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-" 44 E EOPLE'S J VOL. 6.---NO. 2. PICKENS, S C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, )6. ONE DOLLAR A UAR. form of registration certificate and the proviolons of the statute now of force regulating the same, expunging such provisions as conflict with the new constitution which will readily pre sent themselves to you. This, how over, is a matter for your own good judgment and wisdom. Any person donied registration shall have the right of appeal to the court of common pleas or any judge thereof, and thence to the supremo court. It is made your duty to provide by law foe such appeal and for the correction of illegal and fradulent registration, voting and all other crimes against the election laws. I would suggest that as little rel tapo as possible be placed around this right of appeal and that you shall amply provide against defeatingfit by technI calities. There should be also as little expense attached to the right as pos sible. Under the provisions govern ing this right of appeal to the supreme court now existing in civil cases I fear very few cases of denied registration would ever reach this stage if the same were made applicable. The persons complaining in such cases must necessarily be of the poorer and loss intelligent classes, but this is a sacred right under our form of government and., they are entitled to every test allowed under the constitution con sistent with the rule of intelligenco withoutpnnecessary hardship or ex pense. The severest punishment should be prescribed by your honor able body for frauds in registration or voting. There was a time when the ende would seem to justify the means in this particular, but the necessity no longer exists an I the day is past when anything but the will of the intelli gent majority freely and honestly ex pressed at the ballot box can govern in South Carolina. Certain persons convicted of crime, the insane, etc., are disqualified from registering or voting. I would re spectfully recommend thatyou provide for a list of all criminals in each county to be filed in the office of 'the super visor of registration and also with the clerk of the court in order that they may be forever barred of the privilege of registering or voting. It is incumbent upon you to pro. cribe the manner of holding elections and of ascertaining tihe results of the same. There is no nocessity for any change at this time in our law in thi s particular. Our people are accustom ed to the eight box law and thero can be no just or valid objection to the manner of obtaining the results of elections. We have been served with notice that this article of our consti tution would be tested before the United States supreme couft and while I have no fears as to the result and am fully convinced of its constitutionality, still should another Goff come along whose "inclinations made it his duty" to set aside our ,registration the day before election, in such an emergency, our eight box law would be some pro tection. I, therefore, would respect fully recommend that you leave this statute as it stands and in future when our status is thoroughly settled such action can be taken as may be deemed expedient. The polling precints of the State must be changed so as to make every incorporated town a sopar ate polling precinct. This is neces sary for the following reason : Section 12 of Article II provides that electors in municipal electiona shall possess the qualifications and be subject to the disqualifications herein prescribed. The production of a cortilicate of rog istration from the registration oficers of the county as an elector at a pre cinct included in the incorporated city or town in which the voter desires to vote is declared a condition requisito to his obtaining a certificate of regis tration for municipal elections, etc." There are many incorporated towns in the State that do not include polling prcincts but are included with such procints. It is, therefore, necessary to have such towns included in such a p recint in order for the electors there in to vote in municip~al elections. You are also required to provide for the registration of electors in municipali ties but this should be done in your general law for such corporations and as near uniform with that prescribed for State electors as practicable. IKGmI'LTI ICPARTMICNT. The sessions of your honorable body have been changed to the second Tuesday in January, with am time limit of forty days. This ihitio does not apply to the firsbt four sosions under the new constitution. I trust, however, you wvill consider the burdens placed upon the taxpayers by the pro longed session of the convention, and will not attempt to enact all the legis lation required by the constitution at this session, but only so much as may be urgent and necessary. Tihcre lb a great deal that may be continuco t~o another session of your homnorable body, but I feel that this will immpress. itself upon you without further~ com mont from me. Much time may be saved by chang ing the rule of your .body which re qluires that every bill or joint resolution shall be read in full on its third recad lng. The present constitution allows you to road such by their titled oni the li-st and third readings. All elections by your honorable body are now required to be viva voco and the votes entered upon the Journal of the House to which tihe members re spectively belong. You arc expressly forbidden to enact local or special laws upon tile follow ing subjects: 1. To chlange the names of persons or places. I woulId resp~ectf ully recomnmend that this p)ower be vesteod In tihe court of commnon lelas, to be done upon petition of the person or peOrsons in terested. 