Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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gt1ute mue sia for tne man, and the and future happiness of this dUih are scrificed to present gain. This question is one that has had to be met in every manufacturing country and in every instance it has been - found to be the part of wisdom, look ing both to the mental and moral up Urang and the material advancement of the people, to prohibit the labor in mills of children of tender age. Eng land, -France, Germany, and all the principal manufacturing countries of %urope,. and all the manufacturing States in the North in our own coun try, after thorough investigation and long experience, have decided in this manner. The question is a new one in the South only because the South has within very recent years developed In' a manufacturing section. Te manufacturing industriespf the in the near future will bd com ped to meet strong competition from. the people of other sections of thi globe, particularly from the far East. In crder -to meet this compe titioi they must have skilled and in telligent labor, and this can only be secrgl in the .operatives of tqe fu ture by the education and the pro paration of the children of the pres ent. And the children of the present cannot be educated and prepared for their duties and for good citizenship I9 they are required to labor in the nills during .their tender years. The question is demanding solu io, and the part of wisdom is to o&e it now. JFor the- longer it is left alone the n'5ore difficult of solution it bepomes.. This question was discuss e- by .you at your last session and ivoe branch of your body defeated by a large majority. Final actiQn, how ever, was postponed by a continu antot i .bill in the other branch. 7k.Woeareful and thoughtful con deration it is my opinion that it ts a duty which youl owe to humafiity -s.1the citizenship of your State to th~ese children by prohibiting teir labor in our manufactories. If the parent does not feel sufficient in ieiest In b's own offspring to lok after it best -intCrests and to prepare it for te high duties of good citizenship, -tn itis:th;e dutyW the State to step U_- and assert its authority by-taking aire ot the life and the health and the happiness of .these helplesb little ones. I rbalize that it is a perplexing where the authority of the' ends and the duty of the State sbut in a questioA of such vital ce4o the State fine spun '..sliculd not be indulged, but interests. of the Common .idts citizenship should be out issue. -No child under Avars..o age should be per ,46 labor in -the manufactories Otate -nless it. be necessary, iupport of a widowed mother. ~10ya should adopt such a measure, ~*V!~Z t~ east .one ,year should be b~r t becompes of force in -ht-all parties 'may adjust ithe new conditions. -. bUGATION. ~-7~a Wnlpienow well recog h.~e safety of tice goverWd s2 reqi-res that It give its r)otuniy to it' them a6aelletdischarge of 'eStte.-Our form of which ' yery - ruler anid every ruler a ~ spends for' its pre ~~~~ 'teeliglgefmenlt of yt u.r people--their 4,- nsgrition. in the -rut- whichele unpurify the' heart 2wb cl render him cap-. ent. Subsequent *ethe truth of the dby Washington - ation .of the Gev abfntal true 'iraUty is a necessary ~p arGovernmpint. Pro s 'ob,t ofprimary stitioni for the gen - ~ ot'knowldge. In pro teKstrudttire of a Goyern cee to pu,blic op,inion, it 4tpublic oyinionthould - - ion depends for Its en ry-largely upon the ~ ~chools, and the efforts - $It hold be directed prin 10 tt ~im~o~~ eUt and 'per -t -ss of common 'uco for i is' to the com idi6s~ tat' the' great majority .chH4ien must' look for their This should- not interfere our system of higher education, the Arst duty of the State' Is to - rthe -great majority of its citi onthe. Intelligent use of the ~-, ~, untfns- f titizenship. The. Ideal s~tm. I~one properly 'articulated iron the eQmonlschool to the' high ~scool, tdScollege and the university. "I iss of lile use-for a republic to have 1iIgher institutions of- learning producing men' of wisdom and power & aless it has also a systemV f . gen eugal nay, ofaunivei-sal, education pro decing 'pepularrespect for wisdom a$d power. The university at the mit, reaching -as high as human t in' eIIgnce can go, -the common % cbool at the base, spreading as wide - as human nature itself, and between them the 'best attainable system of - grammar schools and high- schools and academies, and spreading out from them an ever-developing organi saion of tpchnical and professional Insttions-'-hese are the defenses of the republic." -But it Is of little or no use to have a adequate system of free educa tion tuiless it be taken advantage of by the children of the State. The at tendh.nee upon our common schools as not as large as it should be.