The Bamberg herald. (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, January 10, 1901, SUPPLEMENT TO Bamberg Herald, Image 7
since its foundation over 7,000 have been received since 1875, while
3,900 have been admitted in the last decade. The admissions for
last year were 448, the largest annual number ever received. It
has long been claimed that the institution is imposed upon by the
class of patients sent to it. In other words, that the benefaction of
the State is abused. In response to the question what classes of
persons are admitted to the Hospital, the Regents state that "By
the original law of 1828, idiots, lunatics and epileptics, and to these
have been added inebriates and the criminal insane by legal provision,
while an elastic interpretation of existing statutes has gradually
included all the undesirable elements of our communities: imbeciles.
incorrigibles, waifs, the blind, and many aged persons?
dotards, who properly belong to county almshouses." This statement
explains in some degree the rapid growth in the population
of the Hospital in the last twenty-five years. So that, properly
interpreted, these appalling figures do not necessarily imply such
an enormous increase of cases of acute insanity in our midst. The
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that recently occurring cases of lunacy are not increasing in our
State out of proportion to the increase of population. A final
analysis of the figures presented shows that about one person per
thousand of our population annually becomes a patient in the Insane
Hospital, and that the cost of the support of such patients is
about $100 per capita per year.
In my last message I suggested that measures be taken by the
General Assembly looking to the erection of Poor Houses in those
Counties which had not provided them, and towards the improvement
of those already existing.
The financial management of the Hospital, through the oversight
and efficiency of Mr. J. W. Bunch, the treasurer, is its best feature,
and will be the subject of a special report of a committee appointed
by the General Assembly. During the past year the per capita has
remained substantially the same as for several years.
Upon a business basis the Regents of the Hospital ask for appropriations
for these specific purposes and amounts:
Maintenance. $100,000
Improvements and Repairs 10,000
Payment of Wallace debt 4,120
Regents Account. 1,200
1
$115,320
I also take pleasure in commending the earnestness and efficiency
of Dr. J. W. Babcock, the Superintendent of this Institution.
THE STATE PENITENTIARY.
The annual report of the Board of Directors and Superintendent
of the Penitentiary shows a most gratifying condition of affairs at
this institution. While no money will be covered into the State
Treasury this year, yet permanent improvements have been made
out of the net earnings amounting, in round numbers, to $20,000,
and there is still a cash balance on hand for current expenses of
, ?about $5,000. In addition to this, the farms have yielded corn and
provisions sufficient to run the institution until the next crop is har
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vwttu. JL lie liumuei. \J 1 ev^ll V1CIO iv^uiauid JJI ovuvauj viiv ^ou?v
- ' one year ago. A modern prison, which was very much needed, is
Hearing completion, within the walls of the Penitentiary, at a cost of
$14,500. In addition to being a safe prison, it is built with a view
to the health and comfort of the prisoners, and will be paid for out
of the net earnings of the Penitentiary during the past year. At the
last session of the Legislature provision was made for the erection
of a Reformatory for youthful criminals. A neat and substantial
frame structure for this purpose has been erected on the Lexington
farm, in which will be kept all prisoners under 16 years of age.
While it will be the purpose of the Superintendent to furnish them
instruction in morals and, if possible, make better citizens of them
when they are released, yet they will be required to labor as
other prisoners, but will be kept entirely separate from the older
and more hardened criminals. At present there are only fourteen
prisoners under 16 years of age, and these are all negroes.
