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FLMA FOR ECONOMY IB MADE (Continued from Firat J'age) been established and are supported by the stale government, but this is a record that is outstanding in comparison with even the larger and wealthiest of our sister states. Winthrop college, Clem son, the Citadel and the University of .South Carolina are all doing splendid work fly ?' >n their special lines of educational endeavor. They ure graduating men and women each year who are thoroughly trained and equipped for use-, fulness in a civilization that is exacting in its demands upon those who i would be it* builders and leaders. ,? Each year, and in steadily increasing numbers, these institutions have been educating our young men and women, and last year, the best in our history, hundreds were given their diplomas. It is the sacred duty of the state, my fellow citizens, to maintain this great record and to give to our colleges that 4 moral and financial support that Is necessary to assure a continuance of their splendid work and to make certain the efficient service they are rendering our people. While it is a deplorable fact that hundreds of our young men and women must be turnip cd from our college doors each year from a lack of accommodations, the state, no matter how philanthropic nor what its desire.* may be. Aan; never hope to furnish a college education for all its people, I', mip't be governed by necessity and by its i' financial ability to meet the demands, jjt v A* our wealth increases and when this can l>c done, without placing upon our people tax burdens greater than P.! they should be called upon to bear, such as a! present, then our colleges should I* enlarged, but pot until that time. In the meantime, the strictest economy should be practiced in the - administration of our colleges and the ... greatest care should bo exercised in granting entrance permits to the privileges which the colleges have to offer that no favoritism may exist, and certainly no South Carolina girl or boy should l>e deprived of admission to make room for .some boy or girl , of another state. 'I here are abuses i F along this line that should be corrected and at the first opportunity n aI,d they should not be permitted to x \ occur in the future. Common School System Our common school system has reached a degree of perfection that should be most gratifying to every South Carolinian. The free school term in many communities vm the state extends for nine months and under the provisions of the G-0-1 law. i our schools are practically assured a fvbven months' term. The construction of necessary and comfortable buildings and the lengthening of our school teim. the consolidation of weak schools and the adoption of the conveying system where necessary is a long step forward in our educational pr?gre**. South Carolina is spending unstintedly U|K>n her free school system. She is determined to stamp out illiteracy and to educate her people. No state can claim greater progress or point to a finer educational record for the past twenty year*. Our percentage of illiteracy has steadily decreased and today, based upon government statistics, only ti I-J per cent . f our white } ,puliation is illiterate. With the continued progress of the past few years, then within the next five or six years we should have a white population 100 per cent literate. There is great illiteracy still existing among our negroes. The population of this race i< almost as great in numbers as the white nopnlat ioj. This hc? counts tor the low percentage which our state is given when compared fc.-- with other -latcs. Under our presj, ent educational system much is being done to educate the negro and illit> eracy among them has been greatly reduced. Hut, m> fellow citizens, while we , t have very much in. our educational system and program that is a source of congratulation, still the operation of our school machinery is far from perfect. 1 here can be no excuse for waste of money even for education. ? Every dollar spent should be made to return a dollar's worth. Under our present law the money is distributed Ik upon th? basis of enrollment. This is manifestly unjust and the law '14 - should be amended and the disbursements made upon average daily at<xi. - tendance. This may work a hardship in some instances, but it is a just method. The state should not pay for children who do not attend nor for work that is not .performed. Besides, the adoption of the average atj||| . tendance plan will create a strong incentive and renewed effort to get nil of our children into the schools and keep them there throughout the term. Before closing my remarks upon this important subject I feel that I should warn our people against the y~7~- . ever-increasing tendency, both in our colleges and public schools, to attach too much importance to athletics and other sports. Athletics are all right in their place but most certainly they should not be allowed to interfere m-ith the main purpose for which our educational system was established? that of the training, the cultivation of the minds and hearts of our chilli i en. lieliefs of Teachers No men or woman, gentlemen of the general assembly, who denies or oven questions the existence of the Supreme Being atul man's personal dependence upon Him, should be em ployed in any of the colleges or public schools of our state. Our people h*\e Ih-cii very careless in regard to this most important matter, and 1 here ami now call upon yot> ami urge all trustees to use their authority and the utmost diligence to prevent the employment of any such person. My fellow