- No child should be allowed to grow up ~ meet the high duties .and respon * iilities of citizenship without at * lst having acquired the rudiments of 'a good education.' And yet many of the children of this State are per mnitted to' come to the years. of ma turity without being able to read or ,write, either because the child cannot see for itself the advantages, or the father is wilfully negligent of the welfare of his offspring, or himself ignorant of the necessity of an .edu cation. There is no greater enemy to ,the welfare of society and to Republi can institutions than ignorance, and the duty of the State is to require the child to take advantage of the educa tion . provided. The question of compulsory edu cation has agitated the minds of edu cators throughout the State for the past few years. Various public ad dresses on this sub.iect have been made and at nearly every teachers' association in the State the question an ben discussed. It would seem that the majority of our best educa tors advocate th,e system of com pulsory education. The objector to compulsory educa tion will urge that every parent has the right to determine what education shall be given his own child and that the State has.no right to interfere in the affairs of the family. When a contagious disease invades the State no question of this kind is raised, but the State takes measures to stamp out the disease and asks not for per mission to establish a quarantine against the spread of the malady. The two cases are similar. Ignorance is the worst of diseases and the State has the right to require that the children shall be brought up in such a way as to make the best possible citizens. It is also urged that the cost will be too great. The State is now spending more than a million dollars on the education of its chil dren, and the proper position is that every child.of school age should reap its share. But the greatest olkjection which is urged to compulsory educa tion in the South is the ever-present negro, and the fear that if he is edu cated he cannot be controlled. The fallacy of this argument is patent to every thoughtful man. It is a fact known and recognized that in this State at present, in proportion to the po'ulation of each, there are a great many more negro children than whites receiving the education pro vided. The negro is here to stay, and to educate him rightly will but teach him his position and be of benefit to him and to us. To leave him without an education is but to make him a tool in the hands of the designing and -a curse to society. It is but sui cida not to require the white children of the State to attend the common schools for fear the negro children will receive the same advantages. This argument means that we should let the .white children grow up in ignorance in order that the negro may not learn.. I In this age there are many prob lems which confront us and must be solved. Education is the solution. We must educate. not one here and there, but every child in the State. A compulsory law at the beginning would pr9bably have to encounter dificulties in its enforcement, but the time is ripe for something to be done, as every one .must admit when he considers the percentage of enrol ment to the children of school age, especially 'in the rural districts. All the principal countries of Eu rope, In fact all the principal civilized countries throughout the world, and two-thirds of the States and Terri tories ot Qur own country, have adopted some system of compulsory education. In many of the other States it is being agitated and urged. According to the Census of 1890 the percentage 'of whites in South Caro lina over twenty-one years of age who could neither read nor write was 15.65; of negroes 65.23. In 1900 the! Census figures show the percentage of whites 12.6, and of negroes 54.7. T1hese figures need no comunent. The percentage of illiteracy among the whites has decreased in ten years 3 per cent., the negroes 10.53 per cent. The following data, showing .the States of the United States that have compulsory education laws and be tween what ages, has been obtained from -the school laws of various states and Territories, and from letters from their various governors and superin-! tedents of education: Length of Compulsory Attendance. Illinois-16 weeks, 12 oonsecu tive.... .... .....--.~..7 to14' California-two thirds term, 1i weeks consecutive-..-..-.8 to 14 Colrado-12 weeks, .8 consecu tive......... .....- -8 to14 Connecticut-full term..-..-.7 to 16 Idaho-12 weeks, 8 consecu tive..-..-..-..-..-..---..8 t14 Indiana-12 consecutive weeks 8 to 14 Kentucky-8 consecutive weeks 7 t'o 14 Maine-16 consec'utive weeks 7 to 14 Massachusetts-30 consecutive. weeks..-..-..-....-..-..-.7 to 14' Michgan-16 consecutive weeks 8 to 15 Ohio-16 to 20, consecut've weeks..-..-..-....-..-..-.8 to 14 Montana-12 weeks, 6 consecu tive..-..-..-....-..-..-.8 to 14~ Nevada-16 weeks, 8 consecu tive.. .... .. ..........8 to14 New Hampshire-full term 8 to 14 New Jersey-20 weeks, 8 consecen tive..-..--.-....-..-....7 to 12 New Mexico-12 weeks. <8 . to 16' New Yrk-full term.. .. ... to 16 North Dakota-12 weeks, 6 con secutive.. .... ..-.......8 to 14 Orego-18 weeks, 8 consecu tivea,... .......... .. .. 8 to 14 Pennsylvania-full term.. .. 8 to 16 Wyoming..-..-.-..-.-..-..7 to 16' Arizona-12 weeks, 6 consecu tive..-..-..-....-..-..-.8 to14 South Dakota-1U w4eeks, 8 con secutive.. .. .... ..... 8 to -14 Washington-12 weeks.. .....8 to 15 West Virginia,-16 weeks.. .. 8 to 14 Wisconsin-12 weeks.. .....7 to 13' Vermont-28 weeks..-..-..-.8 to 15 Nebraska-two-thirds term ..7 to 14 Mnnota-full'term..-..-.,-8 to 16! Kansas-12 weeks, 6 consecu tive..--..-.-..-..-.-..-..8 to 14 Rhode Island-12 weeks, 6 con ecutive.. .... .... .....7 to 15! Utah-16 weeks, 10 consecu tive..