2. T(, lay out, open or work roads or hispowor.is now vested in the county board of commissioners, and no additional legislation is required. 3. To incorporate cities, towns, vil lages or change, amend or extend the charters thereof. 4. To incorporate educational, roli gious, charitable, social, manufactur ngobaking institutions not under the control of the State to amend or extend the charters thereof. These are all covered by statutes, wIth the possible exception of bank ing institutions. With a slight amend ment to the general banking act re quiring the secretary of State to issue chartes upon tea same termsas o other industrial corporations the lal9 will be complete. 5. To incorporate district schools. This Is covered by statute. 6. To authorize the adoption 01 legitimation of children. This power should be vested in the probate judge, who is the public guar dian. 7. To provide for the protection o game. This is covered by general statute. 8. To provide for tho ago at whici citizens shall be subject to road or public duty. This is fully covered by statute. 9. To fix the amount of compensa tion to be paid to any county oficor, etc. This will require an act to grade the salaries of the county ofticors accord. ing to the proportion of poulation and the necessary service required. Some are now on salaries and some on fees. The constitution contum plates all to be on an equal footing. " In all cases where a general law can be made applicable, no special law shall be enacted." Let me commend this section to y our careful consideration. If you heed it, there is no reason why your doliberations should be prolonged beyond the heretofore ordinary session. The curse of the State has been special legislation. It is your duty to enact laws limit ing the number of acres of land which any alien or any corporation controlled by aliens may own within this State. I have recently visited the coast sec tion of our State and its fertility and susceptibility of improvement by drain age surprised and astonished me. It is as fertile as the valley of the Nile, the soil in soine places being five feet in depth. As our State incicases in wealth and population this section is bound to be the garden spot of thc country. The demoralization and paralysis of Onergy caused by the re suilts of the wai' drove the owners of these plantations to the cities and other States to engagre in other pur suits, arAd they have been abandoned to the deer and wild turkey and frec negro, only to be bought up, however, and converted into hunting preserves by rich capitalists of the North, wh< now grow fat upon our misfortunes Over one hundred thousand acres of these rich lands are now owned by hunting clubs of foreign citizons with not an acre under cultivation. If this is to continue these preserves should be taxed in ptoportion to their ability to produce crops and not deer and wild game. If a millionaire buys a rall road and converts it to the sole use o transporting himself and friends with out revenue, the State would continu< to tax it upon its truc value to the pub lic, and so it should be with the gami preserve. If It amounts to breakinj them up, well and good, the Stat< loses nothing, but, on the contrary re claims what belongs to her industriou: citizen : a home and fertile fields. trust this provision of the constitutioi will be thoroughly enforced by suit able legislation. EXICUTIVE DMPARTMENT. It is within your province to provid< the executive with a board of pardons to whom the Governor may rofer every petition for pardon. which board shal. hear all such petitlong,* under such rules and rogulations as the general assembly may provide. The Governor may adopt such re commendations or reject them; but in case of rejection he shall present his reasons to the general assembly. As you will observe, there is nothing com pulsory in the matter, and, after all, the entire responsibility is placed up on the Governor. I can see no use, therefore, for such a board. But the matter is loft entirely to your wisdom and good judgment. If a b.oar'd is pro vided, allow mue to suggest that it he composed of outside citizeins, and not oflice-h:older-s aind pol1iticiaens, who may p~ossibly have "axes to grind." The supr-eme cour-t of the State will hereafter consist of a chief justico and three associateo jus'Les. This wvill necessitate the election by you at this session of an additional associate justice. I would suggest that this election ho held as soonm as practicable, as the cour-t is now in session and the services of the justice are required. I have found in mty experience with the legislatur-e that elections ar~e the greatest d rawbaecks to expe)ditioln in you r wvorkl, and I would respectfully r-ecommenid that all of your elections lbe had dur-ing thme firist week of the sess IOn. Thel( consititultion has aulso pro(v ided another' appellate trf iunal for tihe do0 termi nation of grave conit~~utional questions, consisting of the umemnbers of the supremie court and 'he rcircuit judlges, It will be mi-een-. Mnr you to providle mi:'un for- the 1-,ynmnt of the exprenses of the drec 't j 'lgtes when called to site ini t' as oplate court. It would he utnjuiot to maike them pay their own expenses. I woul suggest