citizens, extravagance and its baneful influence has crept into every department of life. Homes, municipalities, counties, states and nations are suffering from its evil effect. There can be no justification for wastefulness under uny condition*. This is true of the individual and it is true of the state. The conditions confronting our state and people today demand the most careful study and the exercise of the profoundest statesmanship. There- are institutions of the state that are dear to our hearts und upon which our future progress and greatness depend, and these must Ik- protected. While on the other hand our people are face to face with tin- greatest financial losses and business depression that ha-> existed in our state for many years. Our tax burdens of the past ha\c been greater than many of our piop'e could bear without actual dis and unless we give some relief there must bo more extensive and even greater distress. I promised the people of South Carolina that if elected governor I would do all in my power to administer the government upon a more economical basis and that 1 would appeal to the leg is lature for co-operation in the adoption of >Ut h a policy. ' I am here, gentlemen, to redeem that pledge; 1 am here -to assist in cutting out the dead tim-j Dors, leaving only those that ar< ' functioning and that are necessary j departments of government. I prom-' iscd relief from commissions as far! as possible and a return to ^onstitu-j tional government and a rule of the j people. There can be no question of! the fact that there is overlapping of authority or duplication of departments. 1 hcr<- are commissions that should be abolished and there art ' others that should be consolidated.! If this is done there will be u great ' >nv.ng to the taxpayers of the state! and will effect a much needed refefrm- ! iition i: the government, and without! n any way impairing its efficiency.! AIxdish and Consolidate 1 urge you <? gi\v this important matter your prompt, earnest ami intelligent con< it-ration and that you unite with me to effect these reforms and give to tr.e people a more economical administration of the government. In carrying out my pledge* to tne people of South Carolina I sbal! urge you. gentlemen of the general assembly, to abolish the budget commission and place its duties upon the department of the government that performed the duties before its establishment. I shall ask you to abolish the board of public welfaie. i.e\u.\;ng the duties of the child plac! in* bureau upon the state board of health. I shall ask you to abolish the county game warden's office and devolve the duties upon the magistrates and constibles of the state. 1 shall call upon you to consolidate the warehouse commission with the department of agriculture, commerce and industries. 1 shall urge you to reorganize and thoroughly investigate the state highway department, abolish the automobile title law and place the sale of licenses, with the various counties. 1 shall most earnestly urge upon you the necessity of abolishing the tax commission and Conferring all necessary duties and powers of this department upon the constitutional office of the state treasurer and comptroller general. These, gentlemen, and other reforms that are righteous demands of the people of South Carolina, I shall submit to you by special messages and in no uncertain terms. I he subject of taxation is always one of the transcendent importance, and particularly is that true in South Carolina today. As, long as there is a necessity for government there must remain the necessity for taxes to support the government. As we must have government, and we are all agreed upon that question, then the only remaining question for solution is the amount of taxes necessary 9nd how to adjust the burden so as to cause it to rest evenly unon those who are to pay. The chief thought and purpose of our lawmaking bodies for the past several years appears to have been directed to the raising of revenue without the proper regards for the methods adopted or real necessity for the amount levied. \\ hat we need is a realization of our true condition, and to live and progress as these conditions wisely permit. We are not a poverty-stricken state?our people are virile, thrifty, intelligent and prot A jfrwaivt and no it?t? cau boast of mora steady activity and development in all departments of life than South Carolina. There is, however, a growing tendency to waatefulness, extravagance and the living ahead of our means, and if wo are to avoid the breakers this must be stopped. Kquatlzation of Taxes Let us, as the responsible heads of this government, direct our immediate attention to the udoption of methods that will place all taxable values upon the books and then equalize those values so that the burdens of taxation will rest evenly upon our people. As 1 interpret the sentiment of our people today, they do not object to the payment of taxes that are required for support of our worthy institutions and necessary departments, but they are determined that there shall be an elimination of those that are unnecessary and an economical administration uf those that remain. They demand a dollar's service for a dollar expended. They are determined that the burdens of taxation shall be more evenly apportioned and that property and wealth now escaping taxation shall be required to bear their just proportion of the taxes necessary to support the government under which they exist and from which they receive protection. I urge upon you, gentlemen of the gene'ial assembly, the necessity for j prompt action in submitting