University of South Carolina Libraries
THE GOVERN!) Full Review of Conditio and Legislat STATE'S NOTABLE INI Jj^ All the Public Institutions -=The Treasury Depai Money During Following Is a full epitome of the ( Annual Message of Governor Mc- j Sweeney to the Legislature of South : Carolina, read in both Houses at the ' openiug of that body: Gentlemen of the General Assembly: It is gratifying to me to welcome you as the representatives of the people y under such favorable conditions. You come as the first Legislature to asrem- , ble in South Carolina in the new cen- i turv. The Nineteenth century has 9 been one of marked progress and dc- ! velopment in all the arts and sciences, | and it contains lessons which we may learn with profit to ourselves and which j may be of use to us in legislating for ! the future. Those who constituted the first Legislature one hundred years ago j little dreamed of the advance in all lines of industry and of the discoveries | and inventions w hich have signalized the century just passed into history. We cannot realize 01 even conceive the advances that will be made during this century upon which we are entering There seems to be almost no limit to . the achievements of the human mind. It is for us to contribute our part to make the world better and happier by , our having lived in it and ta leave to our children a goodly heritage and a j name untarnished. It is your privilege to meet and to counsel with one an- ! other and to consider and enact such . laws as will be of benefit not only to the present but to the future growth i and development of this grand old j commonweaun. The march of material progress and ! the development of the State, to i which I had the pleasure to refer one year ago in greeting the members of the Legislature, has kept up with steady and sure step. The business depression through which the people had passed and which was almost unpiecedented seems to have been followed by a revival which is touching all branches of industry. The increased price which our farmers have received for their staple crop ; makes large amend for the falling off j in the yield. Our farmers are learning i the importance of diversified fanning j aud in consequence arc becoming more ' independent. You need no better evidence of the ; progress aud prosperity of the State j than that preseuted in the figures coil- j tained in the annual report or the Sec- ; retary of State. From this leport it j will be seen that approximately fifteen million dollars were invested the past1 year in South Carolina companies; and while a large proportion of it is in cotton mill building, yet many smaller manufacturing enterpriser an<i inaus- i tries have been organized. New manufactories continue to go up I and we arc no longer simply an agn- \ cultural people but are fast becoming ; as well a manufacturing State. We now lead all Southern States in the manufacture of cotton goods and are secoud only to Massachusetts in the number of spindles, and at the present rate of progress will soon lead all the States in the Union in this important : branch of industry. It is well to keep j this fact in mind as you deliberate. Taxr.ble values have increased $4,245,- i 695 during the past year, as will be seen j from the Comptroller General's report, | but the increase is not near as large as | it shouhfcbc or would lie if our system i of assessment and taxation were so re-? vised and amended as to have placed ' on the tax books all the property of the State now escaping taxation and if that ; which is assessed were equitably as- ! sessed. Peace and good order have charae- ! terized our people during the past year. I We have net been visited by plagu<j or pestilence and no resort to mob violence has marred the record or stained the fair name of the State, though in one or two cases the strong arm of the 1 military had to be celled into requisi- : tion, but the majesty of the law was maintained and no blood was shed. In j one case there was strong provocation i for summary justice, but with the as- j sistance of the military the culprits were protected, lawlessness was pre- j vented, and through the ordinary chan- j nels of the Courts' stern justice will be administered and the penalty paid. You as the chosen representatives of the people should guard w th jealous : eye their interests and welfare which have been committed to your keeping, remembering always the responsibility which rests upon you. FINANCES. I take pleasure in calling attention to the very creditable showing which the Treasury*Department will be able to make as to the financial transactions of that department for the fiscal year : closing December 31, 1900, as will ap- 1 pear from the statement of receipts and disbursements. The claims of the United States Go\ ? ? ?Vi? S?n?? nf Smith crrijuicui a^aiuoi, w Carolina for the payment of which at one time the State was seriously prcssen and notice of suit given, are now iu abeyance for want of authority to pro-i ?ecute said claims in the Courts. And i r * J iR'S MESSAGE lis in South Carolina, ion Needed. BlISTRIAL PROGRESS. Are in Excellent Condition rtment Borrowed No the Past Year. it is hoped that an equitable adjustment and settlement of the counter claims between this State and