates of a "higher law11 sit in high
places; fanaticism rules triumphant in the
iand.ef Hancock and Otis; and taobe and
riots are so common that the misguided
masses ire fast acquiring a taste for blood.
Tp the flew of the hideous phases which
4. Radicalism has elsewhere assumed, and the
bitter fruits of his triumphs, Conservatism
say AnnfidAnllv snn?> in lki> tMiUnit.M
the reformer* of a milder latitude to poetpone
their labor* to a more Auspicious period.
There U wisdom and safety in the in
Inaction of Holy Writ: "Prove oil tilings;
no!<f/a*t that which is good." I commend
to you the preservation of oar Constitution
In all its Integrity. It has served ui, and
Wtf owe ft to ourselves to transmit it Snfaet
First in order, and highest in importance,
Irftfvfte toor especial attention to the financial
condition of the Stats. The right to
ts? your constituents the moat responsible
sad deliasU ai alt' your Uuvtar?cannot be
wfcf*y exercised without eooetaatly keeping
SSSsss &?r.isi
ES.-tr-rms.-at
so doing ereate, at uo distant day, a necenri
.. ? ;'h#e IwZwTiom I ** '
I ? ' 4- ^ I
v :: & - if - - ' I
ty for inoremwil taxation, it will be for you to j If
determine. Our wopje are patriotic, end I tl
aid satisfied would make as neavy sacrifices h
as any people to preserve inviolate the pub- ol
lie faith; but U must be bdrtle iti mind that ir
they cultivate exhausted laud*, and tboy will is
form an oxception to the rest of their coun- v
trymen, if, yrith tho prospect of oneron9 tax- cl
ation before them, tuey do uot emigrate to a
more favored regions, where if they have p
Ki<rti iovofi tn Wf?>* Kn?r will !? * ? I??- ''
?? lrr%J? n 111 uaTg nun i irai- *
vest* on which the contribution wonlj be n
levied. 1 7
The following statements exhibits the w
Etjbfic debfc-of the State, as it appears on the
ooks of the "Loan Office, on tne 80th day J*
Heptember, 1855 : d
rrra :
- * f |s li
mills -? x
I* -<*{? ti
8 ?S3? gf?|l ?
? ifSOSS. 8.1 i?
s HsesjJSjT J:
** ' r 11
*. ?? ???4 a
? ?-i ? IB > I
* ?2 ?S*-o ' ,
: * rg i ^3 ",i
; 5 8 8.5.5 7 2 ?
. ? ^ a, f,
~ cfg '
(JO OC 00 GO. ? f(
. ? -r s? ?* r- V
. . anon? ?> ?
e< r. a a a ci u ftj d
f5'J e
r- r r r* r r* r 2, ^
c
J? ti C* S> Ci "CO 3 3 *'
ft -IfWefe: If *
a. 5o??i?S ^
? ?5S-Jffi2? r*2,
To the above sum of 82,287, 150,23 must '
be added 8800,000, tbo amount of, State I
j subscription vet tb ho called for to the j *
Blue lijdgo Railroad Company. This will I'
give us, in principal, 83,087,158,23, and an 1
I annual interest of $172,478.01. If to thin I
is added the vum of $1,000,000 the amount r
of bonds of said company to bo endorsed by
the Same, bearing seven per cent, interest, f
the entire debt of the Stale may be set down ?
at $4,087,150,23, witlCkn annual interest of ?
$242,470,01. "When tIda sum Is increased, ?
an it most probably will be. by another mil- *
lion for tho coinnletion of the Suite Cunitol. t
the whole debt will be #5,087,160.23, with >
an annual interest of #302.476.01. c
As the gross profits of the Hank for the *
last year were only #273.030.92, it is appa- 1
rent that unless these are largely increased 1
for the futtire, a large portion of this inter- t
est must fall on tlie StHte Treasury, and l?e f
met by an increase of our annual taxes. In 1
viqw of this exhibit, I think it must ho ad- milted
that we have made sufficient progreai 1
into tl'O way of getting into debt to justify 1
at l? aat a temporary pause. Vou will ccr- ^
tainly not offend tlm tux payingportionofyour e
constituents by declining to einbaik in any 1
new projects requiring new loans to any con- 1
slderable amount. " ^
In enumerating the items of the public 1
debt, I hAVe omitted #1,031,420.09, the I
amount uf surplus fund deposited by act of!
| Uongrc-8. because I have no apprehensiou }
that the State will ever be called upon to
pny it. The public debt, so fhr as it respects ?
the payment of tho interest, is divided into d
three classes: ?
