The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-11-29
! Sss,a-: IsfaSssSssS 81 Il.

.s 4a2K.1 11El9:s,l ! Rz Isa1za saaierity
!ss hsss 49, s~Ss Sssplls a::sSsas, STATE.
J hers agai9 been elealad to, theo omoa OF
Ns2yeF PQr.ea While IL eaanpts bat acoept
Tn 4;a sfeenl. - an endorsement sf my own
ad.niniat alton Of .thefaf1airs of. Govern
Wept during the past two years, I am
wall aware that it lis in greater degree
Intended as an endorsement of the prin-
ciples and measures Of that great party
OF which I am simply tho chosen repre-
GeRfoeive. .rgAdr2lL ~ ,N .iL,
nsTAe campaign, through which we have
passed has been heated. and in some par
Goulars very bitter and acrimonious.
Doubtless many things have been said by
the advocates OF both parties, which had
better have been left unsaid. OF one
thing the people, Of the State may be
assured, so far as my course as public
officer is concerned, the ordinations and
zecriminations of the political contest
are forgotten; and while I shall not fail
in allegiance to the principles of the
party Irepresent, as Governor of the
State. entrusted with the execution Of its
laws, I will know; no party or class, but
shall endeavOr most earnestly to protect
and secure the rights and privileges of
all.
The Constitution and laws of our State
give to the Executive large powers, and
thess powers carry with them correspond
ing responsibilities. He would indeed
be q bold man, who, having occupied the
position which it has been my lot to hold
for the past two eventful years, should
claim for himself freedom from mistakes,
or even serious errors in the administra-
tion OF the affairs of Government. I
certainly make no such claim. But do
claim that the general scope and aim Of
my administration has been very good :;
and that it has been measurably free
from the errors incident to all human 60
vernments.
A charge. freely made against my ad-
ministration, has been the incompetency
of its appointees, to the various County
and other offices. The charge is not
entirely without truth. But a rccur-
renee to the history of the two years
Just passed will offer some justification
Tor such appointments. When the ad-
ministration just closed came into power,
the citizens of the. State, who, by cduca-
ton and experience, were best fitted to
hil the various Offices in the gift of the
Executive. either openly opposed, or
silently, but persistently, stood aloof
from the Government. Persons, whose
services the State would have been glad
to secure, refused to qualify for the posi-
tiOns which were offered them; while on
the other hand, men were urged upon
the Executive, whose opposition to the
Government was so well known as to
make their appointment, SO far as the
execution of the laws was concerned, a
farce. In addition, many, if not most of
these appointments, had to be made i'm
mediateIy; the exigencies of the public
service were such as to preclude the
possibility of thorough investigation
into che character and fitness of the
persons recommended by them, upon
whom the Executive was compelled to
depend for information. In the nature
Of things, 1t has been, to great degree,
dmpfaoticable for him to know fully the
qualifications of those who have been
urged upon him for appointment. am
satisfied, that without doing injustice to
the claims of any one, the large expert
ence which We have all gained, combined
with the accessions which have been
made to the ranks of those who are both
actively and passively friendly to the ad-
mlnlstration. will enable us to cure this
evil In the future. It is not necessary to
enter into an argument to show the i'm
possibility of carrying on the affairs of
the Government without competency on
the part of those selected to perform it's
duties; the thing is self evident. 1t is
my purpose, 30 far ns the responsibility
rests with me, to secure such compe
tency; and in this effort I think I NAV
confidently look for the support of the
people of the State of ell classes.
Fellow.citizens, our State has made
great progress in all respects within the
last two years. Two years ago, large
GLASS of our people were unit almost in
their avowed determination not to recog-
nize the validity of the Reconstruction
Acts of Congress, or of the Government
established under them. Today, these
are all treated as accomplished facts. by
all Glasses of the community, 30 far rs
public utterances have any value, and
We have good reason to believe that the
number of persons who cherish either
the hope or the desire to distrust the ex-
listing political relations of the people is
very uncomfortable. Our national pro-
gress has kept pace with the political. It
is true. that the European war, by de-
pressing prices, has made our people feel
poorer than they hoped to be, but never
O