The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, May 21, 1964, Image 19
'* - • ; r I I
Federal Government is biggest owner in state
Starting with no assets or prop
erty in South Carolina 175 years
ago, the Federal government to
day values its holdings in the
state at a conservative $1,159,-
029,000 (not including military
equipment). If the Federal gov
ernment's contributions to the
state highway program, to
Health, Education and Welfare
activity, to agriculture, and to
housing were figured in on top of
this, total U.S. assets in the state
would likely top the $2 billion
mark.
In land alone, the Federal gov
ernment owns almost six per cent
at the state — 1,129,243 acres.
More than half of this is under
the Forestry Service’s jurisdic
tion and is still on the books at
’Tfee ridiculously low price of un
der $9 per acre, its cost to the
Government during depression
days when it was striving to save
the nation’s forests by purchas
ing large blocks of land around
the nation.
Biggest single U. S. investment
in the state is the Atomic Energy
Commission’s plant in Aiken
County. Constructed in the ear
ly 1950’s, it is located on 200,831
acres of land which cost the Fed
eral government $22 million —
roughly $100 per acre. Buildings
and structures and facilities
pushed the completed cost up to
$577 million.
In South Carolina, first prop
erty taken over by the Federal
government consisted of light
house locations along the coast of
Charleston - in 1790. The 472
acres of land cost $500 at the
time, though they are valued at
$100,000 today.
South Carolina was also site of
one of the nation’s first forts —
outside of Great Falls, S. C.
Called Fort Dearborn, and lo
cated on the Catawba River, it
played a major role in the state’s
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waging of war to the west.
In the nation, and around the
world, real and personal proper
ty of the Federal government are
valued at $315.2 billion, a sum
greater than the national debt, o
The Federal government owns^
a total of 771 million acres of
land, including over half of the
states of Alaska (100 per cent),
Nevada (85.5), Utah (66.2), Ida
ho (63.8), and Oregon (52.1). At
the opposite extreme, the U. S.
government owns less than one
per cent of Connecticut (.2 per
cent), Iowa (.4), Maine (.6),
New York (.7), Ohio (.8), and
Kansas (.9).
In comparison to other state’s,
U. S. holdings in South Carolina
are 15th largest. Federal hold
ings in California are valued at
$5,856,679,000, almost twice that
of second ranked state Washing
ton where real Federal assets
come to $3,151,726,000.
New England is the section of
the nation which has held on to
its own for the most part. Fed
eral holdings in Vermont are val
ued at the least, $71,926,000; New
Hampshire is second lowest,
$166,805,000, and Connecticut and
Rhode Island rank fourth and
seventh respectively. Surpris
ingly enough, Federal holdings
in three large Midwest states,
Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin,
Which Agency Owns What In State ?
Agriculture Dept.
Atomic Energy Com. _
Aviation Agency
Commerce Dept.
Health - Ed. - Welfare
Interior Dept.
Post Office Dept.
Treasury Dept.
(Coast Guard)
Veterans Adm.
General Services
total civilian
' Army
Air Force
Corps of Engineers —
^Navy
total defense —--
grand total
A4
no. of
AG7M of
coat of
no. of
coat of
other
total
land
building*
building*
improTomants
•valuation
8
587,772
$4,427,000
144
$840,000
$3,936,000
$9,262,000
1
200,831
22,583,000
346
294,156,000
260,384,000
577,123,000
45
9
1,000
17
. 166,000
55,000
222,000
1
0
0
1
* 15,000
0
15,000
1
0
0
1
129,000
0
129,000
13
140,563
673,000
231
797,000
2,766,000
4,236,000
40
^ 18
483,000
40
3,518,000
0
4,001,000
14
642
118,000
41
^ 572,000
1,379,000
2,069,000
2
114
54,000
33
2,440,000
362,000
2,860,000
12
14
822,000
12
9,336,000
66,000
10,224,000
137
929,962
29,220,000
866
311,973,000
268,948,000
610,141,000
15
53,718
3,432,000
2,824
29,632,000
28,146,000
61,210,000
26
17,569
3,716,000
2,677
93,117,000
73,981,000
170,814,000
8
98,208
27,289,000
19
164,000
69,931,000
97,384,000
19
29,786
4,002,000
3,175
119,853,000
95,625,000
219,480,000
68
199,281
38,439,000
8,695
2,42,766,000
267,683,000
548,888,000
205
1,129,243
67,659,000
9,561
544,739,000
536,631,000
1,159,029,000
come to only $257 million, $277
million, and $279 million in rank
ing among the low nine states.