1. That, tho intercut of which it chargea- c
hie upon tlie Hank. This consists of the 6 a
and 8 per cents of 1838. r
2. That portion of the debt, the interest
of which it chargeable on the Sinking Fund, t
It eoniwta of the 8 per cents of 1794, and >
the 5 per cents of 1888, redeemable in 1830, l<
8. The new debt, tho interest on which is \
payable out of the current funds of the Treat- g
uVy, via: the bonds issued to provide for c
the erection of the new 8tate Capitol. The p
amount issued h #230,000; interest #16,- t<
000. Tlie bond?, issued to provide for the d
payment of the Slato subscription to the; t
Blue .Ridge Railroad Company. Bonds to g
the amount of $200,000 have already been i
issued, the interest on which will be $12,000.! a
I There must be during the ensuing year a b
further issue of bonds to provide the means; f<
for carrying on both these work*. j t
The resources of the State to meet the h
public debt consist of stock ,in her various li
railroads, and the surplus assets of the Bank, ii
The nominal value of these stock is $1,642,- c
300 ; their present value in market^ is $771,- I
130. b
The snrplus means of. the State in (he I
Bank, over its liabilities, is $3,922,920.04. <J
On refenca to the Report of the Comptrol- f
ler General, it appears thai the payments t
for the year 1865 wore $051,602.93, and the s
receipts at the Treasury were $440,142.89. C
Ify predecessor called your attention to t
the claim of Mr. Anthony Ifyde for com- *
missioas as agent of the State for claims on I
account of lasses in the Florida war i but on i
refersnoe,.to your journals 1 And that no ac- c
tion was bad qo the subject Shortly after 1
yo$f adjournment Mr. Hyde urged on me i
the payment df his claim. Upon examia- l
rag th4 putMaiia- my department, 1 found (
that the bate Govaraar flaahroalr had ap- t
pionted Mr. Hyde agsat af thp ?iata, with ?
compensation Are per wit em att awtrteol- I
^.'ebH#r* Vh1 ?T? "V* $ ?
ding. Out of tlio $1,583 to the eredet of
ic St ate'at the United States Treasury, I
rvc paid bitn lib compensation at the rate
f five per cent, and a email charge for copy
?g? in nil $1978Ao. Mr. Hyde thinks lie
. entitled to fivo per cent, niore for his serices.
Il,ow much equity tliere U in hi*
lafra you will be enabled to detefmine l?y
n examination of the papers and corresondenee
which-are herewith transmitted.?
'he balance, a^'er deducting brokerage arountingto
$OOt0.5d, together with *17,80
05 previously received, t have deposited
rith the Treasurer of the Upper Division.
A report from the Commissioner* of the
tew State Capitol will be found among tho
ocuuienU accompany this message. Tu acordunce
with your instructions, they have
hanged the silo of the building, and modied
tnclr plans so as to remedy the defect*
i their former structure. The walla for the
>undation have rUen abovo the surface of
lie ground, and as more than one hundred
nd forty laborer* arc employed on the woik,
,8 further progress will be rapid and gratiprngv
It appears to me, though pretonding
f> no skill in such matters, that the new innonry,
i* very much superior to the old. The j
trge regular hammered stone, arranged in
lorizontal layers of equal thickness, gives it
>'Solid and substantial appearance, which
Drbids any fear of a catastrophe such as be?11
the former structure. The bonds of the
itate issued for this building have all been
lirpiwed of, and of their proceeds only
nough remains on hand to meet the wants
if the present year. Although the finances
>f the fetate demand the strictest economy
iiid the most careful husbandry of our reourccs,
as the Capitol had beeu -begun by
our authority, and is much needed by the
5tatc, I would sufftfoet liberal autironriations
or its progress aud completion. There is no
iropriety in protracting ihe work for six or
'ight yearn, when it may be finished in three
?r four. The longer the time of building
his structure, the greater will bo the ex>cnse
to the State, so that true economy will
econiraend its speedy completion.