-..-....-..-..-...8 to 14 I would suggest in our State that! the ages be fixed between eight and thirteen, and attendance required for at least twelve weeks of the school term. The status of the public schools is about the same as It' was at the time of your last session. The average school term for the past year for the white schools, according to the State Superintendent's report, was twenty one weeks, exactly the same as- the one for the year previous; for the negro schools the term was fourteen weeks, one week less than for the previous year. It may be remarked that the State Superintendent reports that in a few of the counties there' are so many inaccuracies in the re port submitted to him as to the aver age number of weeks as well as the other averages and totals, that the reports in his report cannot be abso lutelv relied upon. I desire to repeat here what I said last year: The Importance of levy ing an additional tax for the support of the country schools cannot be too strongly urged upon our people. This will enable them to emplov compe tent teachers for longer terms; it will enable them to give their chil dren elementary and preparatory training at home; and it will tend to ceck the abnormal flow of popula tion from the country to the town; it will be beneficial from every point of view. While .it is possible for the graded schools to become too me chanical and inelastic, the irregu larity in attendance at the country schools renders it impossible to have graded instruction or systematic work. The character of the super vision of the schools in the country is very poor in consequence of the inadequate salaries paid the County Superintendents, who must give a large portion of their time to other work than that of supervising the schools. Some provision should be made to secure more permanent boards of trustees and county boards of edu cation. The tenure of office in the boards of trustees is two years. Most of these boards not being sure of their continuance in office are unable to employ a teacher for more than one year-a very unfortunate system of affairs, as there can be no continuous school work from year to year with out some permanence of tenure. County boards should be elected by the people in such a way as not to change entirely at one time; and the boards of trustees should be elected on a somewhat similar plan. The State Superintendent calls at tention to a plan for securing better school houses. This should be given the most careful consideration, be cause the best results in training children cannot be obtained in shabby and uncomfortable school houses. The total expenditure for the year for whites was $726.825.44; for ne groes $411,287.56; jotal $938,113.00. The total expenditures for last year for whites was $693,807.60; for ne groes $203,033.45; total $896,841.05. WINTHROP COLLEGE. The present session promises to be the most successful in the history of Winthrop College. There are 297 pupils enrolled in the Normal De partment-an increase of 120 in two years and of 66 over the session. pre vious. Every county in the State is represented in the enrolment, which is much greater than ever before in the history of the school. The health of the student body is reported as good. The much-needed - new dormitory building was completed in time for the opening of the. session last Octo ber and the new sewerage system provided for by the General Assembly has been successfully installed, within the appropriation made for it. The college has an excellent ex hibit at the Charleston Exposition. The 'Board of Trustees have care fully considered the needs of the col lege for another year and an item ized statement of the amounts which will be necessary will be submitted to you. Winthrop College is the only institution supported by the State for the higher education of its women, and it is, as it should be, the pride of South Carolina. It should receive your support and encouragement and the support and encouragement of ev ery citizen of the State. SOUTH CAROLINA COLLEGE. This institution has just entered upon the second hundred years of its life with a record behind it of which any institution might well be proud and with bright prospects for the fu ture. The number of students in creases yearly, going from 162 four years ago to 227 during the past ses sion. Its affairs are discreetly man aged. Economy and care are exercised in making its means go as far as pos sible in providing for the health and comfort and instruction of its stu dents. A clear statement and detailed estimate of all items of expenditure is presented to you by the authorities, so that you can see both what is1 needed and how much it will cost. The college is doing excellent work and deserves the liberal -support of: the State, and should be sustained and &trengthe-ned in its earnest ef forts to exalt the ideals and stand ards of education and culture. INSTITUTION FOR THE EDUCA TION OF THE DEAF AND THE BLIND. The fifty-third annual report of the South Carolina Insti,tution for the Education othe Deaf and the Blind shows an a erage attendance for the year of 163 pupfis, representing thirty-four counties. The expenditures have been kept within the appropria tion made for the support of this