that the Gov'ernor's continl tient, funa be incr'eased to an amount suflicient iin your judgment 1,) mobet this additionam 'mne.nsr ..d that the Governor be authorized to pay the same therefi-om. This lk the law now as to judges who sit upoin the supreme court when one of the justices is dis qunaliflied from any cause. Tihe ieollc have a right in future to expect al appleals to lbe speedily boaird and dc. ter~mined. A widic discretion is allow ed youi' honorable body foi prmovidling~ courts for time speedy admuinistraitior of justice. The law's delay has beer a trite phrase for cenutur-ics, and I trusit you will find seine plan for af fording tihe peolo relief from th< heavy burdons nf court, expenises oc' casioned by the continumation of causes which often amnounts to ai donfial 0 justice and brings the courts into die rep~ute. Them-o is a general demant foir relief, and there are only two dloora open1 for you undler the constitution t< wit: the estabilishmont of county court or' an increaso in the numnbei- of circui judges. TIhore seems to hn g'reat op position to the fornmor in many of thu counties on the grounds of expensi and the great number of ofllces necos sary to b)0 creCated upon their eistalish mont. My judgment is that an in crease of the circuit judges to tel would alfor-d ample relief and give al the time required to dispatch the busi ness of the several counties. Thi would reqiure a like increnso in thi number of solicitoi's. The additionai ex pense to each county woul 1b4 *222.22 nne annum, and I am satisli Gentlemen of the General Assembly : The past year has been a momen tous one in the history of South Caro lina. Much has been done to the glory and renown of the State, much has been done that might well have been left undone. For the first time since 1868, your deliberations will be governed by an organic law framed by our own people. Under the act passed by your honor able body calling and providing for a constitutional convention, delegates were duly elected by the people and the convention assembled on the 10th day of September and adjourned on the 4th day of December, A. D. 1895, having framed the present constitution which went into effect on January 1st, 1896. I deem it unnecessary to give you more than a cursory review of the of forts made by a few white men and the negroes to defeat the holding of this convention and but for the sake of his tory I should not do so at all. After the primary elections for State and county officers last summer, an ac tion was brought by Matthew C. But ler, ex United States Senator, against W. T. C. Bates and W. H. Elierbe, State treasurer and comptroller gen eral, respectively, to enjoin the pay ment of the salaries due to the super visors of registration of the State upon the ground that our election laws were unconstitutional, null and void. The result was a victory for the State but the decision not coming in time to suit the plaintiffs, a now attack was taken and a case made against the supervisor of Richlad county. A ready tool was found in United States Circuit Judge Goff, Republican, from West Virginia, and one to use his own wards who felt that " duty mingled with inclination " compelled him to declare our registration laws unconstitutional and to enjoin the of ficers from executing them. While this crisis confronted us I felt impelled to issue an address to the people of the State preparing them for the issues that might confront us and I had no fears of their ability to meet them. In this address I gave pon portraits of the judges and their co-conspirators and it is unnecessary to portray them here. Fortunately, we were enabled to ap peal to the United States circuit court of appeals, in time to revorso Judges Goff and Simonton and conduct our eleution for delegates under the regis tration laws, now of force. In this connection, I desire to express my high appreciation of the ability dis played by the attorney general and the valuable assistant serviues of Messrs. Mcrady, Barnwell and Mower. These gentlemen voluntarily offered their service.s to the State In overthrowing the tyranny of Judge Goff, but I was unwilling to accept them gratis and upon the request of the attorney general I retained Messrs. McCrady and Mower to assist in the manage ment of the cases. I trust that your honorable body will grant them such remuneration as you way think just and equitable. In spite of all tTorts to defeat its ef forts, our convention has met and ad journed and given us a good constitu tion and we can well afford to let by gones be bygones and deal with ,the present as we find it. Many changes have been made in our system of government and I feel it my duty to point out to you the most important, as I deem them, for your immediate consideration and suggest the legislation required of you to make them effective. RIGHT OF SUFF.AG1E. The most important article com manding your attention is that of the ' Right of Suffrage." This matter should be given the right of way and let it be the first law enacted by your honorable body. There are many rea sons for this : First, the people are anxious to know how and when the right to register is to be had, and see onC', it is of vital importance that a full registration of electors should he had before the next'generni election. The requirements of the constitution are " residence in the State two years, in the county one year and in the poll ing precinct in which the elector otfers to vote four months and