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


r., viz.s the bonds issued to provide for d.
erection of the new State Capital. The.nmoun
issued is $3.50, 600: interest 8 Is 900. The bond
issued to provide for. the payment.nf, the. Stat
subscription to the Blue Ridge Rairoad Compa
ny: Bonds 10 the amount of 100000 hav
already been issued, the interest on which vii
be $4,000. There must be during the ensuing
year further issue of bonds to provide tn
means for carrying ON bottr these works. =.
The resources of the State TO. meet the public
debt consist of stock in her various ruilroads
and the surplus assets Of the Bunk. .Thenomi
nal value Of these stocks is $l,5423OOO !: thei
present value in MARKETS $77l 400.
The surplus means of the State in The Bank
over iis liabilities, is S3,922, ,32o.64. -
On reference TO the Report of:the C0mptrolel
General; it appears tlmtIhe payments for the
year 1855 were 1851 ,6a2. 90, and tho receipts al
the Treasury were S4a0,l42s89.- s:;e,, -
elMy predecessor: called yoar attention to the
claim OF Mr. Anthony, Hyde forcommisaions a.
agent Of the State for ociaims. on account o
losses in the Fiorfda war but on reference te
your journals l find that no action was had on
The subject. Shortly Af1er, your adjournment
Mr. Hyde urged on me the payment of his
claim: Upon; examining; the papers In my de-
paftmentsI found tliat;ihe late Governor, Sea.
brook, had appointed Mfr. Hyde agent of the
State, with stipulation on the face of.ihe pow.
crof-attorney. that Mr.. fl. was 10 receive as his
compensation fiye.per cent OHall sumo collected
Out Of the.$l ,583 ste the credit of-the State =,
the United States Treasury. have paid him his
compensation at the rate Of FIVE per cent, and a
small charge forcopyiag, in all $97SA5. Dir.
IL L.. IL To
for his services How much equity there is in
his claim you will be enabled 10, determine by
an examination Of the papcrs and correspondence
which are herewith, transmitted. The balance,
af,er dedacting brokerage, amounting TO $500, 81
together with Si7,7s6,05 previously received,
have deposited with the Treasurer OF The Upper
Division. 49,. -
A:rport from the Commissioners of the New
State Capitol wilt,be found among the docu.
ments accompanying this message. In accord.
ance with. your Instructions, they have changed
the site of the buiIding, and modified their plans
80 as TO remedy the defects in their former
structure. The walls for the foundation have
risen above the surface Of lie ground, and as
more than one hundred and forty k.bcrers pre
employed on the work, its further progress will
be rapid and gratifying. 1t appears to me,
though pretending 10 no skill in such matters,
that the new masonry Is very much superior TO
the old The largo regular hammered store,
arranged in horizontal layers of equal thickness,
gives it n solid and substantial appearance, which
forbids any fear Of n catastrophe such as betell
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.
Althorgh t+fe. hnances-ofI the State demand the
strctest economy and the most careful husban-
dry of our resources, MS the Capitol had been
begun by your authority, and is much needed by
the State, would suggest liberal appropriations
for it's progress and completion. There is no
propriety in pro!rac!ing the work for six or
eight years, when it may be finished in three or
four, The longer the time of building this
structure, the greater will be the expense to the
State, 40 that true economy will recommend its
speedy completion.
The South Carolina College is in more
flourihing condition than it has ever been since
its establishment. It's 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. 1t iH objected by
some 10 the institution that its advantages are
confined to particular clnss, and calculations
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 had made it Il question
of arithmetic, it would never have been estab.
lished. And if tits to be judged by that stand.
ard, then perhaps it may be said to have failed
But if the spread Of knowledge and thirst for
its acquisilion-ifthe development and expansion
of intcllect-if pure morality, manly sentiment,
refined taste, and elevated thought--if these
are riches to people, then has the Institution
been mine of wealth to the State-thus fully
justifying the liberal policy which has alway.
sustained it.
II is greatly to oe regretted that President
Thornwel's determination to withdraw from its
government remains unchanged. i regard fIif
retirement public loss. He has discharged the
arduoua trust with unequalIcd ability and success
and in thus officially noticing his resignation,
feel that pay but a merited tribute to uncon
mon worth and rare endowHent
. , On the 26th of January, that portion of the
College buildings known as the East Wing ano
Centre Building of Rutledee College was total
ly destroyed by fire. The West Wing wa'
saved, but in such 4 damaged condition as tt
render its continued occupancy extremely un
comfortable, if not positively dangerous The
,inconvcniences to which the College was sub
jected by this disaster were so great, and th'
demand for the reconstruction Of the building
10 urgent, that special meeting, of the Boart
of Trustees was called in the hope that son'
scheme might be suggested, by which the build
inga could be replaced without waiting for
special appropriation from the Legislature. Th
evils to be apprehended from delay were numer
ous and grave. 1t would have kept the College
for two full sessions in q condition nltogethe
unfit for the accommodation of students; appli
cants, would have been deferred from entering
or if they had been disposed to come, could no
have been received. The students now in al
tendance would have been crowded together 70
wear longer, exposed to the temptations +
I tidieness and dissipation, wlich such state O
things naturally engenders. The College o
the time Of the fire was in condition Of grow
ing prosperity, and if it had been allowed
receive shock, which would have been the cas-
had no interest been manifested in its reparatior
the consequences might have been permanent
! disastrous. The Board was so sensible OF thes
evils, that it resolved to rebuild ut once, and
pledge, as far it was competent to DO so, tn
faith of the Legislature. The case seemed to
plain to admit Of doubt. The Legislature coul
not suffer the College to lie in ruins. Beside
there was some apparent claim upon the Stat
By an Act of 1919, the Comptroller Gener'
was required annually TO insure the Colleg
Buildings against fire. With the exception
two or three years, this Act was regularly eS'
euted until lS4l, when the Legislature decline
making The usual appropriation, on the groun'
it was understood, that the State ought to! b
it's own insurer As then the Legislature ha
assumed, in some sort, the responsibility OF
insurer, it was hoped that This would be IN AZ
d;t;onal indtnarnant for rnnairinu the losaea o.