in stitution. The cost of maintenance for the school year beginning July 1, 1900, and ending June 30, 1901, was $21,227.92. This makes a per capita cost of $130.23 for each pupil. The b,uilding for the ,department for colored pupils has been com pleted and is now occupied by that de partment. The . new "school build ing" for which' the last legislature appropriated $20,000 is now in pro cess -of erection and will be ready for occupancy by the begin'ning of the next school term. The superintendent asks for an ap-i propriation of $23,000 for support. The increase in number of pupils in attendance and the greater cost of living expenses creates thie necessity for the increase in appropriation for support over that of last year. Ap propriations amounting to $5,859 are deemed necessary for steam heating, plumbing, electric wiring, and furn ishing the new school building, and for necessary repairs and ref urnish ing main building and for insurance of furniture. etc. The affairs of the Institution have been conducted in a practical, busi ness-like manner, and the amount asked for maintenance is a conserva tive estimate and shouild be granted. CLEMSON COLLEGE. Itemized statements of the expen ditures of this institution will be sub mitted to you. A large amount of the expenditure is for general purposes, such as farmers' institutes, State en tomological work, and the State fec tilizer inspection. As compared with other colleges of the same size and' character the cost of maintaining this institution is below the average. A new dormitory has been built in order to .make room for the increasing! number of applicants clamoring for admission to this institution. It should be a matter of congratulation to the people of the State that they have an institution of such high grade, doing the work that Clemson does at which our young men can be taught in those branches which will enable them to take a leading part in the practical affairs of life and the ma terial advancement of their State and country. This institution deserves, as it will receive, the hearty support and encouragement of the represen t+atie of the pnonle. SOUTH CAROLINA MILITARY AC4 DEMY. At your last session you increased thE annual appropriation of this institutior to $25,000, with a view of reducing thf charges to the cadets from $300 to $25( per annum. This reduction was made by the Board .of Visitors at their meet ing last June. and the board hopes this action will tend materially to increas( the number in attendance. The healtl of the students has been good and thc affairs of the institution have been well managed. An appropriation of $26, 250 is asked for. The recent annual reunion of the students was very largely attended b3 graduates' from all 'over the country and the spirit shown by them was mosi gratifying and argues well fcr the fu ture prosperity of this Academy. COLORED COLLEGE. From the report of the president ol this institution it is learned that the to tal disbursements for the year ending June 30th, 1901, were $32,350. An ap. propriation from the Legislature oJ $13,326 will be asked. This institutior is doing a good work for the colorec people of the State and should hav( your encouragement. In addition tc the above an appropriation of $700 foi making, preparing, and installing at exhibit at the Charleston Expositict will be asked. A SOLDIER'S HOME. Within the past few years the neces sities of many of the old Confederat soldiers whose names are enrolled it the ranks of those who volunteerec from this State have been forcibl3 brought to the attention 'of our peo ple. In some cases those who have n( means of support and no one on whon to depend in their declining years ar( enduring want and )hardship and pri vation. Some of them even now ar( in the county poor houses. These are the men who in the timE of their youth and strength, in answei to the call of their State in the dark est hour of her history, sacrificed theii all, and went forth to serve her anc to defend her rights on the field of bat tle. The record of the part they playec in that conflict is familiar to you and to the whole World and needs not t be repeated here. Suffi,ce it tok say, the3 did their duty gLnd their whole duty and more than most men would have considered their whole duty, in defens of their State. Nearly a half centur3 has passed since then and most o them have answered their last roll cal and gone to join their comrades on th( other shore. But few of them are lefi among us, and it should be the provi lege and the pride of South Carolin to see that not one of these who servec her so well in the hour of her need, i. in want, in this the evening of his life It will be only -a few short years at bes when there will be no neccssity for yoi to consider this question, for there wil be no one to occupy a Confederate Soi diers Home. If you ever expect to d( anything for the old soldier along thi! line, now is the time. It is action tha is needed and not talk. In this connection I beg to submii an extract from the report of the Boari of Regents for the Hospital for the In sane: "In view of the considcrati-on by thi 4Genegl Assembly of the advisabilitl of providing a home for ConfederatE Veterans, the Board of Regents desir4 to present to your Excellency the prac ticability