A good many needed and permanent improvements have also
been made on the State farms, and everything there is now in good
condition. There has been some discussion in regard to the advisability
of the State owning and operating farms. A careful and
thoughtful investigation of the subject, I am sure, will convince you
that it would not be good business judgment to dispose of these
farms. It requires only 140 convicts to operate the farms, and in
this way corn and provisions and other things necessary for the
support of the convicts are made at less expense than chcy could
be purchased. It is argued by some that these convicts could be
worked upon the public roads. I am as heartily in favor of anything
that would give us good roads as anyone, but I do not see how the
State could undertake this work except through the Counties. It
would be a good plan if those counties in which chaingangs are
maintained would so arrange as to secure enough prisoners from the
State to keep up a good chaingang force all the time. From the
best information available, and from those who have had experience
with chaingangs, it is not profitable, even to the County, to maintain
a chaingang when the number falls below fifteen. In most of
the counties the average is below that number. The farming out of
convicts to individuals should be discontinued. If this were done
if wniild rail in at: rnnvirtc wlin arr nmv hirrd nut tn individuals
and that number put on the roads in the various counties in the
State where chaingangs are maintained would in a few years greatly
improve our public roads and at the same time not interfere with
the State farms. The present system of chaingangs in most of the
Counties is a very expensive luxury, but by the Counties hiring a
sufficient number of convicts from the State, as suggested above, we
could very soon have in those Counties a good system of public
roads, and nothing could be (done that would add more to the comfort
and convenience and saving to the people who live in the rural
districts. A system of good roads would do very much to stop the
flow of population from the country to the towns. The Counties
could not spend the public money more wisely, or with greater
benefit to the public, than by maintaining a good chaingang in each
County on permanent road building. Good roads would bring
churches, and schools, and towns closer to every country home, in
addition to the saving which would result from the wear and tear
upon stock and vehicles, and upon the people themselves. And this
can be done by wise legislation without interfering in the least with
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uiv. iiiatiu^vuivxu ui iiiuiiuviiaiivv v/i vn\- ^tuwv *v*i * ww?v?**n, **v. >,
with a statement showing the operations of the State Penitentiary
for the past year.
CONVICT STATEMENT.
Prisoners in confinement December 31, 1899 Soi
From Courts since that date 246
Recaptured n? 257
1,058
Discharged 187
Pardoned 1 24
Escaped 22
Killed while trying to escape 1
Died 29? 263
In prison December 31, 1900....... ......... .... ............ .. -795.
(
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FINANCES.
Balance cash on hand Dec. 31, 1899 $ 9.886.67
Total receipts for 1900 65,926.36? $75,813.03
Total disbursements for 1900 71,879.91
Cash on hand December 31, 1900 $ 3.933-12
To this should be added 328 bales cotton 13,120.00
Due for oats and convict hire 2,962.00
$20,015.12
Spent for Improvements?
New prison $14,649.00
Less amount still due contractor 5,202.45
9 y,44^00
Reformatory 1,000.00
Artesian wells 1,220.00
Barn 2,000.00
Gravel roof Hosiery Mill 450.00
New boiler, etc 1,100.00
Recovering guards' quarters 110.00
Mowers, binders, mules, etc 1,142.00
$16,468.55
This amount is included in the total disbursements above mentioned,
and when added to the cash assets above named shows a net.
earning of the institution for the past year of $36,483.67, and this
does not include the corn and other material on hand and grown on
the farm the past year for the maintenance of the institution this
year, and neither is it included in the item of total receipts. In fact,
the figures here given show the total receipts to have been
$82,008.36. I congratulate you on the excellent management of this
institution.
TMQTTTTTTTnv fht? TT4F FDTirATION OF THE DEAF
AND THE BLIND.
The Fifty-second Annual Report of the South Carolina Institution
for the Education of the Deaf and the Blind shows an average attendance
of 157 pupils, which is the largest in the history of the
School. Thirty-six Counties are represented. The expenditures
have been kept within the appropriation. The per capita cost remains
about the same. The building for colored pupils, for which
the Legislature made an appropriation at the last session, is in
process of erection, and will be ready for occupancy by the beginning
of the next school term. The Superintendent will ask for
an appropriation of $20,000 for support and $20,000 for the erection
of a school building and $4,500 for other improvements and repairs
which are needed. The appropriation for support which is asked
this year is the same as was made by the last Legislature, and the
Superintendent says that the institution cannot be run on a less
amount with the present number of pupils. In his annual report
it is stated, "The time has come in the history of the institution
when it will be necessary to limit the number of pupils admitted or
to arrange for the accommodation of a greater number." The new
building which it is proposed to erect for the sum of $20,000 is for
recitation rooms, with a chapel, or auditorium. The Constitution
says: "Institutions for the care of the insane, blind, deaf and dumb
and the poor shall always be fostered and supported by this State."
It is for you to determine whether or not provision shall be made
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lor tne llicrcascu lllimuu Ui Ultat uutui luimivj iuiu I*' ^ ? mission
to this institution. For a detailed statement of the work
and needs of the institution you are respectfully referred to the
report of the superintendent.
TAXATION.
Government has no right to take more from the people than is
absolutely necessary fpr a,wise and economical administration of the
affairs of the State, and it should be so taken that the burden will
bear evenly on all property. It is the duty of every citizen to contribute
his portion to the support of the government in proportion
to his ability. This is the standard laid down in our Constitution.