In many instances Federal
realty, which is very valuable, is
recorded on the books of the Fed
eral Government at a mere frac
tion of its true worth. Some ex
amples of such listings are:
The White House grounds in
Washington, D. C. (18 acres) are
recorded at $1 thousand; the Mil
itary Academy at West Point,
New York, comprising 16,003
acres, is recorded at $83.1 mil
lion. Its estimated replacement
cost is $161.2 million; the Naval
Academy at Annapolis, Mary
land, comprising 1,190 acres, is
recorded at $61.6 million. Its es
timated replacement cost is $85.8
million.
Real property under the juris
diction of the Architect of the
Capitol is listed at an estimated
present-day evaluation of $459
million. Capitol Hill real estate,
under the jurisdiction of the Ar
chitect of the Capitol, includes
the U. S. Capitol Building, Old
and New Senate Office Buildings,
Old and New House Office Build
ings and grounds; site of an ad
ditional Senate Office Building;
site for an additional House Office
Building and appurtenant facili
ties for the House of Representa
tives; Legislative Garage; Capi
tol Power Plant, Main and An
nex Library of Congress Build
ing and grounds; U. S. Botanic
Garden and Nursery.
MAY, 1964
S. C. historians
rate leaders
What South Carolinian has played the most important role in the
history of U. S. government during each of the nation’s 25-year inter
vals?
Put to the history departments of the state’s colleges and to directors
of the South Caroliniana Library and the state’s Archives, this question
brought forth familiar names and surprisingly little controversy.
John Rutledge finished in front of Henry Laurens and Charles
Pinckney for the pre-Constitution interval ending in 1789.
Charles Coatesworth Pinckney was an overwhelming choice of the
state’s 15 historians over cousin Charles, 1789-1814.
John C. Calhoun was a unanimous choice for honors during 1814-
1839 and also received top recognition over Robert Barnwell Rhett for
the period, 1839-1864.
Wade Hampton for the period, 1864-1889, and Benjamin Ryan Till
man for the years 1889-1914 were near unanimous choices of the state’s
historians.
Ellison (Cotton Ed) Smith was a narrow selection over Bernard
Baruch and James F. Byrnes for the period, 1914-1939.
James F. Byrnes was a unanimous choice of historians as leading
South Carolinian for the years 1939-1964.
Taking each period of history separately:
As George Washington pre
pared to take his oath of office
as first President of the United
States on April 30, 1789, he fully
realized that the pressure was on
him to make this new and unique
government work.
Those who had served with
him during the Revolution
against the British were confi
dent that he would succeed in
this newest endeavor just as he
had succeeded in defeating the
British after six and one-half
years of fighting from 1775 to
1781.
The climate was right for some
semblance of central government
after seven frustrating years of
little or no leadership under the
Articles of Confederation. Dur
ing this period, the 13 original
colonies (now sovereign states)
wished to run their own affairs
without any outside interference.
It was now up to Washington,
endowed with considerable pow
ers under the new Constitution,
to unite the states in peace as he
had succeeded a dozen years ear
lier in war.
In South Carolina, particular
ly among politically sophisticated
Charlestonians, there were mix
ed feelings about the new gov
ernment. The state’s contribu
tions to the American Revolution
were second to none, and her
well - educated aristocrats of
Charleston had played important
roles in all meetings of the states.