the payment six months before any election of any poll tax then due and payable. Min isters of the Gospel and school teach era are entitled to vote after- six months' residence in the State." (b) Registration which shall pr vide for the enrollment of every elec tor once in ten years'and also an en rollment during each and every year of every elector not previously regis tered. (c) All male persons of voting ago applying for registration who can read any section of the constitution sub mitted to them by the registration of ficers or understand and explain it when read to them. These are the requirements up to January, 1898. A fter this time a per son applying for registration if other wise qualified must be able to both read and write any section of the con stitution submitted to himuby the reg istration officer or can show that. he~ owns and has paid all taxes collectible during the previous year on property in the State assessed at threo hund red (*300) dollars or more. The payment of all taxes, including poll tax, is a pre-requisite to voting. It will readily appear to you that different legislation is required for the period op to January, 18u8, from that thereafter. I would su~gest, however, to your honorable body that all the p revisions of the constitution and your legislation in reference thereto be comprised in one statute as it is ex ceedingly desirable that it should be thoroughly circulated among the citizens of the State. Designing de magogues are already at work filling the ears and heads of confiding con stituents with false impressions non-~ cerning the provisions of the comstitu tion, andthere Is no safer plan to set at naught such fasehoods than by allowv ing the people t. see and r'ead for~ themselves. 1t Is your duty to provide for the is suing to each duly registered elector a certificate of registration and for the renewal thereof when lost, mutilated or destroyed. I am satified ,vou can do no better than to adopt '1,e old the saving in jail fees and witness fees alone would pay this ton-fold. In the i county of Aiken six months intervene betwoen the fall and spring terms of the court and prisoners who cannot give bail are required to languish in jail at the expense of the county for this period and often longer. I have no doubt the same is the caso in other counties. The courts cannot sit longer than two wooks at more than one term during the year, and often adjourn before the jails are dolivored. I re spectfully ask that you give this mattor your careful consideration. Magistrates are provided for, in place of tile old trial justices, wIth I salarics in lieu of fees, to he fixed by your honorable body. Their juriadic tion is defined in civil and criminal cases, and this devolves upon you the duty of providing for their appoint mont and to determine the cases in which they shall exercise jurisdiction within constitutional limits. I would suggest that any legislation as to the salaries of magistrates be made to take effect after the terms of the pro sont trial justices expire, which will be in December next. It 1s your duty to ' provide for the interchange of circuits V of the circuit judges. JURISPUIUDENCE. It will be necessary to provide for a %q change of venue in civil and criminal t cases over which the circuit courts 0 havo jurisdiction and in which, under the constitution, such changies can be y made. This requires your attention - at this session, as it ail'ects the adiin- e istration of justice. it is also mado t incumbent upon your honorable body 1 at this session to provido for the ap- t pointmont or election of a commission- E or, whose duty it shall be to collect dI and revise all the geneiral statute laws c which may be passod from timo to 1 time, and also to reduce into a syste- t matic code the generally civil statutes, j inclnding the code of civil procedure, I with all amendments thereto. The c terni of office would seem to b necos- t sarily ten years, but th is ib lift entirely r to your own judgment aftcr reading i the section. You are required to provide by log- H islation for the punishment of any of1- t cer, State, county or municipal, and f for his removal from ollice, from whom a person In his lawful custody has I been seized or taken through his neg ligence, permission or connivance, by a mob or other unlawful assemblage of persons, and who has sulfored bodily violence or death, and also to provido I for the maintenance of a civil action for damages against the county in c cuses of lynching when death ensues, and further foi- an action by the county for the damages against the I parties engaged in the lynching. I It is a matter of gratilication to the 1 people of the State that the constitu- I tional convention, in no uncertain terms, reprobated and condemned this 1 pernilous practice. There have oc curred during the past year four cases of lynching within the State, and not one has been for the crime generally regarded as justifying such action. 'This should convince any mind that if lynching is to be condoned and tacitly encouraged for any crime, like a loath some disease, it will sproad over the entire category of crime when a dozen or more fronzied persons feel that justice has miscarried, until anarchy prevails and our republican form of government is destroyed. The failure to punish this class of offenders is not the fault of the Executive. In each and every caso I have exhausted every 1 means in my power to apprehend the N guilty parties, and have employed special detectives to ferrot out the crime, but iu vain. Thecitizens in tihe neighborhood invariably condemn the t ofenders. but never inform or assist t the oflicers of te 4'law in punishing . them. It is to be0 hoped that auch log- gi islation wvill be enactedl by you as will b: prevent in future the repoition, of suchl barlbarious practices. 