Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-06-25
[BY REQUEST.
From the Carolina Times.
TIE EiEHrjnlI, GTTyTIlY

liGr2 Is orc.lsIuilailr an objection made
against our prrsen; mode of cIccling llc
electors, on account or the expense Of IN
extra session, which, as the day OF. the cleo
ton precc'Ies The time of the regular Assem-,
bling of the Legislature is, of course, he.
cpssary every fourth year. The argument is,
that this expense between three and four
thousand dolIars-wonid be saved to the
pccpl. Iy referring the election to them.
If this were trur, we would suggest
though it does MOI come within the province
Of these numbers to specify any amend.
nenis-:hal reform, should begin in more
important matters. In casting our eye over
the schedule Of provisions made by the State
for the present year, we find among those
we heartily approve, suc! items, as these
for enforcing quarantine laws, $1,000; for
distributing the AcIs Of the General Assem-
BIZ, 81 500; for printing aud distributing
tax returns. &l,1G0; for the support Of Inc
,ient poor Of Charleston, $l,50O. And
we cannot avoid the reflection that State,
wiling to pay four thousand dollars every
! four years, to guard her chief port against
infectious Diseases, mig d" herself as great
i service by providing, with il Ike sum,
against no less periIous scourgc; Stale
willing to appropriate six thousand dollars,
qnahreaai,ly, TO distribute the laws Of her
annual sessions, might very well contribute
two thirds Of that sam to sustain one Of
them which she had approved for nearly
seventy years. State which pays near sew.
\ L. -, tf M
and distribute tax returns, could not, without
niggrrllnrss, refuse to set apart one half OF
that amount, from these same taxes, to sup.
rort well tried policy, so dear to many Of
her taz-paying pcn!' a State which opens
her hand so wide in charity every year, might
! wei! afford 10 assign y less SUN every fourth
year IN purpose which would be more
ihan charity to a large portion Of her own
loyal citizens.
Bat. by not very elaborate calcala'ion
it maybe nI.;le to appear that it would be
true economy n convcnc The Legislature 10
ra>. the vote Of Tie STATE. The last tax
payeL I,y tie people amounted in round
mnn1bers to fuar hundred thousand dollars
aud tie cost Of an extra session would lie
:hori Of four thousand do!arst, which will
readily be seea to he about one per cent up.
on the general tax, or about one cent upon
every dollar Of the tax paid by each citizen
It,. .la {. lis treasury. It is plain, then,
ten dYrss,' s' a S TIT TT ii55 5aT qdolRn lRn7oaE q 1
pease Will no! exceed ten cents every fourth
year. or twn and Il hall cents per annnm.
Coa!,l any such taxpayer go to the polls at
less cost To himself than the largest OF
these amcntS!
Again. By the lax returns there are within
lhc State $50, 1875 slaves. \ tax every fourth
year Of Il scarccl $ apprecable fraction over
uae cent each, or about one fourth OF crnt
every year urcn the slaves alone, will pay
this Of four thousand dollars. Could amy
owner Of such property withdraw his attcn.
;i,n Iln;a Ii Tor ,ay-the day of the cleo.
tiom--at Il less loss TO .hinsrlf than such
tax!
Again There are within the State, By \
calculation based upon tie last United States
Census, about sixty Thousand voters. Now,
:. sun amounting to scarcely over six and y
uHarlrr cents f.,r each OF these VOTERS viii
iullv ctvrr the expense Of an extra session.
ihfund it not be bnlding the industry OF our
people very chcaIly, to assert that the time
and expense n! Tie whole voting population,
I"r oIs day, is lo be compared to this trl.
lling average:
;u! let us suppose that the whole amount
Of nu: l',oa :a., .n.lars cuGld be actually
saved, at each Presidential canvass, by re.
i,rrinu the election of the Electors to the
;rop!c. How is il proposed by the ref"r.
n,ris tn effect l!.is marvellous economy! Is
, It 10 be effected III: ough change, which
saves the mileage and per diem OF one hon.
,Ired and sevenly members of The Lrgisa-
lure, by coml-liing the service of upwards
. of fifteen hundred managers Of elrctnnf-
nearly nine for onc-lo; two days without
remuneration
Were we to calculate the expense Of fl
teen han!lIrI managers, at the per diem aud
) u,ra.e OF the Inemhrrs, the result would
closely approach the expense o! il regular
session. But even 1T one dollar day-ihe
nay of Jurors aud witnesses al cnurt-wilh
/ the addition of the cost OF the writs Of cleo.
toni the sun would amount 10 over thirty
| five hundred dollars, which would far exceed
the cost of an extra session, for a single
day, and nearly equal that Of Il two days
session. Moreover, several OF the districts
! would cost the Stale fifty per cent. more, by
liiis mode, if the managers were allowed
this per diem, tI,rn they usually pay into the
Treasury, under The present law.
Now, very lille calculation would DEM
onsratc that citizen might paya tax on
fIly slaves, aud it would not remunerac
the managers Of sing lie hnx and i tax on
! five lhousard >la:es, and it would not pay
! aThc exact amount Of the tax WAS $500, ,s3?. .GI.
I'VE have calculated the expense Of the extra
session in this way: The mileage Of the delegation
al each district was estimated at len cents n!le
from its court house, upon the supposi'i"n that if
slime Of the members resided farther than it from
The cap:t,l. others lived nearer, and that thus the
nruroximaliuu would br near enough 10 the true
amount. We allowed per dem for session o.!
two day, though The members are engaged in this
business for single day. The items OF this ca!cu-
In,inn were: The mileage of ! ~ Senators and Rep
rcscntatvcs, going aud returning. S2.'.O ~; their
p,r diem of three dollars for two days, $1,000;
doorkccpcrs and messengers, 800; the whole
amounting to So $40 20. No solicitors, &c, arc
necessarily IN attendance and other expense will
be necessary that 81 ,GnO will not amply cover.
There arc about 1U1 precincts, aud ,l2l mana.
r.rs of election in this State.
The cost of the writs in the Congressional ccc-
tons, we lind in the Comptroller Generals last (and
By the way very ablc) Report, was S52l.C5. The
al. l..,,,