to thej people the question of amending the ; constitution so as to grant to your I bodies the power to classify property j so that 'he escaping millions of in- ; tangible values may be properly and justly assessed and that through this ' means you may be enabled to give South Carolina a more ju.st and equitable system of taxation. While we j have the machinery already provided j for a just assessment of all 'tangible property, glaring inequalities exist in every county and, in fact, every com-1 munity of the state. The govern- i mental machinery is all that is nee- | essary but it has become inefficient"; through improper operation. The responsibility for this failure is directly traceable to the legislative delegations from the several counties. Blame I'pon Legislators 1 The boards for the assessment of property are appointed by the governor upon the recommendation of the various legislative delegations, and the executive is in no way responsible. No man should he recommended for appointment to these responsible positions who is not in V V. H%' fitted to 1 hp 1 duties. The standard applied to those! appointed to these positions should ! be the same as that applied to other j positions of trust and responsibility? that of character and ability. I request and urge you to submit for appointment to these very responsible positions men who arc familiar with local conditions; who know the relative value of the property to be assessed and men who will perform I their duty. Our present system does i not provide sufficient time to do th;s work properly, neither does it provide j adequate pay for the c 'rvice that is to be rendered. 1 urge you to pro- | vide for both of these requirements. | With our county boards of assess ots composed of men who are capable j and fearless, with sufficient time pro-! vided by law for the proper performance of the work, and with adequate j pay for the service rendered, thep. muyh of the just cr ticisni against our tax system will ciase. Let make effective the machin-1 ery alreiuj\ provided for. the adjust-! men', of property values and tax bur | dens within the several counties an' then by the same process as between counties, and a great and much needed reform will have been affected. The movement for the revaluation ! of property of the state at 100 per , cent is the creature of those who j would place a greater share of the ! burden of taxation upon the homes and farms of the state. This is manifestly unjust and must not be permitted. The homes of the state are not revenue producing values, neither are a great percentage of our farm's. It is estimated by the government that 66 per cent of our farms do not pay one dollar's net return from their operation ami that 88 per cent are already mortgaged. Besides, in South Carolina more than 40 per cent of our farm lands are lying idle .and from these there is no return whatever. The 18,000,000 acrejr of farm lands in South Carolina, including the 40 per cent not cultivated, are assessed for taxation at $1 I per acre. This I average is already entirely too high and should he reduced. EvtTy effort should be used to develop our agricultural interests and bring into cultivation the. idle acreage rather than ;aAopt a policy that will further cripple and depress the greatest of our industries, and upon which all other departments of our great life are dependent for the blood that gives existence. The revaluation of the property of the state is an immense undertaking. It would involve an expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars. It would necessitate the creation of another department of government with j n army of offlc# holders and tax consumers. It would take several years to complete the work. It would disturb all business interests and create unrest everywhere; the result would be disastrous to our state as a whole. Unless there should bo twothirds of the legislature who favor this revaluation scheme, then it will be a useless consumption of valuable time and a waste of the hard-earned dollars of our taxpayers to undertake the adoption of such a policy at this sessions of the legislature. Soft Drink Tux 1 took the position in the recentcampaign that what is known as the soft drink tax was a creature of extravagance and 1 still hold to that position. There can be no justification of this tax except as an emergency, unless the state is to adopt the sales tux as a general policy of gov- J eminent. To this general method of taxation 1 am certainly unwilling to commit myself at this time. If it be found, after the exercise of rigid economy, that an emergency tax is necessary to protect the state and her institutions and to prevent* additional burdens upon our homes and farms then this tax should be levied upon those things that are regarded as least essential to our progress and j happiness. Hut in no case should a ; 20 per cent tax be levied for thi?i means confiscation and the imposition] of burdens greater than any line of j business can bear and live. If there is any period of our state's' history, except just before and during Reconstruction, in which there; has been a more general disregard j for law and its sacred majesty, then I am not conversant with it. It is useless, my fellow citizens, to discuss, the causes that have created this de- ! nlorable condition of affairs for we, ' j would only open up a source of end- j less debate. Nevertheless, 1 venture j to suggest that one of the funda- j mental reasons is to be found in the fact that men in high and responsible J positions, both in the state and nation,! are known to be lawbreakers