Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-12-15
wALHALLA, SOUTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER l5 1871

| further recommend that the lands pur
chased by the Land Commission, and all 9th
or lands owned by the State, be subdividec
into suitable areas, and sold at an early peri
od at a rate per acre to be fixed by law, nc
cordlng to classification, and that bonds o.
the State be taken in payment, at par, fo,
all such lands.
| The State lands are now estimated to bt
worth one million U,0000OU dollars, at 9
minimum valuation
The office of assistant adjutant general
should be abolished, aud the adiutaut gene
raj should be required to perform the duties
of his Office.
The office of State auditor should be abol
ished, and its duties performed by the comp
troller. general
The Office Of county auditor can be dis
penscd with without Injury to the public ser
vice, and tho duties of that office devolved
! upon the county treasurer, thus efeotipg a
saving to the State Of not less than fifty thou.
sand 100000 dollars per aunum, and secur.
ing even increased efficiency in the collection
of taxes.
invite your early attention to the recon-
mendatlons OF my last message in regard to
trial justices The aggregate cost Of this
class of officers is very near one hundred and
twenty thousand (l20000) dollars annually.
The trial justices in the city of Charleston
alone entail upon the county an expenditure
of about thirty five thousand (35 ,0OO) dol.
lars year. | would, therefore, urge in ad
diton to my former recommendation Oh this
subject, that the Office of trial Justice be
abolished in the city Of Charleston, and that,
in lieu thereof, three police judges be crea.
ted to the State Of the sessions Of the Gene.
raj Assembly, as compared with for that
city, who shall receive adequate salaries, aud
shall exercise the jurisdiction vested in tria!
justices. l would further recommend the
appointment of one police judge in each of
our principal towns, dispensing with trial Jus
ticcs therein, aud vcsting in such Judges the
judicial powers now exercised by tho mayors
courts, as, under existing acts, the mayors
and intcndants of our cities aud towns NAV
crowd our ials with prisoners sentenced or.
trtflug onenccs, thus increasing Tile o~yensesN
of the several counties.
Many extravagant statements nave been
made regarding tho assessment and collection
of taxes, and those not fnlrilar With the nc
tual facts, when compared with collection
Of revenue for the same purposes IN other
States, are doubtless frequently led to believe
that taxation is cxtro'aGant and unusual |
undertake to say tlat not State IN the un,
ion has collected less tax in the same length
of time in proportion to its population and re-
sources. rh. following is correct exhibit
OF the appropriation of moneys, the levy of
tax, collection revenue per annnm, and the
delinquent list for the years 1868, 1869 and
1870:
Total taxntion for 1868. rate of taxation,
State, u mills. 81 1887 10 total amount
COLLECTED, 81 .1G3 ,053 2S delinquent, sl75,-
6Ss 9l; total appropriations for the year
1868, exclusive of interest on public debt,
for which no appropriation was made, SSl7,-
96929.
Total taxation for 1862 rate, State, 5
mills, Sl.0l4,00l SO total amount collected,
$76G, ,73G.0S; delinquent, 24S l65.75; total
appropriations for the year 1860, including
interest on public debt, 81, ,191 $4,000.
Total taxation for 1870, State, 8 mills,
81, ,67O, ,063 GO; total amount collected ST..
l46,U37 .06 delinquent, 1924 ,026 60-total
appropriations for the year 1870, Sl,604,-
Total delinquent taxes, ,s047 ,88126; twen-
ty per cent penalty, slS9,576.25-total,
81, ,457.5l.
If tho taxes, as shown in the foregoing
statement, had been paid, as they should have
been, it would have saved the State at least
$4,000, 900 of bonded debt.
recommend that the Office of land CON-
missioner be abolished, and that the duties
of tho office be dovolvcd upon tho Secretary
of State
The thirty ono school commissioners, at
their present salaries, which arc exceedingly
large for the amount Of service that they ren.
der, cost the State thirty.one thousand five
hundred dollars per annum. /, therefore,
recommend material reduction in the saa-
ries Of school commissioners, so as to reduce
tho expenditures on this account to sum not
exceeding ten thousand dollars per annum.
There is great and instant need for the
reduction of the salaries Of State officers, and
for decided diminution Of the clerical force
employed in many offices of the Executive
department. In some cases the State is pay.
ing clerks to perform duties which should be,
and can be, discharged by the officers them.
selves. In my opinion the salaries of all of.
icers, except tho judges, should be reduced
one. third.
Ey- Bishop Thomas r. Davis, of the Epis
copal Church, died at Camden on last Sa
turday, in the 88th year Of his age. Ho has
filled the office of Bishop for eighteen years,
and had been resident of this State for the
last twenty. five years. Bishop Davis was a
native of North Carolina.
OMAHA, December 8.-The snow is still
l.;e.;nn T,vortu fro;oht ooro ora ,;llod 4,