Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-12-05


I r., viz the bonds issued 10 provide for d
erection: Of the new State Capital. .Theamonr
] issued is $25o,oo interest:$ Is, ,0e0.:The bong
issued to provide for; ths spayment.af" the:S Stat
subscription 10 the Blue Ridge Rai!road Comps
ny: Bonds 10 the amount Of 100000 hay
| already been issued, the interest on which wi
! be $4,000. There must be during the ensuin
I year further issue of bonds to provide tn
means for carrying ON botir these works.
The resources Of the State to meet the publ
debt consist of stock in her various ruilroad.
and the surplus assets ef.the Bank. The7nomi
nal value Of these stocks is 1852. 5000 :thei
present value in MARKETS $77l l,l50.
The surplus means of the State in The Bank
oreriis liabilities, is S3,922132o.64. -, -
On reference tothe- Report ofsthe Comptrolle
General; it appears: tlmtthe payments for tn
year 1855 were S651 ,692 90, and tho receipts n
the Treasury were $440.i42s89.- 80, '.,.t :
My predecessor. called your attention to th,
elaim Of Dir: Anthony Hyde for:commissions a
agent Of the State for Claims. on account o
losses IN the Florida war :. but on reference u
your journals / find that no action was had OF
the subject. Shortly Affer. your adjournment
Dir. Hyde. urged on me the payment of nj.
claim: 7Uponi rxamiuing, the papers In my de-
paftmentsf found that;ihe late Governor Sea
brook, had appointed Mr. Hyde agent Of .lhs
State, with stipulation on. The face of, the pow
erof-attorney-t that Mr. n. was 10 receive as hi.
compensation fve.per cent. .OHall SUNG collected
Ont Of the 81 ,583 10 The credit Of:the State n
the United States Treasury. have paid him his
compensation at.the rate Of FIVE per cent, and q
small charge .forcepEing,: in all $978A5. Mr.
HvI. bas e, Dod. m Hua
for his services. How much equity there is in
his claim, you will be enabled 10, determine by
an examination Of the papers and coriespondence
which are herewith transmitted. The balance
after deducfing brokerage, amounting 70 $500, 90
together with Si7,7S6,05 previously received,
have deposited With the Treasurer OF the Upper
Areport from the Commissioner. of the New
State Capitol wil'be found among the docu.
ments accompanying this message. In accord
ance witltyour instructions, they huye changed
the site of the building, and modified their plans
so az 10, remedy the defects in theft. former
structure. The walls for the foundation have
risen above the surface Of The ground. and rs
more than one hundred and forty l,bcrers are
employed on the work, it's further progress will
be rapid and gratifying. 1t appears to me,
though pretending TO no skill in such matters,
that the new masonry is very much superior 10
the DID, The largo regular hammered store,
arranged in horizontal layers of equal thickness,
gives it solid and substantial appearance, which
forbids any fear Of n catastrophe such as befell
the former structure The bonds of The State
issued for this building have all been disposed
of, and of their proceeds only enough remains
on hand TO meet the wants of the present year.
Although the .fnancer-of the State demand the
strclest economy and the most careful husban-
dry of our resources, rs the Capitol had been
begun by your authority, and is much needed by
the State, would suggest liberal appropriations
for its progress and completion. There is no
propriely in protrac!ing the work for six or
eight years, when it may be finished in three or
four. The longer the time of building this
the greater will be the expense to the
State, 40 that true economy will recommend its
speedy completion.
The South Carolina College is in 4 more
hourIhing condition than it has ever been since
its establishment. Its administration is able and
faithful, and am assured That The spirit of study
has never been more general, nor the bearing of
the students more manly. It, in. objected by
some TO the institution that its advantages. are
have been made 10 show at what cost to the
State these advantages have been enjoyed.
respectfully submit that its benefits are not to
be estimated by the standard Of dollars and
cents. If its founders hnd made it 4 question
of arithmetic, it would never have been estab.
lnhed. And if tits to be judged by that stand
ard, then perhaps it may be said to have failed.
Buff the spread Of knowledge and a thirst for
its acquisilion-itthe Development and expansion
of inlellect-if pure morality, manly sentiment,
refined taste, and elevated thought--if these
nre riches to people, then has the Institution
been mine of wealth to the State-thus fully
justifying The liberal policy which has always
sustained it.
1t is greatly to be regretted that President
Thornwelf's determination TO withdraw from its
government remains unchanged. Il regard his
retirement public loss. He has discharged the
arduous trust with unequalled ability and success,
and in thus officially noticing his resignation,
feel that pny but a merited tribute to uncom-
mon worth and rare endowment,
On the 26th of January, that portion of the
College buildings known as the East Wing and
Centre Building Of Rutledae College was total
ly destroyed by fire. The West Wing was
saved, but in such 4 damaged condition as to
render its continued occupancy extremely un.
comfortable, if not positively dangerous. The
TO which the College was sub
jecled by this disaster were so great, and the
demand for the reconstruction of-the buildings
80 urgent, that aspecial meeting, of the Board
of Trustees was called in the hope that some
scheme might be suggested, by which the build
ings could be- replaced without waiting for q
special appropriation from the Legislature. The
evils to be apprehended from delay were numer-
Gus and grave. 1t would have kept The College
for two full sessions in condition altogether
unfit for the accommodation of students; appli-
cants would have been deferred from entering,
or if they had been disposed to come. could not
have been received. The students now in at
tendance would have been crowded together for
a'year longer, exposed to the temptations to
idfeness and dissipation, which such state OF
things naturally engenders. The College ut
the time Of the fire was in condition of grow.
ing prosperity, and if it had been allowed to
receive shock, which would have been the case
had no interest been manifested in its reparaton,
the consequences might have been permanently
disastrous. The Board was 80 sensible Of these
evils that it resolved to rebuild ut once, and to
pledge, az far it was competent, to do So the
faith of, the Legislature. The case seemed too
plain to admit Of doubt. The Legislature could
not suffer the College to lie. in ruins. Besides
there was some apparent claim upon the State
By an Act of 1919, the Comptroller General
was required annually to insure the College
Buildings against fire. With the exception oil
two or three years, this Act was regularly exc,
cuted until l84l, when the Legislature declined
making the usual appropriation, on the ground
it was understood. that the State ought TO. be
its own insurer. As then the Legislature had
assumed, in some sort, the responsibility of ar
insurer, it wns hoped that This would be an ad
ditional inducements for repairing the losses oc