The South Carolinn College is in a more
lourishing condition than it has ever been
ince ita establishment. Its administration is
ibleand faithful,and! am assured that the spir
t of study h:w never been more general, nor
he bearing of the 6tudents more manly. It
s objected by some to the institution that
is advantages arc confined to a paritcular
:la*s, and calculations have been made to
how at what cost to the State these Ativana??
have been enjoyed. I respectly submt
that its benefits are not to be estimated
>v ilie standard of dollars and cents. If its
lunde s had made it a question of arithme
ic,' it would never have been established.?
Vnd if it is to be judged by that standard,
hen perhaps it may be said to liave failed.
Jut if the spread of knowledge and a thirst
i>r its acquisition?'if the development and
xyansion of intellect?if pure morality,
nanly seutiineut, refined taste, and elevated
bought?if Uiese^u e riches to a people, then j
ins the Institution been a mine of wealth to
he Slate?thus fully justifying the liberal!
>olicy which has always sustained it.
It is greatly to be regretted that President
["horn well's deteriniiifetiou to withdraw from
Is frnWArtimonl. r?i,c T ?
? J.-, w,.. uuviaaiij^CU* JL Tl"
jnrd liitt retirement a public loss. Ho bus
lischnrged the arduous irnst with unoqnnlld
ability and success, and in thus officially
lotieing bis regisnation, I feel thai I pay but
. merited tribute to uocommou worth and
are endowment.
On the 26th of January, that a portion of
be College buildings known as the East
iVing and Centre Building of Rutland Cob
Bge was totally destroyed by fire. The
iY est Wing was eared, but in such a damn
;ed condition as to render its continued ocupuncy
extreme!/ uncomfortable, if not
ostively dangerdtri. The inconveniences
o which the College was subjected by this
['master were so great, and tire demand for
he reconstruction of the building* so ur*
;cnt, that a special meeting of the Board of
rusiw* i?a? called ir. the hope thst ?oine
chctno might be suggested, L?v which the
uilding* could be replaced without waiting
w a special appropriation from the Legislate.
The evils to be apprehcuded from deuy
were numerous and grave. It would
tave kept the College for two full sessions
n a condition altogether unfit for the acominodntion
of students; applicants would
lave been deterred from entering, or if ihoj
iad been disposed to come, oould pot have
ecu received. The students now in aUenlance
would have been orowded together
er a year longer, exposed to the temptations
? idleness. and dissipation, which such s
tats of things naturally engenders. The
College at the time of the fire was in a condiion
of nrrowincr nroi*n?rsiv *n<l if i? k-rt k...??
n - "Of S ? ' * vvv"
il lowed to receive a shock, which would
iave been the cm# had no interest been
Manifested in iU reparation, the oonsequen*e
might have been permanently disastrous,
fhe Board was so sensible of these evils, thst
t resolved to rebuild at once, and to pledge,
? far it was competent to do so, the faith of
he tagiefeturp. Thoc*e seemed too plain
0 admit of doubt. The tsghdature could
wot suffer the College to lie in ruins. Be
idea. th*re wasstfUe apparent claim upen
he State. By an set of 1810, the Comproller
General was require^ annually, to io
Lm <rit v
1 1
sure the College Buildings against 'fire.? i
With the exception of two or three year*,
this Act was regularly executed until 1841.
when the Legislature declined making the
usual approbation, On the ground, it was understood,
that the State ought to be its owu
insurer. . As then the Legislature had assumed,
in some Xort, the responsibility of an
insurer, it was hoped that this would be an
additional inducement for repatlng the losses
occasioned by an accidental fire. Confidently
anticipating the friendly interposition
of the State, the Board appointed a com mil tee
to niako a contract upon the faith of an appro- |
prialionfrom the present Legislature. But the i
Committee found it impossible to execute
they* trust. No mechanic would undertake
the work. With the deliberate opinion of
such a body as the Board of Trustees before
ine,.I did not scruple to regard this as an
emergency in which the public interest demanded
whatever appropriation could be
made from the contingent fund, without
prejudice to the customary drafts upon it.?
The assistance which I was able to render,
enabled the Committee to make a contract
upon very favorable terms, and the work
has been completed within a shorter period
than was thought possible. The College
appears in renovated beauty, and the tide of
its prosperity lias had no ebb.
The entire cost of the new building
$22,802.00. Of this sum 1 have advanced
out of the contingent fund $15,000. An
appropriation of $7,802 will be necessary to <
fulfil the obligation of tbe Board with the
contractor Mr. CoWnover. I hare paid for
ordinary drafts on the contingent fund, $1,020.54.