the United States will be effected by appropriate Congressional legislation which will be final, without the payment of any moneys bv the State. The State of South Carolina holds United States 4 per cent, bonds with interest payable quarterly to the amount of seventeen hundred dollars, which mature on July 1st, 1907. The State Treasurer received a circular letter from the Treasury Department at Washington, D. C., calling attention iO Section n of an Act of Congress passed and appro\ed March 14th, 1900, proposing to exchange these and similar bonds for two per cent, gold bonds. The Treasurer does not think that he has authority of law to surrender and exchange the bonds now held by the State. If the General Assembly should deem it advisable to make such exchange it 1 d fr\f cnftPI'jl PlfjiljltlVP v% uuill u<: uttaarti > ivi *.?? .? authority to be given him. EDUCATION. Not the least gratifying evidence of our progress is the remarkable awakening in all departments of education. At the beginning of the century just closed the civilized world knew 110 such thing as a State system of education; and in many quarters, until a comparatively recent date, the position of those who advocated free public education as a legitimate function of State government was stubbornly contested, the opposition in our State being largely due to peculiar racial and social conditions. State education is now the settled policy of our country, being recognized as both a function and a duty of the government. It is a orinciole now well o - * i * recogni-ed, that the safety of the government itself requires that it give its citizens the opportunity to fit themselves for and intelligent discharge of their duties to the State. Encouraging reports come from the schools and colleges of our own State, indicating that they have entered upon an era of unexampled prosperity. At^d yet much remains to be done to increase the efficiency of our public schools. The first essential is teachers of high moral character and adequate professional equipment. Our teachers have better opportunities for professional training than ever before.and they show a higher average of intelligence and professional fitness; but they are too often poorly paid for their services, and the best results ^annot be expected until the schools, instead of advertising for bids from teachers, offer adequate pay and demand good qualifications. The importance of levying an additional tax for the support of the country schools cannot be too strongly urged upon our people. This will enable them IO CUipiUV COIIipClCUl ICULUCld 1U1 longer terms; it will enable them to give their children elementary and preparatory training at home; and it will tend to check the abnormal flow of populat on from the country to the town; it will be beneficial from every point of view, CHILD LABOR. The question of child labor iu our cotton mills is one that has been attracting a great deal oi attention recently, and properly so. Conditions in this State have changed very much in the last few years. We are no longer simply an agricultural people. witn the rapid growth in manufacturing enterprises we are already a large manufacturing State. The relation between the labor that is employed in these enterprises and the employer is not merely one of master aud servant, but there are rights and privileges and duties, obligations and opportunities, on both sides w hich should be carefully guarded. There has been no conflict between employer and laborer in this State and nothing should be done to disturb the amicable relations which now exist. Government recognizes the fact that it is the duty of the strong to care for and protect the weak. It is certainly the right and the privilege of government to provide for the inspection of any and all enterprises or corporations deriving their life irom the State and to see that they do not impose upon the weak. Of course this should be done with a proper regard for the property rights of the corporations. There is no- doubt the employment and constant labor of children of tender age in our factories is injurious to them and will result in untonl injury in the future. To interfere with the government of the family by legislation is dangerous. And on the other hand unless something is done to protect the tender children of vampire parents who spend their time in idleness and live off the labor of their little childiea who are required to work in our mills from year to year without the advantages of school, the situation for the future becomes alarming. To force these children out of the mill and make no provision for their : tt -rtdance upon school but allow them to spend their time in idleness on the streets presents almost as alarming an sspec: as to permit them to labor. In a great many of our mills the officersaadutansgtrs have I / V > provided schools and teachers and libraries and churches at the expense of the stockholders, and some of them will rot employ children under twelve years of ape and they require the p rents of such children to send the children to i school. This is the tendency in all the mills in this State. These children | chnulri hp nro'.prtpd. hut it is not well i that they should be idle, and I doubt j 1 the wisdom of a rigid law