The sun., 1871-12-04
Cranti>m In south Carolina.

CraniiSm IN South Carolina.
n, message Of Gov SCOTT, Of South Caro-
lna, Is laborcd attempt 20 whtcwash the
frauds which have been committed under his
mnistration : but that distinguished fnan.
cier las sigunlly failed in the effort to pre-
scut plausible defence Of his official career
a pcrusal Of the document at many points
suggests the idea that the Governor s not en-.
dowcd with that scnsitivcness in regard to n
strict adherence to the principles Of vorac.ty
which manifested itself as characteristic OF
the great GEORGE WASHINGTON at very
carly p.riod Of his life, and his arguments
I'll to make an impression because Lis
stories do not hang 70 ether.
He says that 1t must not be presumed that
tie Increase in the bonded debt Of the State
is the creation in any considerable degree OF
the ca sting Administration, as this increase
represents mostly liabilities contracted un.
der previous administrations but taking his
own figures, which it Is fair to assume give
the most favorable exhibit that can be made.
the puolic debt now amounts & $lJ, ,0S 300
(includipg s3,733 600 Of bonds hypothccatcd
in this city 10 secure the payment Of q aoat-
ing debt OF about S9OO00O). and yet the off.
cial report of the Comptroller General trans
mi,ted by Gov. ScoTT himself 10 the Legs
lature in November. 1870, as a true and cor.
rect exhibition Of the financial condition OF
South Carolina, stated the whole public
debt contracted before ard since the war to
i,a Int =
increase in the last year Of more than eight
million dollarsl
While the Governor charges tho political
| opponents of the Government with the re-
sponsibility for the great depreciation in the
market value Of the public securities, he
admits that the General Assembly has Law
shed the public moneys in an e1travagant
and Illicit" manner. The enormous sum
Of $2025jG was expended on printing alone
during aud incident to the last session of the
General Assembly, while large claims for
public printing are still outstanding Pre-
vious to the war the total expenses Of the
Legislature amounted 10 about $4,000 n
session.
GOV. SCoIT explains at great length the
reasons which led him to apply to President
GRANT for the enforcement in South Carolina
Of the ku.kluX law and seeks TO show that
he was unable or incompetent TO protect the
State from domestic violence; all of which
seems very queer when it is recollccted that
the Governor repeatedly made the declara-
| ton at the time of GRANTS proclamation
nj ltn yrn IN ifa ms Tor g. 81
| tho General Government and considered the
| Presidents action needless and injudicious.
Whatever Gov SCoTT may have failed to
prove in his message, it is very evident that
he has established the fact that his
own evidence in regard to any matter OF
public policy is utterly worthless unless sub
stantiated by Trustworthy and dsinterestod
testimony from other sources.
GOV. SCoIr makes one suggestion in his
message which is eminently worthy Of his
peculiar genius for trichery. The poverty
stricken people Of South Carolina ere greatly
ia arrears for their taxes, the amounts due
for the years 1868 1863 aud 1870 ogcre
eating st131433 To enable the State to
realize these delinquent taxes tho Governor
rccCmwcuds that tAe Jaw be 90 amended
that real and personal property subject to
taSation sio'l bee sold at public sale by tho
County Traaroys within thirty days after
the same shall have become delinquent m
! der the tax levy, and that bonds of the Slate
be taken at par Tor all real estate purchased
at delinquent land sales. Also that the pro.
vision of the law requiring County Auditors
to purchase land for the State at delinq Lcnt
land sales be repealed This looks like an
attempt to improve the credit of the State
but if such Law is passed it's effect will be
to turn rooF people out OF housoand home IN
order to give Sco7Ts stock jobling friends
an opportunity for working OF ct par the
State bonds which ,hey have oLta.aol At
! ul cnormuu- d,r',t,u'