Henry Middleton had been
President of the First Continen
tal Congress which met just prior
to actual hostilities between Brit
ain and the colonies. Henry
THE SOUTH CAROLINIAN
Laurens had served as President
of the third Continental Con
gress which put into force the
Articles of Confederation. John
Rutledge and Charles Pinckney
were key figures in the creation
of the Constitution, with Pinck
ney actually pre
paring a com
plete outline of
what he felt the
Constitution
should contain.
Known as “The
South Carolina
P 1 a n,” t h e
Ruiicdg* Pinckney outline
found its way into 31 or 32 of
the provisions of the Constitu
tion.
Rutledge, first president of in
dependent South Carolina during
the Revolution, a delegate at the
First Continental Congress as
well as the last, was on South
Carolina’s presidential ballots
along with Washington.
Consensus of opinion among
Charlestonians was that the new
Federal government was a good
thing — provided it didn’t get
too democratic. Most favored a
Republican form of government
to avoid what Rutledge termed
the “arbitrary, severe and de
structive power” of democracy.
These views were not necessar
ily shared in the South Carolina
up-country, where population
was greater but political rights
yet undeveloped.
In 1789, population of the state
was 249,073 as compared to the
nation’s 3,929,214 citizens. The
new nation’s professional Army
consisted of 46 officers and 672
enlisted men. Debt as a result of
the Federal government’s as
sumption of state debts amount
ed to $77,228,000. Tax revenue
during the first full year came to
$4,419,000 of which over half
went toward paying interest on
the national debt. National de
fense cost $634,000, veterans ben
efits came to $176,000, and other
government expenses amounted
to $1,286,000. There was a $150,-
000 budget surplus.
During the first 25 years of
Federal government, Charles
Coatesworth Pinckney was sur
prisingly ijminterested in employ
mentby the new government he
had aone ^o much to create. His
key victory over the British at
Fort Moultrie in 1776 followed
by his service as an aide to Wash
ington and his defense of the
Constitution which he had signed
led President
Washington t o
offer him at va
rious times dur-
i n g his two
terms in office
the following po
sit i o n s: (1 )
Commanding
Pinckney general of the
U. S. Army, (2) Chief Justice of
the Supreme Court, (3) Secre
tary of State, and (4) Secretary
of War. Pinckney refused all of
these assignments.
He was the Federalists’ vice
presidential nominee under John
Adams in 1796 but lost the elec
tion to Republican Thomas Jef
ferson. He also lost to Jefferson
and his Republican running
mates Aaron Burr and George
Clinton in the elections of 1800
and 1804 respectively.
C. C. Pinckney did serve his
nation as head of a special mis-
in M. Y« April M. 17M
sion to France in 1797 aimed at
resolving difficulties between the
two nations. Refusing to com
promise honor and principle, he
shouted, “No! no! Not a six
pence!” to suggestions that the
United States “buy peace.” Re
turning to the United States, he
was made commanding general
of the U. S. Army at a time war
seemed a possibility.
War did ultimately come in
1812, but against England rather
than France. One sixth of the
generals were South Carolinians,
and in Washington, the brilliance
of young Representatives John
C. Calhoun, William Lowndes,
and Langdon Cheves in The
House and John Gaillard in the
Senate helped in no small way
to shape the destiny of the new
nation as it entered its second
quarter century in 1814.
South Carolina’s population
was now 415,115 as compared to
the nation’s population of 7,239,-
881. As a result of the War of
1812, whidh ran through 1814,
the nation’s debt rose to $127,-
335,000. The budget of 1814 was
unbalanced to the extent of $23,-
539,000 as total receipts in that
war year came to only $11,182,-
000. Washington, D. C., the new
nation’s capital, had been burned.
Twenty-five years later, in
1839, as a result
of peace and
Western expan
sion, the nation
was largely debt
free and had
grown in popu
lation to 17,069,-
453. Migration to
Calhoun the West of'
many South Carolinians held the
state’s growth down, though its
population increased to 594,398.
3