1 fear, however, a aiothiing short of the loss of the oflioial i hleads of the ollicers permlittinlg lynch- t, ing will over puLt an end to it. Thor"- is a provision in the constitu- k. tion thlat all laws inco.nsisteut with it shall cease after its adoption, exepJt c that all lawvs whlich are inconlsistent with such provisions as reqluire legis lation to enforce them shall remain int force untiL such legislation is had. Itc will be necessary, therefore, for the I General Assembly to repeal all lawsr inconsistent with tihe provisionis of the constitution, or to so alter thoso nowc in force as to make them conmform to I the constitution. it, will ho impmossible for. me to direct attunt-ion to aiid such't laws, andl I have ino (JoIt Ii eb"rs (of your honorable body w, 1w br all such to your attention by bill or other wise. C~OUNTY AND) (COUNTY~ GIOVJItNMNT Ni. I You are given the power to f' r m necw coun tics undler "'-y inany restric tionx; and you shioul ]p-o vide for the holding and~ cond~uct of oletion~s. the aplpontment andi pay mnt of the, va- I rious officers for conuucting the same, I and other muatters in reference to tile formation of new counties which I doem unnecessary to poiint out to yeou,i as the article is aimost complete wvi th- 1 in itself without legislation except r such as I have saxgestedl. No pr-opo- I sitioni for tile formxation of now couna ties, at this session, can ho considered Il b~y you, as the provisions canm not be comliecd with.. t It Is necessary to pr-oviade for the aisessmnent of property in tihe new I county of Saluda for the pr(osent fiscal year and for the collection of taxes 1 when ;1ssessed.c MUJNicii'r ( COlti'ORA TIONS A NI Dl'- c IGi'E ItlJUATlONS. Ihereafter the General Assembly can only create municipailities5 under01 gen eral lIaws. Tile power of each class 1 should be dlelined so that no~ such cxor- 4 poration shall have any p~owvers or b)0 I subject to any restrictions othier than 1 all corporations of the samoc class. There are upon the statute books1 two Acts relating to this subject, one for- the incorpor'ation of towns of lessi than one thousand inhabitants and one for tile incorporation of those of more than one thiousandl inhabitants. These Acts cover all hat is necessary, and with tile changes as to bonding elections before organization, the qjualitications of sulh age and tile in hibitlin as to ilquori licenses ats pro - scrihedl in tile constituitioni, they will be coinplote. I wouldl~ suggest that they >make it the duty of the Secretary of I State to issuo 'all such charters and e mpower him to order the election I rcnunirna by the constition before the )rganization can be had, as it Is do dirable that all niattors connected with Oharters 4hould issuo from his office. COitPOlI A'TIONS. Tho term cor oration its Included in ,his Article of the constitutioni in iludes all associations of joint stock ,ompanies having powers tand p-lvi egos not possessed by individuals or )artnershi)s, and excludes ituicipal torporation already treated of. You ire required to pats a general law for he incorporation of railroads, telo fraph and other transporting and ,ransmitting coipanies. The sin )lost platu, ini my judgmetrnt, would be o leave the roquirements now existing as to obtaining a charter from the xencral Assembly and make them pplicable to the Secretary of State, nd require the potitions setting forth he routo with a map to be filled with he Socrotary of Stato, and cm power limt to issuo such charters upon the urthor condition that a certain ,mount of work nust be porformed, ,nd road built and equipped within wo years after a charter is gained, therwiso the same to be null and oid and forfeited. All industrial harters (other than railroad charters) ro now issuod by the Socrotary of tate, and if my suggestions moot rith your approval he will be re(uired L) issue iunicipal, railroad and all ther charters. It will, thereforo, be advisable for ou to fix a q alo of tees to be charged, -raduated aco ! lug to the amount of apital stock i1,voP %--ed in the ini.lus rial chartor or to the mmi portance and agnitude of the municipality char ored. At preselnt the Secretairy of tato charges a uniform fee of only six ollars for all industrial charters, a hartor where the capital stock is a alf million dollari costing no more han one where the CaLI)itatl stock is niy one hundred dolh.rs. This !)o is mposed to cover only the acteual cost I recording, filing and indexing first he declaration and subse-quently the eturn, and writing, recording, index ng and issuing first Oh comiiLissioni ,nd subsequently the charticr, ncces arily done in each case where i elar or issues. 