laid down by I ! the legislature prohibiting ab-olutely ! their employment. It would be betterj rather that all children between the i ages of seven and thirteen years whose : parents or guardians work in a textile manufactory should be required to at- ' tend school during the school term, if ' this can be done under our Constitution . without extending compulsory educa- | tion to the State. This would permit them during the vacation to relieve older sisters or brothers and give them J a little rest and not take the means of j support from the famiiy, and at the same time accomplish the end sought? i , the protection and the education of the 1 children of the mill districts. But bet- | ter to 'lave a prohibitory law as to child i labor than that nothing should be done i for the protectiou of these children. , THE DISPENSARY. The Dispensary has been well managed during the past year, as the state- ' ment of the Board of Directors and the 1 State Commissioner, which will be submitted to you," will show. The Dispensary system and the man?<fpmcnt of the liauor Question have occupied much of the attention of each Legislature since the system was inaug! urated. Tne dispensary has also been an issue in every campaign in the State since it was passed and has been more strongly opposed possibly than any : other law that was ever placed on the statute books of this State. Kvery : argument that could be brought to bear j against it has been presented by some | of the ablest intellects of the State, and yet after a thorough canvass of each county and a presentation of the case to the people the system has been endorsed by decided majorities on four different j occasions and the principal is incor- j porated in our organic law. Under the Constitution the Legisla- ! ture may license individuals or corpora- i , tious to sell under the rules and regu- i lations governing the Dispensary, or it j may prohibit the sale and manufacture , of liquors. Both of these plans have ! , been thoroughly and exhaustively : argued and advocated before the people , and the verdict every time has been de- j cidedly in favor of the Dispensary under ; the management of the State. As a rule, tjie law has been well enforced. and it has been with a small constabulary force but with the aid of the municipal officers. All law is ; violated. If there were no violators of law and this were an ideal country J there would be no need of law or courts i _rr 1 ft... : i to try ana pumsn oucnucrs. auc. United States Government with its illimitable resources has failed to stop ' all violations of the revenue laws. .Vhile it is important that the law shall n^tbe violated by illicit sale of ! whiskey, it is equally important that those charged with its administration 1 shall conform to its requirements. If this were more rigidly doue public j sentiment would grow more rapidly in support of the system, I doubt if there J is a dispenser in the State who does 1 not violate the law everv day, not with any criminal intent, "file law requires | that, "Before selling or delivering any j , intoxicating liquors to any person a re- : quest must be presented to the County | , Dispenser, printed or written in ink, j, I dated of the true date, stating that he I , I or she is of age, and the residence of I, the signer, for whom or whose use it , : is required, the quantity and kind required, and his or her true name ; hnd ; ( the request shall be signed by the ap- , plicant in his own true name and signa- j , ture, attested by the County Dispenser i or his clerk, who receives and files the requests. But the requests shall be re- j , 1 ' ' r - > ? j.? 7\: ;? ' iusen, II me \_uunvy iviapcurici Iiniu^ II. personally knows the person applying I is a minor, that he is intoxicated, or ! that he is the habit of using intoxica- , i ting liquors to an excess ; or if the applicant is not so personally known to , ; said County Dispenser, before filling j said order or delivering said liquor, he shall require the statement of a reliable ! and trustworthy person of good charac- , | ter and habits, known personally to , j him, that the applicant is not a minor, and is not in the habit of using intoxi- j , eating liquors to excess." The County i Dispenser takes an obligation to the 1 ; effect that he will and another after- j wards that he does comply strictly with ; i this provision and all of the other pro- ! | visions of the law. i It has become customary for County ) Dispensers to sell to any one who applies to purchase without being identi fied or without signing the application I "in his own true name and signature" | , and without stating "for whom or , whose use it is required " Ample provis- ; ' ion is made for the course to be pursued for violations in the administration of ' the law. The County Dispensers are 1 responsible to the County Boards of ! Control and they are appointed by the j State Board of Directors ou the recomJ mendation and with the advice and consent of.the Senator and Representatives from each Count)'. That brings , the case right up to the door of the j members of the General Assembly. This is a business matter and as care; ful and as prudent bisiness judgment ! should be exercised in the selection ol those who are charged with the adnjis