There are certain rewards ottered
for the apprehension of fugitives from justice,
by myself and predecessors, which may
hereafter constitute a claim on this fund.
The Military A-cademies are most successfully
conducted and continue steadily to
grow in public estimation. Though but of
a few years standing, their fruits are already
felt in every district of the State, and under
seek to inaugurate a "system which, in its a)
inset* development, thou Id bring tii* meant
of education within the reaet^,of every family
in the State. A perfect scheme cannot
be matured at once. It is easy to devise a
beantifn! and consistent plan, aa a thing of
speeuiatien, but it oould wet so readily be
put into operation?partly from the want of
means, partly from lack of interest in the
benefits of instruction, and especially from
Uta impossibility of procuring competent
teachers. Our incipient measures sbestld
look to the ddtftUeud of creating a popfiHf
demand ft*education, and of furnishing in
V' li ?.
i V^- 1% <tfr "
your fostering care, the harvest in time will
oe rich ami abundant. They will he found
to bo stronger safeguards than fiTrts and fortifications.
The indigent young man who
finds himself thus generously trained by bis
Slate for tbo duties of life, can never forget
that he has a Slate to live for?he will always
feel that she has a claim upon him,
in the hour of her trial, will regard no sacrifice
too dear in defence of her institutions.?
Who policy dictates that their capacity for
good should bo enlarged to the extent of
our means. Too much praise cannot be .
awarded to Gen. James Jones, Chairman of
the Doard of Visitors, for the unselfish devotion
with which ho watches over and guards
their interests, lie has just reason to be
prouds of the success which has crowned his
efforts, and the State may congratulate herself
that the experiment was intrusted to the
guidance of one so highly qualified for the
task.
With but a few exceptions. I have reviewed
the regiments of tho first and fifth military
divisions of the State, and the regiments
of Charleston and Laurens Districts. I was
gratified with the military spirit evinced,
and the knowledge of tactics which has
l>ecn generally acquirAl. The Adjutent and
Inspector General I found always at his
post, and it affords me much pleasure to testify
to his zeal and efficiency in the discbarge
..r r. .1 i
vi mo UUIJ. At 15 nut iiwpsiwirj- mat 1
should urge upon you the imp-?rtanee of
keeping up our present militia system. Our
peculiar condition, and the dangers to which
we are exposed both from within and without
should preclude the thought of abandoning
it It is not desirable, nor is it prac
ticable, to make regular soldiers of our citizens,
but it is important to teach thein at
least the rudiment* of that science upon
which every people must rely for security
and defence. The muster field, like the
school house, has its lessons. It inculcates
the dutyjif obedience, the virtue of courage,
and the sentiment of patriotism?and without
these elements, the standard of character
can never be high.
The Free School system will receive at
young bauds that consideration which its
importance demands. Its results have fallen
to far ^iort of its object, that it
may be pronounced a failure. Its defects have
been long felt, and yet nothing has been done
except to double the sum of money to be wasted
under a bad system. It reauires thorough
and entire reformation. It is unfortnuate
that the end which was evidently contemplated
by the act of 1811 has been abandoned,
and that what was intended to introduce
gradually a general system of common
schools has been perverted to tbe excnlsive
education of pauper*. In my judgement we
should return to the policy of 1811. and
structors able to supplv it. Nornm!" schools, J
as being too exclusively professions, are un?uited
to the former purpose, and until that is
accomplished,nothing is gained by the preparation
of teachers. It seems to me that in comfortuity
with the principle that the knowledge
descends, and that the supply creates
the demand, the tirst step should be to establish
a high school in each district in the
State, in which pupils could be prepared for
business or the university, and from which
a certain numltor of indigent young men of
industry and promise should he sent to collego
at the expense of the State, upon the
coudition of devoting themselves to the of
fiec of teaching for a specified period after
their graduation. The next step shouhl Ik4
to institute, as teachers and pupils could be
obtained, inferior schools in every portion of
the land, until the means of in'structiou are
made accessible to all. The high schools, as
a preliminary measure, would lie a real and
efficient provision for popular' instruction.
Light cannot be confined. "A dily set on
an hill cannot be hid," Intelligence is essentially
diffusive, and whatever increases
learning in one portion of the coinmnnity,
elevates the standard of thought in all. The
high schools would at once create a demand
for the inferior, and furnish the means of providing
them with teachers.