'The fee ,s hardly adequato or the clerical wor-k and does not ompensato for tht> coSt of record Pooks and blanks nc(r for the nceersatry xanilnation and scrutiny of the de laration and return. Again, while foreign insurance com oanics are required to pay an annual icense of one hiaded (lollarh for cing business in this State, an asiso iation of Individua's living in ancther tato may take out, for six doll1rs a harter to do any imurance bu-i ness n this State, and while their res'donce mnd assets are without. the State may ,hereafter do an iniuraico business in 3hls State without a license foe. Therefore, I suggeet that the Secre ary of State be required to collect tnd turn into the StLt Treasury pro scribed fees for charters, the minimum if which bhall bo ter dollars, and .iradually increasing so as to bear omie relation to the amount of capital stock involved and to the magnitudo of the municipality chartered. Under ouir ,harter laws, on the 251,h of ebrlwuary, 1895, a charter was i.Ssued from the -ce.etary of State to the Atlas Fire [nsuranco Company. The incorpora ors are all citizens of Indiana, Wis nonsin and Illinois. Their principal )lace of business was sot forth to he Jolumbia, South Carolina. Since the ssuing of the charter nothing hats )con heard fron the company except omo inquitics from Somo peoplo of nother State as to their standing. "his company evidently organized nder our charter Laws on acont of Of lie facility and economy with which hey could obtain a eb art, 'r, and pob ibly with the inteti.n of never pening an ollico in C'oLIAun.hi or doing usiness5 ini our State. There.,a may hbe. thor comnpanies doi ng the saime thin g, ndi It certainly Is posrai hlo undie'r e x sting 1laws for aa~ unrcl iable. compi any :) btaini a charter f rom thmis St~ate anid mlhose upon th citizens of anaotier itate. It will bet readily secn how tis irivilego may be atbused by wild-cat ompanies andi charter splat~iors, if he necessary restrictions are not hrown around it. The pocketbook Is he tenderest p)oint with such schiem srs, aind if an enterprise is worth taving the sinall fee chatiged wrill be to hindrILanlco. The staitto now~ of orco against trusts, comlibintationis, ontracts, and atgreeme(.nts againlst th~e oinIIc wel fare is stmrng enoutgh for all mIIrpo~ses. Th'le provisions of this A iticle of the ostitu tion shiould be incorpora'' i*ted~ ili 'our gene ral Act, for t~ (0V be ioneint fthe oflihers who execute it. '.l'hiis Srticle v. ill requnire Iin tnediate att'in ion, otherwise the proglr s of the tatol may be ijmded. IIlNA Nt: ANID TIAxAIO N, It Is y'our duity ta roevidiO genlo'" ystemi oif thme ass: iiment of pro' perty or tabxation, andi~ this asesment sxhal! So taken by allI nmnicipalilties andt ubd ivisions of ulhe State as their baisis or taxation. You are authorized to mpose05 a graduated tax upon incomcs ,nd1 ai lcenis on occuIpaitions andl busi orxs. It is furthur madie your duty t~o ass laws mnak ing tnmber.zlemnent otf ublic fundsa a felony, puin Ishableo by no and i mpfrisome nt, proportionied to he amnounlt of the deficiency or cmi czzlements, and for t~he forfeitureo of lieot11ce of the personi found guilty of ucha an offense. The lugislation under his Articlc, with the excepition of then munishmaent for Wfmbezzliimnt, may~ lbe ontinuedi until your next sexssimon, xcept such as will horcafter be called o your attention. The~i 1p001l1 are to be congratulaLted tjpon the liberal manner In which the onstitution has pros iod for the comn non schools of the State. It Is imtum eont upon you to provide the machin ry for carrying out, the preovisions of ,ho constitution, andl to thias emnd you ire given absolute pio'vet in the fh ion or appointment and cotrottl etf all ichool ollicers. The school comm iiIs iloner is no longer a constitutional )flcer, and you may ahol ish the sallice >r continueoI itas you see it. Grexat :lissatisfaction exists~ as to thme compoi teney and ability of thin schuol coim missionor-s in some of the ctioiS, anid It would be well for you to pirscribo tihe qlualifications of this ohlicer, so that in his election or app~lointmennt some11 regardl may lie had as to the charactor', fitness andit ability to per formr the high duties of time office. II this is not done, In mvm judgrment, the ofilco should be abolished and th ontiro managemont of the schoo1 b >laced In tho hands of tho count >)ards of oxaminors and tho loo0 trusteOs. In1 som casos men haV beon elected to this oflico who coul not read and writo, and vcrtainly wor unaletio to Writo ia sentenco corroetly and whoso moral character was no well calculated to olevato the tono o the teachors or pupils under tholl su1perv'i'ion. 'TIeO comI11on sch1ool1 of the StaLto are required to be separate and dlistina for whitto aaid coloreI chilrleni, ani tuMilS of 14tiber race arIe pohbite roi a ttending tho schools so slt aparl for Ulu other race. I' Pol cuty authorities ne1-o ret iired to levy a LUX of threo mills on the dol. lar upon all tauabl property In thoL r'espectivo counties, which tax shall b collected at th samii timo and b3 the same ollcr s W other taxes. It h ntde tho duty of the school trustet to oxpend aind disburse this tax as tiht Gonoral Assombly may provido. I would suggest thut you leave this t the board of trusteos as In their wis domi ma11Y 1om best for th interests o their several districts. I2A).l-sol govern mont in this particar1111 il greatly to be debiredl, and botter ro suits will bo obtainqd than by any iTfor of your body to prescribo rules am IegulatiCns to m11oot the c(O1lIictin1 colldit.lo's that n0cessalrily exist il tih various ;chool. districts. '.lho poopIt who pay the tax canl better ju.lgo a howY to aqpply it to t. 1 Ownl inltteres thia the Geniral At-elibly, witnL a (110 respect to your body. The m3an ner- of solecting trustees need not b uniform, and cannot bo throughout til Stato if intelligunce is to govern h such selections. The