That taxation does not bear evenly upon all property is patent to
every thoughtful person. If you can in your wisdom devise any
plan by which the assessment of property for taxation can be more
equitably made and all the property of the State can be placed on the
tax books you will have contributed much to lighten the burden on
that class of property which in its nature cannot escape taxation.
In some of the States tax inquisitors are provided to discover
property that is omitted from the tax list. There is no doubt that a
great deal of property escapes taxation which should be on the
books and made to bear its portion of the burden, and some plan
should be devised by which this property can be reached. Missouri
has adopted a law which provides for the taxation of mortgages, and
the man who owns the property has it assessed at the value of the
property, less the value of the mortgage, and the owner of the
mortgage is required to pay tax upon the value of his mortgage.
Some such provision in our laws would be just and equitable, for it
is not right for the owner of the property to pay taxes upon the full
- ** ? ?> ,r .
value when in reality his ownership is only the value ot tne property
less the value of the mortgage. It would not be right to tax the
property at its full value and then tax the mortgage, for that would
be paying taxes upon the same property twice.
This question of taxation is worthy of your attention, for it is one
of vital importance to all of our people.
RAILROADS.
The Twenty-second Annual Report of the Board of Railroad
Commissioners contains a very full exhibit of the operations of the
roads within the State for the past fiscal year.
An examination of the report will familiarize you with the
duties of this very important department of our State government.
You will doubtless be gratified to note that the genera!
prosperity of the year has benefited the railroad interest, and
that the roads as a whole are in good condition, both materially and
financially.
There is a gradual improvement in the roadways; the trestles and
bridges have been strengthened, as required by the increased capacity
of the rolling stock and the large increase of the tonnage. There
has been considerable improvement in the depot accommodations,
some new ones constructed, and many old ones repaired. There has
been constructed and received tor public Dusmess since tne lasi report
about 200 miles of new road within the State. The gross earnings
of the roads have about reached the $10,000,000 mark. The
entire operating expenses and taxes amount to about $7,000,000?
leaving a balance with which, in a large measure, to liquidate the
interest on the bonded indebtedness. Some few roads have paid a
small dividend on their stock.
The report shows some of the vexed questions that were brought
to the attention of the Board, and a full statement is made of the
disposition of the same, demonstrating the fact that the Commission
has endeavored to adjust all differences between the public and the
roads in a just and reasonable manner. The prosperity of the railroads
of a State is a good index to the general prosperity of the
people.
PENSIONS.
For several years the State has been doing what she could for the
few remaining old .Confederate soldiers ^nd the widows of soldiers
who are in need of its aid. It should be a matter of congratulation
\ ?
to every patriotic son that we have been able io do what we have,
and a source of regret that wc are not able to do more. The trouble
with our pension laws is the tendency to abuse them, and in many
cases those who are really deserving go without the assistance they
need, and to which they are entitled: but better that a hundred who
are not entitled to it should receive aid than that one deserving old
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soiaier snouiu suner m nis uiu age iur me want ui suui
State and the people he served so well are justly due him.
At the last session of the Legislature a new pension law was enacted,
which has not yet been tested. The new law is intended
to reduce the number of pensioners now 011 the roll, and to have on
the list only those who are worthy, and to give them a sum sufficient
to be a real help to them. In order to carry out the purpose of this
law a new set of blanks have been sent out, and the roll for this year
will be completely revised. In view of this fact, it would be well to
give the present pension law a fair trial, and to make such an appropriation
for the old soldiers as the General Assembly may in its
wisdom feel that the State is able to spend for this purpose. Last
year the appropriation was $100,000, and there were on the pay-roll
7,707 pensioners, of whom 4,575 were soldiers and 3,132 were
widows of soldiers. I recommend that there be no reduction in the
appropriation for this worthy cause.
STATE MILITIA.