of using the tract of land em bracing about fifty acres upon the Wal lace purchase known as the Bellevut Place. * * * * Upon this tract coulh now be begun a series of permanen: buildings adapted to all the uses of thi Veterans, and in time they could re vet to the Regents for the purpose: of this Hospital. By this method thE Veterans would be given such building! as they deserve, since in view of th future use of these buildi.ngs the SN U could well afford to expend a lar'ge: sum upon their construction than coult be done for merely temporary build ings." This plan strikes me as entirely prae ticable and I commend it as a happ3 solution of the question. At the presen rate of increase among the occupant! of the Hospital foir the In sane the build ing will be needed by the Hospital b~ the time there is no longer need for i as a Confederate Home and the Stat! will only be building for the future b3 adopting this nlan and utilizing thi! property for tbM purpose indicated. 0 course it should be understood tha Ihe- management of the Home shoulk in no way be connected with the man agement of the Hospital but a separatE and distinct institution.. THE DISPENSARY. This question has been so much die cussed, both on the stump and in th' halls of legislation, and so bitter13 fought by its enemies and so strongl3 defended by its friends, that everl hase of it Is familiar to you and t< the people. It is now more stcongl3 entrenched in this State than ever be fore and' it may be considered as thE fixed policy of the State for deahing with the liquor problem. Its benefit! and advantages are patent to every fair minded and unprejudiced critic That there is violation of the law 1' certain se'etions is no argument agains the system. Even in Charleston anc Columbia, the sections of the Statt where there havQ been more violation! of the law than in any other, the muni cipal authorities have come to reahizE the fact that the dispensary system is the fixed policy of the State for dealing with the liquor problem and havE adopted ordinances providing for thE punishment of violators. If the May ors and Councils of all citics and towns would exert themselves vigorously it enforcing the law and bringing to jus: tice those who violate it there woulc be no necessity for maintaining a largE constabulary force. As public senti ment grows more and more in favo: of the law this will be done. That pub lc sentiment is growing in favor 0: the system must be admitted by ever) careful observer. The management of the dispensar3 for the past year has been business-likE and satisfactory. The State Board 03 Directors and the State Comtrssione] have worked in harmony and eveery thing has moved smoothly, these offi cers having been faithful to the trusl in osed. The report of the directors which will be submitted to you, shows gross sales of $2,323,6S'1.21 with a nel profit to the State of $120,9-62.25 on ac count of school fund. The net pro'th to the counties and towns amountec to $424.283.87, makina a total net pro fit for the year of $545,218.12. The cre ort states that the school fund at pres ent amounts to $611,354.33, but that it is available very slowly for payment tc the schools inasmuch as it is used as orking apnital. In the management of the consta bulary I have tried to select men of judgment and discretion, who would perform their duty and at the same time cause no fribtion in the en forcement of the law. There. is and has been and will continue to be viola tion of the law as there is of all law and an army of constables could not enforce it absolutely '.n all sections of the State. It would be better for the law if it were possible to do away with the constabulary feature entirely and this could be done if the municipal au, thorities and other officers throughout the State would lend their aid in the enforcement of this law as they do of other laws. This is the case in many sections of the State and it is getting more and more so throughout the en tire State, and as public sentiment grows in favor of the system the con stabulary may be removed entirely. - During the year closing November 30, there had been 272 convictions for violation of the dispensary law; $23, 486 imposed as fines, of which amount $4,735 was paid, and 137 of the con victs took the alternative on the chain gang. The total cost of the constabul ary for the year was $45,011.25. I would recommend that the mini mum fine in case of conviction for vio lation of the dispensary law be made $50 instead of $100 and that the mini mum service remain at three months. There are cases when it would be bet ter for the county and State to have $50 than three months' service and when it would be paid if the Judge had the discretion to impose it. In dealing with this question your purpose should be to improve E.nd per fect the system. STATE BOARD OF HEALTH. The report of the State Board of health, showing their work for the year and making several recommendations, will be submitted to you. During the past year smallpox ap peared in several sections of the State. Such cases as were reported to me were immediately brought to the atten tion of the Board and in every in stance efforts were made, to suppress the disease by the enforcement of gen eral vaccination. According to the weekly health