ropre.sontativoi from tlbo several counties are tLu judges of how to select these oficors anId t.heir conclusions will no doubt bt accepted by your body. A11 supplemlentary tax is providOd fol whnoIever the aimoillit raised from tihti three mills levy fails to provido a1 p1 Ca1pita of tlhl'leo dolal's 11poli the 11113u her of pupils otnrolled. With this, hIoWeCvi', you lave lot to deal, as it ib made the duty of thg( Comllptrolle1' Gon, ural to levy the suplem1entary tlx il neel3ded. I 1, is W i th i n1 youl prov 1 Ieo t( proscribe tle 111111131r of 11o1tls dur Ing which the free schools shall re main oPcn, and III ca1se the taxes he-r tofore mentioned art, insullicient tt maintain them you ire requiretd t levy such additionai tax 11pon the prop erty of the Stiate ats mty be sullicientl for sullch purpose. To provide it term of less than siy 1loniths woild be a faiLur upon yolu pa1I't to satisfy thu gr'ea(t demand 0 0111' )eo)le for bCttIr C011111n011 ,UIIOOib Unless our youths are buttor prepaLrei in these foundation schools the thira for higher edication will be slaklC and out system of collhges will becom to) heavy n11d fall of its own weight. All the net imeii to be durived by tL State from the sale or license for th SUlII of intoX ie('tilg liqutor's, all gifts t t, State wihero the purpose is It designlatted, all eschleated propuril the lot asscts or3 funds of all estates ( co-pr'literships inl the hands of th .courts Of tlO State wher1' thlOI'o 111v been no climiants for t, mle withil the latSt sevOtlty 30a's aind 01b dhirCe tax fund, Lro set apItu' as a po031mla1n1On sehool fund, to ho seci'ely investedI and the 1n111al incoIo shl]l bO aI)por tioned by the Gonoral Assembly foi the pu1rpo)I o of m1aintaining th public schools. This 8111 will be It larigo 11o alld it w ill Ibe nlecessar 'y for you to pre blrib'o thb ina141er' Ill Which 1nd b) Whom111 it is to be iivested, as the con stitution leaves this (loubtful. It is niado the d uty of the Genera Aseumibly to provido for tho divisioi (if the cunies intLo sitab 11 s1 ~ilurie(s, anii hti, to c ceed forty-Iliiyi lil he less tha(n1l~ ine squiare' miiles iln aron (4tc. It is 1tiossi 111o for your31 body 1 diiin r 3 1 , ili 1 Ia1vl Lil is 31at(.1.13 iii ti0 hand111 of tueo count y bodh of cx '(lmit 'iNS. Thuilai1133 Of the Iauniatic Asvlumi has( b)3301 chantged to Lihe S'ta(to Lospi talh for the inisanoe. itL is madito 1.1bo duty.3 of y'ourt honorabb(i hody at,. yOui' ir1st, session aft,'r till Vid such 131 propler' and liberal legisia 1ion as5 wVill guaran3(Itee and3( secure1' a( annua311 pI#adont Lo every3 ind(1igenit 01 disabledii GIon fellorateo soluI ir and sail10 oif Lt bis S;tato andl (if tbe la(to CJonfeder-0 St ate, anid also to thu ind(Iigent widow (if Cotnfed rate 5(oldier3s atal1 sai1lor's. I feelI that, it is absolu Itely unneces00 sary for mul toi 14ay one1 wvord inl i'fei t'nee31 toi tiis ilitCe to .1)11)1 you t realIizuI your3a dutly. Mont of you3 ar Con fedurate ve3teranst, and those wh, are1 not aire s(ons (If 01on forlIato sold11(1r' I f there is 0310 thing deai' to thle heart3' oIf Souith arlin('113a, it is theo mlemlor of the lost caulse. A State tihat, ex ho ungat~d fu in (1 I bor hour(I 3 it propoit to) the inld iget and13 d isabledl v'otern w'ho stands als a living' mlonum~lent I tihl pinc331ipios( wichel 111081 final31ly pre vailI to purIpotua3te this r'epublli c. LcA your33 3)pplroprIiation he3, as8 the const51. tiutioni diirec3ts, piropjeran lIiberal. manne Irg theli g11 va ious 3 ariclo Iofl 1,hO conlstitti ion, it, wvill bsee 53'CI ihat thl l egis8latIion requ31'ie (if you13 at this ses elassi fied asi follows: I. An 3n331 to r'egu lato tihe right, o 5iiifraIge3 and1( for regulat3(ion of elec tilons. :2. Ani not11 dini 1ng and pliTrotectL1in thie home33stead3 for heads (If famiio and flit piersonsi 1not, head( (If families(1. :i. Aln act, ilo prYovido1 for the inIcorIp rtuon of cit1.is and1( townIs and1( f0 chlanig , amend33(1intg of ailteinig Li charter333S thiereof. -1. An act1 to) provide for tho inlcorp( ratLIion of railroad, telegraph and othe tranlsporting and1 transil1ting comfp1 5. Al nact to pr'ovido for the incorp< r'ation of binl~lg institutions. ii Ani act,1 to prov1idel for a mor0 speedy adm1intrt1(I3 ioof julstico ('oui ty cou rts, or' inlease of circi'( t judge anld for' the inltorchan~lge of circutl amiong circiuit judges and for changf of venue. 7. An aLet to pirovide for theo appoin mnneit or election of a commissionari o codify the laws andudedine bid duties, 0 8. An act regulating the forMation y of now couaties. 9. An act to provide a uidrin as-. u vosstient of property for taxation. 1 10. An act to provide the inaiinr in c v bleh c.ahms against the State may , be obtaolislhed and adjusted. t Ther ar othrer matters not so ur I gout thet iay well be contined until your neu.t regula. session. It is uy duty now, at the risk of try It Z your patience, to give you a flash light glanco atuI t admIIinistration of the govornmcdt during the past year. I would respectfully call your atton tion to the reports of the various boards and heads of departments which you will find full and complete, and herewith transmitted to you. PINANCE AND TAXATION. Upon my induction into ofilco tho deficit for the ordinary expenses for the government was $60,000 in the shape of a note of the governor and treasurer hearing interest at the rate of 7 por cent. This has been paid in full as well as all other ob.igations, and I - ami