tration ol the law as a pruaeni ousmcss man would exercise in the selection of these whom he would place in charge of his private business. Politics and partisanship should have no pari in the selection. I again commend to you the advisa- | bility of abolishing the County Boards 1 of control and of devolving thtir duties upon the Mayors or Intendants of the 1 towns, and the County Supervisors of the Counties, in which Dispensaries are located. THE STATE PENITENTIARY. The annual report of the Board of Directors and Superintendent of the | Penitentiary show$ a most gratifying ' r condition of affairs at this institution While no money will be covered iuto the State Treasury this year, yet permanent improvements have been made cut of the net earnings amounting, in round numbers, to $20,000, and there is still a cash balance on hand for current j expense's of about <5,000. In addition 1 to this, the farms have yielded corn and ! provisions sufficient to run tne institution until the next crop is harvested. The number of convicts remains practically the same as 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 i 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 or the Superintendent to furnish them instruction in morals and . if possible, make better citizens of them j when they are released, yet they will be \ required to labor as other prisoners, j but will be kept entirely separate from j 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 j the State farms, and everything there ; is now in good condition There has j been some discussion in regard to the ' advisability of the State owning and | operating farms. A careful and thought- J ful investigation of the subject, I am i sure, will convince you that it would j not be good business judgment to dis- j pose of these farms. v j INSTITUTION FOK THE EDUCATION OK ( THE DEAF AND THE BLIND. The Fifty-second Annual Report of the South Carolina Institution tor the Kducation 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, lor wnicn tne Legislature iuaue an appropriation at the last session, is 1 in process of erection, and will be ready i for occupancy by the beginning of the j next school term. The Superintendent 1 will ask for an appropriation of 520,000 J for support and $2Q,ooo for the erection of a school building and 54,500 for other 1 improvements and repairs which are needed. RAILROADS. The Twenty-second Annual Report | of the Board of Railroad Commissioners | contains a very full exhibit of the j 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 goverment. You will doubtless be gratified to note that the general prosprosperity of the year has benefited the j railroad interest, and tbat the roads as : a whole are in good condition, bpth materially and financially. PENSIONS. For several years the State has been 1 - ' 1? * -t-?. fo?r rotii oin. 1 cioing w/iai soccuuiuaui i<- ? ........... ( infold Confederatesoltliers;thewidows of soldiers who are in need of its aid. It should be a matter of congratulation to j every patriotic son that we have been able to do what we have, and a source of regret that we 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 i deserving go without the assistance they j need, and to which they are entitled: I but better that a hundred who are not entitled to it should receive aid than ; that one deserving old soldier should ! suffer in his old age for the want of such i help as the 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 j has not yet been tested. The new law is intended to reduce the number of I pensioners now on 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. 1" tViic fmt it wnuld he well to give the present pension law a fair trial, j and to make such an appropriation for the old soldiers as the General Assem- j bly may in its wisdom feel that the State ' is able spend for this purpose. Last year the appropriation was $100,000, and there were 011 the pay-roll 7,707 pensioners, of whom 4,575 were soldiels and 3,132 were widows of soldiers. I recom- 1 mend that there be no reduction for this worthy cause. l, STATE MILITIA. During my administration several oc- i casions have arisen in which the civil! luthorities have called upon me as Commander-in-Chief for the assistance of the Militia to preserve the peace and ! avert not and bloodshed in the State. In each and every case the volunteer troops have responded to my orders with alacity and enthusiasm, and in every instance, by their promptness and coolness, law and order were enforced A ~( U Cr* s\* v. In the ? WlU'UUl 1UM yji itic v?* jr* ^~j - ? recent threater.e'l riot at Georgetown, aused by the killing of an officer in the discharge of his duty, by a negro, it is j attested by Morgan and "the best citizens of that city that but for thy timely presence of the volunteer troops the civil authorities would have been over-; whelmed, and the city reduced to riot and bloodshed, and probably destruc- j tion of property. 1 do not hesitate in advising the C.en- j eral Assembly to provide as liberally as our means will allow for the maintenance and advancement of the militia, feeling, as I do, that every dollat ap- i {.ropriated will be wisely and economi- | eally disbursed in the interest and ' - teady improvement of the service. 