If the State, however, should decline to
eiubark in a general system, and should continue
to restrict its appropriation to the indigent,
the principle which at present regti
luu-s the distribution of the fund should certainly
bo changed.. liy our public policy,
education is denied to one-half of our popu
lalion. The other half who constitute our
political vitality, are unequally distributed
over the State; and it is this portion of our
population whom it is our duty and our policy
to educate. The distribution should be
in proportion to wliito population. If the
State undertakes to raise a fund to educate
the poor, it should bo spent where it is most
needed. Under the present method, hii
more money is allowed in ono section for the
education of five or six hundred children,
than in another for ten or a dozen. In a
matter of such vital importance to the State
district and parish lines should be disregard
ed. Whether wo live in the mountains or
on the sea-board, in the midst of light or
surrounded by ignorance, we are all equally
interested in the noble work, nn4 into whatever
benighted part of the Slate the ravs of
knowledge can Us made to penetrate, we
should feci as citizens of the same State, enjoying
one renown, and linked to one destiny,
that the partial blessing is the general
good. If the rich do pay largely to the support
of government, they enjoy large protection,
and they will consult true policy by
contributing liberally to the cause of education,
where suffrage-is universal, and govern
ment rests directly on the public will. Sunerificinl
knowledgement is better than no
knowledge, for, after, the truths that regulate
the relations of life are plain, nud lie near
the surface. An ignorant people may passive
ly enjoy liberty, but they cannot feel its inspiration,
nud will bring no sacrifice to its altar.
I will not on such an occasion enlarge on
the necessity and importance of public instruction.
All civilized governments recog
uize the duty, and labof to meet its .require
inents. The subject nddres>es itself with
peculiar force to a siavelioldiug community.
The world owes its civilization to slavery. It
exists with ns in its desirable and enduring
form. "It is the corner stone of our rcpuMi
lican edifice," and ftrf strongest defence will
bo found in the education of those entrusted
with its preservation.
It is, however, impossible that the present
system, or any other, can be made to work
well without a reapon-ible head. There
must lie unity and energy- Allow me to urge
nyon you, as has often been done, the necessity
of appointing a Superintendant of
Public Instruction. Select a man suitable
for the work. Pay him liberally.
Clioap officers usually render cheap service.
Make it his duiy to visit every neighborhood
in the State, and ascertain where schools
are needed?where school houses may be
conveniently located?where, owing to
sparsenees of population, they cannot?where
those who are able to educate will unite with
the State in the establishment of AcademiesIn
a word, do as has been done elsewhere?
have a survey of the field of ignorance, and
with the map beforo you, decide on your
system. Make at least this eti'ort, and if it
results in nothing?if in consequence of insurmountable
dilHcultios in our condition, no
improvement can be inado on the present
system, and the poor of the land are hopeleeatjr
doomed to ignorance, poverty and
crime? you will at least feel conscious of
having done your duty, and the public anxiety
on the subject will be quieted.
The hainatio Asylum is well managed,
mm J narromis ?#A miaci/\n r\f mo.
tsy nod humanity. I feel relieved from the
necessity of making may apecial recommendation
in relation to it, a? commit toes were appointed
at your last session to enamine its
ooadhioa and report on its necessities. After
a comparison of its results with other institutions,
and a careful inspection of its iuteri
or teondition, 1 cannot withhold the expression
of mf belief that, it is an institution
"mors sinned against than ainaing."
Not less humane in its object than the
J* fV7 fjt * T u .it jylif {} r"J\ /;
. earo and* treatment of lutriatics, is the 4?>j
atrnct!?>n'of the deaf, dumb, and blind. The
I State recognize* her obligation' to prbti J*
' for this unfortunate elas# of hfer citizens, and
has alvtayn generously responded to thtj appeals
which have been made in their behalf.
For may years a sum was annually appro
I printed for the maintenance and educaViba
| other po.r mute* in Noithern Institutions.