happy to inform your honorable r body that there are in the treasury r sullicient funds to pay the expenses of i the conUstitutional convention without - any extra taxation upon the people. t, An appropriation of said amount, how I over, will have to bo made by you, as r this is the only way in which it can be j drawn from the treasury. By reason of the extension of the s thue for pay mont of taxes for the past t flscal year under authority of your I honorable body, the State treasurer - and governor borrowed $100,000 with a which to moot the January 1890, in 3 torost on the public debt. 1 refused to i pay interest to the banks upon this i amtiotut or any amount borrowed by me 3 for Stato purposes, for the reason that ,tho Stato deposits all of her funds in such banks and receives no interest thereon, and from a spirit of rocipre city I doomed It just. I secured the money, I am glad to say, without any serious protest from the banks, thus saving the *2,121,09 interest paid out for thib provious year. The following statement is given for your inforina tion showing the amnount of taxes re ce.ived and dislbursod, the amount of dis pon.'y profits paid into tho treasury and the phosphate royalty over and abovo $75,000 placed in the sinking fund and i)plicablo to the gonoral ac count. Th profits from the disponsary up to the first of .January 18906, when the new contstitution wont into ofyoct will also ho applicable to the general account. * * * * * * * P'rom the foregoing It will be seen that we commenco the fiscal year with out a dollar of indebtednoes8. 1t will :1 be necessary for your honorable body to provide sullicient revenues to run the government for 1- months instead e of 12as heretofore. This results from tho chan1igo in thu close of the fiscajl e year from the 31st, of October to the e :1st of I )cnbor, under the new con Siitution. Two-twolfths of the ordi t mary expenses of the State government will have to be uddod therefore, to your levy for the next fiscal year in o ordor to make up the deficit at, once and e remain on a cash basis. Under the I pr'ovisiolns of the now constitutJor, t cvery dollar of outsido revonue here t toforo going into the Stato treasury to meet the ordinary expenses of the gov . ernment except In phosphato royalty, which is now hardly sullicient to pay the fixed charge of $75,000 to the sink ing hnd, has bon diverted to the sichool fund. The dispensary profits, the direct tax fund, escheated estates and all gifts to the Stat, where the purposo Is not dosignated go to this I equalizing school fund. We aire en tirely de pondent upon a direct tax to . rais. fun di.s to mi t the ordinary ox - ipenses of tihe gover'nment. I am saitls .. fled, however, we will 'bc able to meet r. all domwands~ witm the same levy as for ,the past year, with the exception, in however, of the two months additional. I 11ad the funds of last year been left . alifcable to the ordinary expenses, - the levy for the next year would nct -hav~e oxcoedod 3 mills. Thme total taxam 1bo prIopor1ty of the State for the past fiscal year Is $l1i9,448,9i41. This w i be greatly increaused another' year by the Slarge numbhor' of manufactories now in process of erection, and it is to be hop 0(1 by a more uniform system of assess m nont, necessary to be devised by your hlonoraihie biody as required by the con stitution. Y'our present levy will be upon the assessment of 1894-5 for State purpiosos, but this is not true an to county andh schools. The funds arising from taxes of 1894-5 for county and school p)urposus were explended on eon tracts made against them before they were even collected. This condition is unfortunmate for the creditors of the . counties who are school teachers and ,contrac~tors, who are compelled to dis count, their claims at exorbitant rates. To meet the diflicultics ari ising from 3such a condlition, I would respectfully suggost that all contracts duim or to be om th uo, aftor ex pending the revenues ofteyear 189)1-5 from any lawful -cause prior to .January 1, 189, for tcounty or school p)urposes5 be declared past inmlobtednoss and~ the county au thor'ities he allowed to issue bonds to fliqidalmte tihe samol~. The bonds could be mado(1 payablO, say in 10 years, with proison for tho retiremoent of a given nmberl1ii ea.ch year. The counties of the State would tlihus be placed upon a cash hasis anmd teachers relieved of ~great hardship. Much complaint has been rm ade by the comiptroller general -agatiinst~ tihe pre'se~nt system of assessing the p ?oporty of cor porations other than railr'oad. I think the complaint well fouIindd ;as justice and equity demand uniformity inm this particular. We have in one county the stock of a bank that pays 10 1por cent. dividend assessed at 75 cents on the dollar. In an adjoin ing county a bank that pays 8 per cent. dlividend assessed at 108 on the dollar. rI would respectiully suggest to your a honorable body that the State board of railroad assessors be given jurisdiction e ver' all makingr and manufacturing r comupanies ini this respect. We would .then have one centraL authority with no local infnuences that could be . , h ough t to boar upon it. The.- same dhfighlty exists as to th6 mnethod of Stiaxing insurance companies. I would . resp~ectfully recommend that in ).iu of hthe pre scnt system of taxing not pre m iiums received 14~ the various coun e ties, which is almost impossible to got at, a fixed per cent. of such grost pro ~0 (CONTINUED ON FrOURITH PAGE.)