During my administration several occasions have arisen in which
the civil authorities have called upon me as Commander-in-Chief for
the assistance of the Militia to preserve the peace and avert riot and
bloodshed in the State. In each and every case the volunteer troops
have responded to my orders with alacrity and enthusiasm, and in
every instance, by their promptness and coolness, law and order were
enforced without loss of life or property. In the recent threatened
riot at Georgetown, caused by the killing of an officer in the discharge
of his duty, by a negro, it is attested by Mayor Morgan and
the best citizens of that city that but for the timely presence of the
volunteer troops the civil authorities would have been overwhelmed,
and the city reduced to riot and bloodshed, and probably destruction
of property. With the rapid progress the State is making?the centreing
of populous industrial activities here and there all over the
State?the ever present problem of another distinct race in our midst
may warn us that we are ever liable to such occurrences as the
Georgetown riot, and to meet such conditions, and to protect the
lives and property of our citizens, the State has no other appeal, no
other means so adequate or reliable, nothing else so satisfying to the
people as the presence of a well organized, thoroughly equipped
body of soldiers. Therefore, if the Militia is a necessity when calamity
threatens the peace and good order; of society it is the bounden
duty of the State to make liberal provision in the line of wise
economy to foster and maintain it, for under the genius of our
cvsf-pm nf o-nvprnment the Militia, or citizen soldierv. is, and must
always remain, the court of last resort in the maintenance and enforcement
of law and order. Aside from my personal knowledge and
observation, as Commander-in-Chief, it gives me pleasure to note the
expressions of satisfaction that constantly reach me in praise of the
progress and improvement of our Militia system under the able control
and direction of that department, and I do not hesitate in advising
the General Assembly to provide as liberally as our means will
allow for the maintenance and advancement of the Militia, feeling, as
I do, that every dollar appropriated will be wisely and economically
disbursed in the interest and steady improvement of the service. I
respectfully refer you to the Adjutant General's report, which covers
in detail the entire operations of the Adjutant General's Department
for the last fiscal year in a most satisfactory manner.
CHICKAMAUGA BATTLEFIELD. . '
At the last session of the Legislature $10,000 was appropriated for
the purpose of erecting a monument to the South Carolina soldiers
on the Chickamauga Battlefield. The Governor was authorized to
appoint a Commission, consisting of three Confederate soldiers, with
the Governor as Chairman, to have charge of the erection of this
monument. I appointed as members of that Commission Gen. C. I.
Walker, Col. J. Harvey Wilson, Capt. C. K. Henderson. The Com- ' .
mission visited the battlefield and selected the location of the various
markers, designating the positions of the South Carolina troops.
They also selected the location for the large monument for all South
Carolinians who fought and who fell on that historic battlefield.
The Commission called for designs and bids. Several plans and
bids were submitted, and, after carefully considering all of them, the
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S. C., as their designs impressed the commission as the most suitable,
and they also offered to do the work at the lowest price. The
total cost for markers and pavement around the monument, and for
the monument itself, is $9,450. The work on the markers has been
done, and that on the monument is nearly completed. The monument
is 32 feet high, and will be a handsome shaft, made of South
Carolina granite, surmounted by a bronze palmetto tree emblematic
of our State, and flanked on two sides by two bronze statues, each of
a Confederate infantryman and artilleryman, these figures representing
the only arms of the service from South Carolina on that battlefield.
It is proposed to unveil the monument in July, 1901, that being the
time of the reunion of the United Confederate Veterans at Memphis,
Tenn. This time has been selected so that many veterans and our
people generally may have an opportunity of attending the ceremonies
while on their way to the United Confederate Veterans' Reunion,
and thus be able to secure the advantages of the low rates of
fare given on that occasion.
The Commission feels that it would be very appropriate for the
entire Legislature to be present at the dedication of this memorial
which they have caused to be erected to the gallant sons of the State
who on this sacred spot offered their lives with distinguished gal1
t r 11
lantry for their beloved country, ine spot seiectea ior inc muuument
is one held by the intrepid courage of the brave men of Kershaw's
Brigade as they victoriously swept toward Snodgrass Range,
and every marker shows the spot where South Carolina valor was
displayed.
THE BLACK REPORT.
In my last Annual Message to the Legislature I called attention to
the importance 01 securing the report made by Mr. John A. Black to
the Legislature in 1858 in regard to the claim of the State against the
General Government on account of the Revolutionary War, and suggested
the importance of provision being made for search for this
report, which was supposed to be in one of the old rubbish rooms of
the State House. The Legislature made an appropriation and directed
the Governor and the State Treasurer to employ some one to
go thrpugh this rubbish room to see if this report could be found.
The report was unearthed amongst this old rubbish and has been
forwarded to Senator Tillman along with other papers and documents
bearing on this subject. I will submit to you a Special Message
covering this matter.
SPECIAL COURTS.
At the last session of the General Assembly there was an Act
passed providing for Special Courts, and stating how they should be
obtained, and also fixing the salary of the special judge. In fixing
this salary, however, the General Assembly failed to provide any
fund out of .which it should be gaid.^Durjug the ?sst IQVIC
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