The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1871-04-26
The Talk with Gov. Sp5tt,

and general condition, the more import
ant because 1t Is the first expression OF
official opinion that has been heard IN
the present crisis. Eacs, question as
prupounded was answered by Gov. Scott
frankly and squarelv, and show that they
had ben ;houghtfu!ly considered. Want
of spare alone prevents us presenting
this report to our readers, and we give
only a few extracts. In regard to tie
action of the Board Of Trade, and the
feeling Of the people as to taxation,
State debt, and the corrupt Legislature,
the Governor said:
II am free 10 say that, in my judg-
men,, the disturbed condition of the pub
lie mind results from miSapprehenSion
of our financial affairs. Either with a
view to injlre the credit of the State o:
to achieve personal objectS-perhapS po'
li,ical in charactcr-certain individuals
have sought to make it appear that the
State debt has been largely Increased byy
the present administration. Such is not
the fact, and propose to show The why
and wherefore. Fi,>t, the act Of the
Legislature nc lSGS auth ,iEed the fund
ing Of the bills of the Bank Of ;he State
into State bonds. That I do not regard
as an increase rf the debt, but merely as
a change ia the c,,a OF all cid debt, the
courts having tlccihcd that the State was
unoncstinnahly liable for these bills. So
much, then, is no, c'argeable 10 this ad.
ninisua,ion. Secondly, in the rcorgani-
cation Of the government, it was ascc.. :
tanned that large amount of n..st due
interest and other claims lad accumu-
lated and were unpaid. 10 meet these
obligations the J.. gi<lature authorized
the issue Of '-..llion of bonlS. 1t will
be seen, y reference to the law, how
these oondS we're to be ncgotiated.-
tsuirdly, 4 debt existed which had been
created by the issue Of bills receivable
Immediately after the War. Trey, too.
had to be provided for, OF rather, retired.
aud an additional issue Of five hunir,d
Thousand dollars worth "f bonds was
made for this purpose. Fourthly, it was
! asccrlained, during the regular Session OF
lS6S-'G9, that even With this assistance.
il was impossible, at the low price AT
! which the bonds were selling, 10 me:
the liabilities which exiS,ed-debt by
the way, that had not been created by
this administration. The issue Of mi
! of
thorizcd, for the relief of the treasury.
The sum total as then two million five
hundred thousand dollars Finally, the
act providing for the organization Of the
land commission called for seven hun
dred thousand dollars more Of bonds,
and thus the total issues, since 1868,
amount to three million tao hund; ed
thousand dollars. Now, Of these bonds,
according to the last repor: OF the tlnan.
cial agent, at New York, ahont one mil.
lion Of dollars have been placed upon
the market, leaving balance Of twenty.
two hundred thousand dollars IN his
hands. You will see from this statement
that there is 10 foundation whatever for
the rumors whirh have obtained currcn
cy; and can readily understand why, j"
consequence Of those run.ors, our Sccu'l'
ties have been depressed. and the cre:i,
Of the State seriously injured"
And on the question o! taxation--
with proper understanding Of the
suhicct-,hat is, taking iuto considrra.
ton the aggregate Of the three lcvies Of
tax which have been tnade-the people
would have no cause to complain. + r
instance, ir 1868. there Was a levy Of
seven and a l.a.f mills on the dollar,
which VA, collected in 1869; in 1860,
the levy was only FIVE millS on the dol
!ar-an amount which any man who viii
>it down and figure up the absolutely
necessary expenses of the State Govern.
nent will sec is utterly inadequate. Still,
for political purposes, the Legislature
Was then induced to tix this percentage,
and it perhaps had its Influence on the
camraiga yet it was not CROUCH. 1t
was, therefore, necessary 70 increase In:
levy for the expenses rf 1870. Taking
the three years, however, the aggregate
is only twenty one mills and halt,
Shich, equally sutdivIed, would n",
make the levy 50 greatly o"t Of propor'
ton as it may at prcScn: secn'. Il Ger,
tainly furnishes no real cause for the
complaint Of high ,axa,ipn.'
A. to two lcvics Of tax collected in one
year
That is not correct We are nn;y
collecting the tax for 1870, AID by an
amendment 70 the tax act, it is proposed
to commence collection, for 1871, on the
18th day Of November next, the o'j"ct
being 70 bring the collection Of a portion
of the taxes within the yea, in which
they are levied. The impo' tancc 81
making tbs iIa"gs will be apparent T.
every thoughtful man. lis "cIi hno"n
,pa, large portion rF ;he ci,iz"nN "i The
Stale d not pry t1x"S, a"d that lhei
are iuproviGcnt il The cxpriliiurc "i
money. tSuaiiy the product rf thrl'
wears Industry comes TO them during
the months ot November aud Dcccmbrr.
Were tic tax hopH, then opened, it Is
ny impression that this class of people
would f,av their taxes, and thus aid to
the inconc Of the Sta.c, whereas, if the
time is postponed to the middle Of Jann'
AIRY or tue first Of February, as hitherto,
as 4 genera! rule they would pay nothing
N Short, believe NC Shall be enabled
~ lili> c"angc, to collect two hundred
;lcuSa.d dol.ars, which, under tic f17
mc- arrangement, cou!t. no, be collected
at all. AnJ car see no Ea' ...:~,'' IHa'
vii! bc ce"s"d by tie change, fo' i; !ca;v>
;hc privilege the sane as ~ present OF
d:fc,ring tie addition Of a penalty for
non laymcu. it i, is thought cx?cd;cnt
to DO 50. Instead Of oppres<:ns the tax
payer, therefore, it is in enc :cnsc a
b'cSSinS 70 the people. 70: it opens the
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