11 respectlully 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. THE SOUTH CAROLINA INTERSTATE AND WEST INDIAN EXPOSITION. By a concurrent resolution adopted at the last session of the General Assembly of this State the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition was heartily endorsed, and the advancement of the great project was earnestly commended and urged upon he entire people of our State. Encouraged by this spontaneous action, the projectors of the enterprise went to work with great energy, and a chartered corporation was organized, with a proposed capital stock of $250,000, of which amount nearly $200,000 has already been subscribed. The Exposition has been extensively advertised throughout the United States, and the indications are that it will be largely patronized. It has been officially noticed in the recent Annual Messages and otherwise by the Chief Executives in several of the States of the Union, and it is hoped will receive substantial encouragement from those States. A bill appropriating $250x00 for a government exhibit at the Exposition is now pending in the Congress of the United States, and has passed the Senate. Not only will the industries and resources of our own and neigboring States be brought to public notice, but those of the West Indies as well. It is int*ndpd psneciallv to afford to the agri cultural and manufacturing interests of our State an opportunity such as has never before been enjoyed, or publishing to the world their extent, value and importance. A very eligible site, embracing some one hundred and fifty acres, on the shores of Ashley River, in the city of Charleston-, has been secured, and the work of construction has been commenced. The plan and scope of the undertaking has been made so familiar to all that it is not necessarv to enlarge on the same at this time Application has been made to the State of South Carolina for an appropriation of $50,000 to assist in developing the Exposition, and I commend this appeal to your favorable consideration. STATE BOARD OF HEALTH. The report of the State Board, of Health which will be submitted to your thoughtful attention. It contains suggestions which should receive action on your part. CONCLUSION. I have thus endeavored to review hrieflv the different departments of the State government, and to mal^e such suggestions as have seemed to me to be proper and demanding your attention. In expediting the business that shall come before you I am ready to give you . such assistance andco operation as may be in my power. I trust iq your session may be a pleasant and harmonious one, and that in your deliberations you may be guided by an earnest and sincere desire to do those things which shall redound to the advancement and happiness of the people whom you have the honor to represent. M. B. McSWEENEY/ Governor. NOTES AND COflMENT. Mrs. George Boyden. of Evansville, Indiana, has a matrimonial record that is hard to beat. Nine times she has been married. All her husbands are dead and she declares she will marry aeain if the rieht kind of man comes along. Mrs. Boyden Is one cf the prettie-t women in Newburg. She is 50 years old but would easily pass for 30. Mrs. Boyden wishes to pass under the name of Mrs. Weed, the name of her eighth husband, for a month ago she was divorced from the man who jumped into the cistern Friday night and ended his life. Mrs. Boyden's name was Polly Casileman and she was born of good parents in Warrick county. Indiana. Asked if she would marry again Mrs. Boyden said: "I don't 3ee any reason why I should not if the right kind of a man came along. I am voting and not bad looking, and be lieve I would make a gcod wife to a man who would let tr.e have my way. The great trouble with the average husband is that he ant; to be the whole thing, and to this I object." The following curious notice relating to a divorce proceeding Is published in an Ohio paper: "I. the undersigned. Ida Ingram, of my own free will, fully cognizant of what I am doing, do most solemnly sear, as 1 hope to meet my God. that I ill do these things, to wit: Sell ofT all the things in the house at No. 137 Depot street, with the exception of enough to furnish one room, all pictures and a few fancy dishes snd silverware and a few souvenirs, and never keep another boarder as long as ! live. I also agree to live a pure and chaste life forever. Dispense ith Mr. Huxley's service forever, will tear up 41-? ^1" ? cvn a oKn p<r!n(v trie petition, me a new uao ^uUrb,u, non-support, incompatibility and cruelty. This is a copy of my new petition, never to be altered. As I hope to meet my God. Ida D. Ingram. Sworn to before me. a no'ary public, in and for Columbiana county. N. Y. Howell." The report that Senator Proctor, of the Vermont Marble Company, has secured control of the famous Carrara quarrjej in Italy at a cast of $10,000,000 thus giving the Vermont Marble Company practical control of a large proportion of the marble output of the wo. kl. suggests to the Eo ton Transcript the possibility of "corners" la "certain unnecessary, but familiar object?. such as tomb-tones, table tops, mantelpieces, soda water fountains and statuary." Fortunately, it adds, "all of these things can be mnde of other material than marble.