The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-08-19

LIZ
COLUMBIA, August -, 1868.
AR. President and Gentlemen Of the Sen
ate Il have the honor to return to the
Senate, in which it originated, can Act to
fix the amounts of the official bonds of
certain public officers, and to impose pen
alties OH enlbezzlements," without my ap-
proval which am constrained to withhold
for the following reasons:
The public credit must be guarded at
every point. The emharrassments encoun-
tered in the Inauguration of our new State
Government will be best overcome by
proceeding in such manner as to COM
mand from the first tie confidence of cap
italists in the financial policy Of the State.
Any measure appearing 10 comtenance
relaxation of the precautions with which
the State guards its funds, will impair the
public credit. Such a measure, now tole-
rated, would be blow struck at the
financial standing of the State, at time
when all important considerations demand
that it should be vigilantly and vigorously
upheld
TO reduce, at this time, the bonds of
those to whom the public funds are en-
trusted for safe keeping, seems to me dan
gerous to the public credit. Many OF the
men who have been elected to positions
of trust, are new to the public service
They have not been tried We believe
they are true men. Those who know them,
express unqualified confidence in their in
tegrity. But the peculiar circumstances
in which they are placed, demand that
they should furnish the amplest guarantees
of their official reetitude. The ability to
do this, is the only sufficient answerto the
often repeated charge that the party in
power has advanced to positions of respon-
sibllity and trust those who were without
responsibility and good standing IN the
community Were the question of the
amount of the bonds to be required Of
public officers new one, the bill now re-
turned might be unobjectonable.
But the circumstances must be duly
weighed, and it cannot be overlooked that
the reduction of these bonds now will be
understood and believed to be made to
meet individual cases Of men who were
elected with a full knowledge of the re-
quirements OF the law. Legislation to meet
special cases is always Objectionable, and
the present is probably time when more
harm will result from such Legislation than
at any previous moment in our history
1t is not pertinent, however, to Enquire par
ticularly what may be the individual char
acter of the officer and officers who clanccd
to be personally interested i'll securing the
proposed reduction.
The source Of danger is in the principle,
and does not rest on personal grounds
The precedent is bad. When once we be-
Gin to accommodate local requirements to
suit special cases, the mischief is done.
In the case of some of the officers Of
Counties, it Is understood that a PROPOSE
ton is under consideration to diminish the
responsibility by assigning part of the dn-
ties to other officers. In cases where the
responsibilities may be thus reduced, the
reduction Of the bond required would not
be improper. But, upon careful consid
Grafton of the whole subject, and with the
deepest concern for the interests of the
State, feel compelled to disal prove the
Act to reduce the bonds now required by
law of those officers elect, whose duties
and responsibilities remain the same as
those of the present incumbents and their
predecessors.
The section guarding against embezzlc
menc of the public moneys, meets my un-
qualified approval, but am compelled, for
the reasons above given, to disapprove the
Act as q whole.
ROBERT X. SCOTT, Governor.