The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-12-07

vate citizen who might be member of it,
would add, in reference to the Financial Agent,
that he has been greatly embarrassed by the
practice, on the part of the Treasurer, of draw
ing upon the agency for funds to meet the cur.
! rent expenses of the State, in the interim be-
tween the periods fixed for the payment of
| taxes, thus creating a-aoating debt constantly
censure the Treasurer for this course, as he
doubtless thought it warranted by the exigen-
cies of the Treasury; but the practice is a bad
one, and would recommend that it should be
prohibited by proper legislation, which should
at the same time provide that hereafter no
money shall be borrowed or debt contracted to
defray the current expenses of the State Gov
ernment, but let all those to whom money is
due from the State await the collection of the
taxes. This course, coupled with a system of
rigid entrenchment, will soon lift the State
above oil present financial embarrassments, and
prevent their recurrence in the future. :
. For detailed statement Of the transactions
of the Financial Agent, refer you to his re-
port to the Comptroller General, for the quar-
ter ending September 80, 1871.
EXPENDITURES OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT.
While holding the political opponents of the
State Government responsible for the great de-
probation in the market value of our securities
/ "a depreciation directly due. to the conspiracy
against the credit of the StateAI am bound by
my sense of public duty to expose to the repro
baton Of the people the improyident expendi-
lures incurred by the General Assembly, and
the e1travagant and improper disbursement of
| the State moneys, to which'the legislative de-
partment has given either its express or inn
piled sanction. In SO doing; do not wish to,
| be considered rs wanting il. "a due and proper
roupoot 70 a no-ordipafn hrop6h of tho Sfofo
Government, but desire to appeal, in plain
and earnest language, ito the sober judgment,
the decent self:respect and the public spirit of
each member of the General Assembly, to give
his active aid in effecting an instant reform in
this direction for the whole people, with uni
ted voice, demand it, and the condition of our
finances, and every instinct of self-preseryation,
require it at your hands.
| 1t would scarcely have been possible for the
men who combined to destroy the credit of the
State, to have executed their purpose so sue
! cessfully, had not the General Assembly lent
them its practical cooperation, by exhausting,
through its extravaganza, the funds in the
Treasury, thus leaving the State without any
| reserve balance to meet the financial exigency.
instance the following, among many other
items of eXtravagant expenditures: The money
drawn upon the orders of the presiding officers
of the two Houses during the last session for
current printing amounts to s6S,904.9O. In ad-
dition to this large sum, $780, 900 were appropri-
ated for current printing for the same session,
making total Of S9S, ,9O4.90 expended on this
item alone There was further drawn from the
Treasury and disbursed by the Clerks of the
Senate and House, for printing the laws, &C.,
the sum of S1O3,651.4A These figures show
the enormous aggregate of S202, 1854 ex-
pended on printing alone during and incident
| to the last session of the General Assembly;
while large claims for public printing are still
outstanding. In addition to these expendi-
lures, the sum of S29,Sl4.05 was drawn upon
the orders of the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House, for purposes not
| very we'll defined bat designated as contingent
expenses and REPAIRS" making an aggregate,
for the above specified objects, of S292, 2,S7O.39-
sum startling in its magnitude for one session
of the General Assembly, and which may we'll
bid the legislative department pause in the
path that it has been pursuing.
The appropriations, including those vetoed
by the Executive, aggregate total OF S4SOOO0.
To this, is to be added the amount of $103, ,65l.-
of the Clerks Of the two Housee of the General
Assembly, on account of printing the laws, and
the grand total of expenditures, on account of
Legislative expenses" amounts to S583, ,65l:44
As an evidence Of the pernicious consequent
ces of permitting this money ORDER system
on the part Of the presiding officers of the
Senate and House, refer to the facts; we'll
known to the members of the General Assem-
bly,, that during the past year, upon the order
of the Speaker of the House, an alleged liabil-
ity against the State was contracted, to the
amount of s91 500, for furniture for the State
House. This was entirely without warrant OF
law, and if the principle is admitted that mon
eys can be thus drawn from the Treasury, or
debts contracted without appropriations made
by law" then all proper safeguards OF the
rial officers in the State may mortgage its rev.
enue in advance or deprive it at will of the
means of meeting its legal liabilities.
THE PAY OF MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL AS:
sEMBLY!
The first ii1iportont meastife Of retrenchment
demanded by our financial condition, is great
reduction in the amount received by members
| of the General Assembly for their services.
The Constitution provides, ARTICLE II, Sec.
ton 2S,) that "eueh member of the first Gener-
al Assembly, under this Constitution, shall re-
ceve six dollars per diem, while in sessioti, and
the further sum of twenty cents for every mile
of tie ordinary route of travel in going 10 and
returning from the place where such session is
held, after which they shall receive such COM
pensation as shall be fixed by law; but no
General Assembly shall have the power to in.
crease the compensation of its own members"
| would recommend that i'll l"i of per diem,
esch member shall receive a .nual salary to
be fixed at such a rate as will greatly diminish
the cost to the State of the sessions of the
General Assembly, as compared with the amount
now paid under the system of per diem COM
pensation. 1t will also enable the General As
seluby to provide an assessment for the amount
required for the pay of ts members, and will
enable them to obtain their pay with certainty.
am satisfied that moderate, yet adequate,
salary could be provided by law, and great
saving be thereby effected to the State Treasu-
~. You would thereby also greatly diminish
the incidental expenses Of the General Assem-
bly, by destroying what might offer great in
duccment to many members to prolong the ses-
sions