The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-03-14
The Finances Of the State and the Work Of
the Legislature.

The Finances Of the State and the Work Of
the Legislature.
trNemo,". the intelligent correspondent OF
the Charleston Courier, thus reviews the work
of the Legislature and the financial condition
of the State:
A residence of over three months in the
State Capital at time when the General As
sembly is in session is calculated to give one q
very good idea of the state of affairs behind
the political scenes, and if the readers of the
Courier have not sickened Of the dishes Of frit-
tering useless legislation which has been served
up to them during the last quarter Of year,
review of the financial condition Of the State
at this time may not prove uninteresting to
them.
When the Legislature of 1S71-72, convened
in November last, they were met at the ont.
set with one of the most impracticable and
complicated financial problems, that was ever
given to legislature to solve. The unprece-
dented increase in the State debt, from seven
millions to sixteen millions of dollars, by the
statement of the State Treasurer, and probably
to over twenty millions if the true state of the
case was known, is matter upon which your
correspondent does not propose to diate. That
the present State Government is responsible
for the increase of the public debt there can
be no doubt 1t is equally certain Chat igno-
rance and lack Of foresight Oh the part of the
Legislature in great measure, opened the door
to this enormous issue Of State Bonds. But
who is specifically to be blamed, and who is to
bear the burden of the offence is matter which
must be settled between the parties at whose
door the charge is laid. Enough to say that
this complication arising from the negligence
and recklessness of the Legislature, was made
public before the General Assembly convened,
and they owed it to the party that elected them,
to meet the issue face to face, and make man
ly effort to cut the gordian knot which they
had helped to tie. Instead of doing this the
Legislature lodged the issue. They have will
fully ignored the subject, and are now about 10
close session of three months duration with.
out having made the least attempt to straight4
en- out the financial difficulties in which the
State has become involved. Nearly three
months have been wasted in the discussion and
passage of laws of a nature so obviously friyo-
lous, that the records of the session contain an
exhibit of nothing but acts of incorporation;
by which q few dollars are to be thrown into
the pockets of our law-givers. Almost the en-
tire business of the session has been confined
to the creation of franchises for the purposes
of bargain and sale, while the financial din.
culties created by their own imprudence-to
put it mildly-have been utterly ignored and
thrown aside. 2. r,..,,
The fact of the business is that the men who
compose the General Assembly realize the fact
that an election approaches, and they desire to
20 before their constituency with 8 cheap rec-
ord for economy. They have provided, by ap-
preparation, for about one-half of the expenses
that they have actually incurred, and have not
made single effort to extricate themselves
from the financial slough in which the State
is submerged. The sole object of the members
seems to be to get their per diem by hook or
crook, and to leave the administration to work
out the problem by itself In this way the
question of taxation, which involves the very
life of the State, was left till the last minute,
and finally, instead of receiving the careful
consideration that the people of the State have
right to expect at their hands, was taken up
in night session and hurried through absolute
ly under cover Of the dark. In this way, too,
these model legislators propose to leave De, den
cheney in their own expenditure OF over mil
sequences This is all very well so Tar as the
DOOR taxpayer is concerned. It is no funeral
of ours, and as protests and reasoning are OF no
avail, the land owner of the State are driven
to the alternative of quiet submission, or q
sale of his lands. But there is something be:
yond the wishes and protests of the taxpayers,
which should appeal to our law makers. Some,
thing which, let US hope will, at no distant day,
either hurl the party from the power which
they have 80 wantonly abused, or bring them
to a sense of the responsibility which rests up.
on the shoulders of those who are entrusted
with power. -.
1t is the voice of the people, and as surely as
the day follows the night, so surely wilk TINS
voice make itself heard, its power felt. 9TGhe
State is as bankrupt to-day, financially, IS the
11l>S off fha md n q
parent is this, that the Treasurer has not even
the wherewithal to pay the salaries Of the State
officers, and with an acknowledged debt OF SIX.
teen millions of dollars, a deficiency of over
one million more, with the credit of the State
ruined, and depleted treasury, which in.its
depletion is not free from the swindling schemes
of INSCRIPTIONS men, the session of 1872 is
about to close, leaving not vestlge OF an at;
tempt to relieve the State of its embarrassment,
or Tighten the burden of the people, to whose
suffrages the members are indebted for their
positions. The thousand and one corporations,
societies and military companies over which
the General Assembly have frittered away 30
much valuable time, will not wipe out the TACT
that they have never made an attempt to undo
the work of financial ruin and bankruptcy
which now envelopes their own Government,
And unless they devote the remainder of the
session to the real business of Legislators, they
will find in the road to Columbia next Noyem>
ber, many obstacles which they do not now
dream of. ,z
A distinguished and sagacious merchant
in New York says: 81 watch the papers Of the
locality of my customers, aud when l find on''
who is too stingy to advertise, or if he has with
drawn his advertisement, Immediately close
NV account with him. The man who can't ap-
preciate the benefits of advertising will never
make successful merchant, and it IS unsafe to
trust"