' Parents generally were averse to seiidiirg
! their children abroad, and few availed tUem!
selves of die opportunity thus afforded. Ih
1849, Mr. N-4 F. Walker was induced byvarious
consideration to establish a school for
their education- at Cedar Springs, Witbiu
our own State: The motive that prompted
the effort was praiseworthy In the high*1
est degree. His sirece.**, considering tint
] difficulties ho had- to- encounter, has beftt
' remarkable, but his means are limited
'and wholly inaderpiate to meet the increa&ft*
' demands of tl?e institution. 1 recommend"1
! to you the propriety of authorising the oorily
inissioners of the deaf, dumb and blind,"tb
' purchase the establishment, and to place* wp]
on it such additional conveniences and build|
ings as will make it efficient tor th*1 itttm|
ber of inmate* who are likely to occupy the
1 same, and to lease it to Mr. Walker,oraotnsr.
oilier suuaoie leacner or to mako some other
arrangement which they may deem the
best, for the support and education of the
inn1*;!'!**,'
In this way the State may gradually ami
economically -^build up an establish men t
of her own, equal to the wants of these objects
of her sympathy.
As part of the same scheme,! also recommend
that the same commissioners be authorized
to provide for the reception and education
of id iota. Until rescent jours, uoef-.
fort has been made to relieve tins most* uiiseiablc
and' pitiable class of human sufferers,
because their condition has always been regarded
as utterly beyond the reach of
human benevolence. Modern philanthropy,
which- has achieved suth wonder-"
fill triumphs iti the case of the mute lifts at
last conquered the misery of the poor, neglected,
loathed idiot. It )ms been demonstrated
by actual result that the idiot has "some latent
germ of intellect, and is capable.under patient
culture, of being rendered coinpiuately useful,
comfortable and happy. Of the deplor
able condition of the-e unfortunate creatures,
it won hi scarcely be an exaggeration to say
that they are little better cared "for than
the boasts which perish." What joy vnjf' it
not impart to parents, whoso homes are af:
, dieted with the nresenee nf ?h/> M:~? -VM'
, ? .?? lyiui C1I1IU,
to leftrn that a place has boon provided to
which he might be removed, and as light is
gradually let in upon his dark soul, what
hicifeings will they not invoke 011 the Slate
that thus mercifully dispenses its charity.
An interchaiigo of opinion \vit?i several of
the Judges and distinguished lawyers, has induced
nv\ though not a inertfter of the legal
profession, to hrii g to your consideration
the propriety of making a systematic revision
of the statutes of the State. I relv
with great confidence on the judgment of
those who have made the law the study of
1 their lives, and I trust 1 shall not be regaided
as travelling beyond the sphere of mv
duty in urging-upon you a matter that so
deeply concerns every menibet of the com
moo wealth. 1 will not g4 into a stateineut
; of the many considerations which to my
mind render such a work desirable, and I
might add necessary, in the opinion both of
the Bench and Bar of the State.
During the short Sessions of the Legislature.
and in the ordinary course of our legislative
proceedings, it is vain to expect that
any thorough amendment of the Jaw even a
few subjects can be effected. If the subject
shall anm-ar to vnnr lir>?ir.r?l?l- t??.K? 1 ?
. r , .? .w,w??.v wrvurvi wuilllV
. of attention, I beg leavo to recommend, that
! commissioners af diligence and ability shall
be charged with the duty of reporting to the
legislature for its consideration the general
elemeulary provisions fur a revised code of
statute law, and some or all of the parts of
such a code. A mere compilation of statute
law as itexUta would, uecessarily be insufficient
and worthy of great effort; but if com.
miaaioners entrusted with the necessary powI
ers, should be required to rejroft tbo iiatare
and reasons of all the changes they might
suggest, they would bo able to <le'
vise a general scheme to which alt the
parts c-'uid be conformed; anl their
remembrance of the legislative sanction,
which must preceed the'Validity of theii'suggestions,
would re train sufficiently any dm*
position on their part to extravagant innovation.
I concur in the reenin?w**.i?#fc?? ?.r
__ _? vi 111jr
predecessor a* to the propriety of repealing
oar usury lawn. These laws originated in
ignotHUceand prejudice, ami like all government
restriction* ou trade, are inconsistent
w ith the enlightened policy of the ago. They
check honest industry, Mtid'Ovnde^nstHroy
constantly are, afford inadequate protecting
i to thoae for whoiu they were enacted. "Un1
principled tuna occasionally set up the plea
to avoid their obligation*, hut the unfortunate,
or the unwary, rarely have the fortitude
to face the public disapprobation with which
such effort* arc most generally visited. Tic
triotiou on the use of money often deprives
indurtriou* men of the means of oxliicnting
themselves front etnbarra^ment, and precipitate
lh?> ruin Vpicii ''inoly ail oiijjn'
4* ? * k ^ t *