reports of 'Ie United States Marine Hospital service there were in the United States in October, 1901, twice as many oases as at the same time in 1900. This should be a warning to all local boards of health to act promptly at the first appearance of a case and enforce vac cination. The most economical and ef fective measure in stamping out the disease is to vaccinate and,. owing to the wide-spread prevalence of the dis ease throughout the country recently, , it would be wise to take some action making vaccinaion at certain stated t periods compulsory throughout the State. - The Board calls attention to the fact that in 1898 - an Act was passed "to provide for the inspection of food, drugs, 'spirituous and fermented liquors, and to provide for the punishment* for adulterations thce-e :of," and making it the duty of the !State Board of Health to carry out its provision. No appropriation was ever Smade, however-, tc enable the Boai-d to carry 'out the provisions of the Act, and it has, therefore, been practically :of no effect. The inspection' of foods - and drugs is a very important nfatter, - as on the use and consumption of pure - food and drugs depend the life and health of our citizens, and some action should be taken which will enable this law to be enforced. There is no doubtI that at przisent there is much adultera tion of food anid drugs and a law of this kind should be made effective. The Board also recommends that the office of State Bacteriologist be created giving as a reason, "the great need of competent expert service to detect the -early .manifestations~ of disease as lshown by laboratory test," especially - of suspected tuberculos.s or consump tion in its early stages, diptheria and - typhoid fever. The board thinks the spread of these diseases could then in many instances be checked at the very sou.rce and by early discovery and -,treatment of the cases restore to health a large number of those with the dis eas;e. Several other recommendations are made which are embodied ini the re port to be submitted to you. I demSTATE MILITIA. you demit scarcely necessary to call yorattention to th vrirereasing - necessity of the State having at itsi command a well organized and well equipped volunteer soldiery-ever ready "to aid by its moral effect the preser vation of peace and good order in our Ccmmonwealth." . Its maintenance seems imperative. Thefore I deem it likewise unnecessary to suggest that the dignity of the State, the pride of her people, the safety of life, the pro tectign of property, and the wisdom 'o1 s ounid statesmanship, all denrand ,that tb- mhfin 6f the ate be cared for and It is generally i'?co nized that under the pTreet directidti o1 the States mili tar y departmenit the volunteer service has been vastly improved and an im petus given to its progress and disciP line that deserves and receives my heartiest commendation. 1 may say that in every instance ducing my occupancy ot the executive chair whenever an emergency has occurred tilat necessi tated a call on the militia to ass'st in presrving the. peace and protecting the property of our people, officers and nlisted men alike ha.ve obeyed orders with the greatest alacrity, courage and coolness. In May last at the unveiling of the monument at Chickamauga erected by South Cacolina in commemoration of her heroes who there fought and fell, 1 considered It 0. matter of pride and patriotism to f.ave the vol unteer ~ troops to do honor to the occasicn, and I therefore directed the Adjutant, Gen eral to form a provisional regiment from among those in the service. Nine companies composed the formation and Col. Wilie Jones was appointed the colonel in command. The cost of trans portation was $1.876.25, which the nrfi tary board decided to pay out of the annual appropriation made to advance the efficiency of the State militia. The Adjutant General in his repxt asks that the said amount be addsi to the next appropriation, and I recommend that this be done. In all such publi State or national demonstrations the vaious States of the Union cheerfully hear all the expense.S of their volunteer icoo ps. Anything' which you may do to 13 crease the eficiency of our Si:Ca mfli a Will be welcomed by the, people of he State, and every true citizen will hnail wih aisfaction the day when South Carolina shall be able to follow the laudable example o' some of her sister States in amply providing for and maintaining that important arm of Lie State government. CONFEDERATE RECORDS. The Adjutant and Insp.:cr General in whose department the Confederate Rolls asre placed for preser-vation, in forms me that almost daiiy he is called upon by old soldiers or their kinsmen for permission to examine the rolls in search of the names of relatives and for correction and for various other pur poses. Such daily examipation and handling naturally results in the wear' of the rolls and the fading of the name3. These rolls are very incomplete, it is true, but an appropriation should be made for printing them in book form so as to preserve in permanent shape that part of the record for which the State has already madle considerable expenditure. As a testimonial of grati tude for the patriotism of thoae who served their State so well in this cox filict, South Carolina should no