them-! selves. Not only is this true in our state, it is true of all of them. How ! are we to expect observance of law if our law-makers are themselves vio-j lators; and how can we hope for re sped and sacred reverence. for law if ; it is to be enforced and construed 1 and administered by governors,; judges and solicitors who themselves | are law-breakers? The spirit of lawlessness is not i confined to South Carolina but isj prevalent throughout the nation, i "" "? M ...? G?n. John J. Ptrthinf, in a recent speech, referred to the unoeual condition of lawleeeneaa existing in our country today, and he added: "High handed criminals escape the law and go unpunished; officials elected by the people fail in the enforcement of the law. How long this will be continued depends entirely upon the people themselves. We may well^, be warned of our fate unless good citizens rise up "and demand a change." Solomon, the wisest of all meu, in the hook of Kcclesiastes, eighth chapter, 21st verse, has this to say: "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." . Remedy for Lawlessness There is a remedy, my fellow citizens, for the lawlessness that pervades our slate and country and 1 offer it in the language of Abraham Lincoln: "Let reverence for* the law be breathed by every American inothto to the lisping babe that pVattlea on her lap; let it be taught in the schools, in the seminaries, in the colleges; let it be* written in the "primer, spelling books and almanacs; let it be preached from theepulpit and proclaimed from the legislative hall, and enforced in the courts of justice; in shoit, let it become the political religion of Jthe nation." I pledge to South Carolina today not only an observance of the constitution of both our state and nation but 1 consecrate myself and administration to law observance and law enforcement, and I cull upon the legislature, our courts, our sheriffs, and all our citizens, both men and women, white and black, to unite with me in one great purpose and effort to place South Carolina upon a pedestal where she can be proclaimed by the world as a leader of righteousness a protector of the individual rights and liberties of her people, and where the law and its majesty are held sacred ujyi inviolate. In the campaign last summer, 1 had this to say of the Confederate soldier: "The truest and noblest type of our splendid citizenship is the Confederate soldier. The Confederate soldier and what he represents is dear to every Southern heart. But few of them remain and soon, too soon, they will all have crossed the river to answer the last roll call with Lee, Jackson und Hampton and there will be nothing left to us but sweet and hallowed memories. "It is a matter of great pride and gratification to me that throughout my entire public career i have done | what I could for thi?<:, heroes; that I have i*V(r deaf ear to their appeal^ ! other hand have urged *fcjh! intereate demanded that puree strings loosen and necessity be supplied. wt , too much for them, that we have done so ?ji, it shall be my proud dt,! r tf o in mend liberal auppoit! and every one of our (j! aoldiers, and who the, God grant that this may j*! fore it is forever too late." S Aid for < oiil. dtrj^fl I ash, 1 urge you, gently! general assembly ;o take t! eary action to d?-t< mine Zfl conditions and that you J not one of these heroes b*|g! fer but that every necessary?! be made for them. The tin*! While the questions that 1 cussed with you arc of vitJI tance to our state and ptgw! are many others mat tiq*^| permit to be considered tofojB I expect to treat thiougha^H !?agos to the legislature, they will br Kubm '.ted generally by the newspspsfl state. I am the first been given the honor sod di^| of a four years' tenure of oil governor by the stall- of South Carolina proud that this distinction r! in'- through a non-paiti&aahi^H is an expression of every riqj people.4 The confidence rep! me by the people of my ttm! a responsibility that ouldwt! but for the abiding faith tint! in tin- guiding hand and qfl grace of 'Almighty God. ! Upon y platform of pi! clearly enunciated and thoroqfl cussed throughout South (}ij! have been placed at the head! government. I appeal tyjgn,! men of the general assembly,! uphold my hands, that you co! with me in the i edemptkrc! pledges 1 have made. The*! are not mipe. alone; they ha! | indorsed by and are solemn! of the people of our state, l! people; do not be afraid toll! people. They are sovereign*! is the right to rule. I pleq! anew, the vpry best service I am capable and that I governor of our whole peqk^J united people. I '.rust richest blessings may attc-rd! that we, may be that hanny^J people whose God is the fun! romance! thriliA You Laugh,Gasp and Cr#~J |L when seeing the * , J Ik "Picture That Has Everything/1 The BIG PABADl KING VIDOR'S PICTUR.IZATION of LAURENCE STAlUNGS' STOW I DO NOT MISS John Gilbert in the most wonderful rote of his career Renee Adoree as Melisande thefarnrilfif The BIG PARADE to the front The BIG PARADE'S return The Three Immortal Buddies "JIM'-'BULi" iiw*? EXACTLY AS SHOWN IN THE PRE-StNT RECORD-BREAKING RUN IN NEW YORK CITY ACCOMPANYING MUSIC BY IAROE. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA M*TAO-GOLDWYN-MAYtR. PRODUCTION MAJESTIC THEATRE 1 One Day Only?Matinee and Night Monday, January 31st, 1927 i i I ?-M MAIL ORDERS NOW-Prices: Matitiee $1.20, Night $1.80, TaiB included. All Seats Reserved. Matinee 3 P. M., Night 8:1 5 P MB SPECIAL NOTICE?This is the road .how production carrying people, including a 14 piece orchestra. It's The Greatest Picture of All Time. . - ?? .?