longer defer this important matter, but sh6uld at once take some action to preserva this link in our history, and make pro visicn for the preservation of this re cord. The organizations Pf Veterans, Sons of Veterans, and Daughters of the Con federacy are agitating the question and making preparation to undertake the work, in a systematic way, of c'>m pleting and perfecting these records, and in their efforts they should have youc encouragement. But to preserve and put in permanent shape what w* have, will in no way interfere with this work, but will be of assistance in car rying it forward. PENSIONS. At the last session of the Legislature, the Act to provide for Pensions for cer tain soldiers and sailors, approved Feb ruary 19,1900, was amended so as to appropriate $150,000.00 anuaUy to., pay the pensions provided by this Act. The appropriation- bill, however, car ried only $100,000.00 for this purpofe. That raised doubt in the mind of the State Treasurer as to whether $100,00. 00 or $150,000.00 had been approrated for pensions, and he refused to honer the Comptroller General's warant for $150,000.00. Under this condition .o0i affairs mandamus proceedings werd-n stituted to settle the question. It,was argued before the Supreme Court and decided by the Court that the a*ovnt appropriated was only $100 000.OYThe distribution of -the fund was thefore based on the appropriation of 410,f 000.00. If it was your intention to. pay the pensioners in 190'1 $150,000.00.an appro priation of $50,000.00 for this purpose will be necessary at this session. There were on the rolls last year 6,503 pea sioners. In Part 2 of the Cemptroftr.l General's report you will find an 1tem ized statement of the distribution of this fund, together with a list of ea sioners on the roll. In this report the Comptroller Gen P eral calls special attention to the fret - that in distributing this money, a 'sol dier 60 years of age who was not wounded or injured in servk&, fares the same as the woux dei. soldier, and the widow whose husband was killed in battlekor died while'in servicp,and who was not remarried, sharee equally with the sixty-year -old widow, wh lost her husband within the last tw - years. He also submits a suggestion as to classification and the amount:fo be paid. As the Comptroller General.1% familiar with this subject, his sugges ion should have your careful attentlil. UNVEILING OF THE CHICKAMAtt GA MONUMENT. The monument which, through your generosity, has been erected at Chiold~ amuga to commemorate the .herlaism- 4' displayed by the Confederate soldiar. from South Carolina on that battIefield was unveiled with appropriate: exet cises on the 2'ith of last May. The ~monument is one of' the most beautiful and appropriate on- the field. It is made of South Carolina granite, mfd on fl1 one side' is a bronze life-size Confede rate infantryman, and on the other a Confederate artilleryman.; The top of the monument is a graceful bronze Palmetto tree, the emblem of the PaF' metto State. On "one side is t'> pL sciption: "To IIer faithful sonS at ' Chickamauga South 'Carolina erects this monument to commemorat' Wthe ~ -- valor they proved and the lives they gave on this battlefld." On the otder are the names of the 'regiments which represented South Carolis la this battle, and to the membm of which this monument was erected, ~ gether with the number of killedM wounded from each. . -, The exercises at the unveilig vere ,most appropriate and were largely st tended ~by' veterans and citizens frop, South Carolina. *For a detailed de sciption- of the monument and aco1) /-'. of the exercises I refer you to the pimb-. lished report of the Commissionlers. All true sons o South Carolina re joice that she bas ot last done her duty -to' her' sons who fought and~ feH ; on this historic field. REDISTRICTING. At your last session you had' before . you for consideration several bItis- fot redistricting the State. None was ImsS ed and the whole subject will come up for consideration at this sessionl. Tksie no longer exists any reason for .the shoe-string districts which we have i. this State and it is a duty you owe the people to redistrict the State Into con gressional districts that will be com pact and contiguous in territory. This should be done without regard to the political fortunes or interests of aiy individual and solely with a vle# o0 sce'vig the interests of the people ~ the several districts. At the last s i sion of the Congress of" the UJD1M - States an Act was passed in which the ' following section occurs: "Section 3. That in each State En titled under this apportionmifent the number to which such ''State may' be entitled" in the Fifty-eighth' and ee subsequent Congress' shall be electse by districts composed of contigoUen and compact territory and containing as nearly as practicable an equal numD ber of inhabitants." You' will note that Act of Congrepl. provides that the districts "shall" es comosed of territory "compact aan contiguous." This may not be manda, tory, but as there is no reason at pre~ ent for the congressional district,r m naining as they are it seems t'o'be the pat of wisdom and g>od judgmert at this session to pass :un Act making. them "contiguous" and more "eem FOREST1 PRESERVATIONI. It Is only recently th.it the uebiect