The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1873-03-20
From the South Carolinian.

The present administration went into pow
or or rather went before the people asking
their suffragcs in the last State election, un
der certain solemn and specific pledges II
inaugurate measures of economy and reform
in the hitherto acknowledged rotten and ex
trayagant State government. One term .ol
the Legislature has passed, and it may bt
we'll to review the field and see how they
have fulfilled their mission.
The Union of Wednesday claims that the
party has made good its promises. We invite
the attention of that journal to the polnt'
we make, and would be glad to have reply
if the ingenuity of the Union man can de-
wise odeswhich will justify its congratulatory
criticism.
The first two paragraphs of the platform
of promises and principles laid down by the
Republican party at its nominating conven'
-tion last summer, when its banner was
thrown to the breeze, under its chosen lead
ers, for the approaching campaign, relate to
Federal politics and are of no moment now
The. third paragraph reads as follows:
owe pledge ourselves to effect instantly
financial reform in the State government, by
sus.ending the payment OF the interest on
evcrv bond of the State, to which there can
be attached. the shadow Of suspicion, and
providing for the punctual payment Of the
principal and interest Of the unquestionably
valid debt; and that the members of the Lee
e;slature elected by the Republican party
shall be pledged to carry into effect the
meaning and intent Of this section"
We would ask of the Union, whe has as
sumed the championship of the administra-
tion in this regard. and we would ask OF the
party. how has this pledge been kept !
There has been nothing whatever done in
the premises. Good and valid bonds, and
fraudulent bonds, have all been treated
alike, and put upon the same footing. No
definite action upon the subject has been Ia
ken. The party has plainly shirked its du-
ty and falsi6ed its pledge as to this point
The Legislature has done nothing, and even
His Certifcate-cy F. Judas Moses, in that
omsi,em oathermm message of his, which
seemed to treat Of everything else, and went
into yery valuable statistics In relation to
the debt Of the General Government, pass
ed by the State finances at the close with
some pointless sentences. He did not even
call the attention of the General Assembly
to its pledge and recommend performance.
The State finance remain to-day in as inex-
tricable confusion and as unsatisfactory
condition as they werc year ago. SO much
for that first pledge. What have you to say
as to its performance, Mr.. Union
The fourth paragraph of the platform reads
as follows:
"In the interest of financial reform and
good government, we pledge ourselves to
throw around the State Treasury every safe
guard necessary to ensure the faithful appli-
cation of the public service, pursuant to just
laws. enacted in the interest OF the whole
people Of South Carolina"
What. if anything, has been done to car
ry out the purpose of this pledge we do not
know. We think there has been not par
ticle oflegislation upon the. subject Were
Parker now Treasurer, he could DO, for
aught the safeguards thrown around the
State Treasury might avail, just a. he did
before. The only Improvement to be hoped
for in this direction is, that Cardoza may
have clearer knowledge and higher appre-
citation of the laws of uean, ct tunns than his
predecessor Parker had.
The fifth promising paragraph Of the plat
form aforesaid reads in these words:
Gas essential to the reform herein guar
antsed and imperatively demanded BY the
people as the vital necessity of the State, we
shall require that the public expenses shall
be reduced within the public revenues to be
derived from moderate system Of taxation,
based upon fair and equitable assessment
of all property liable to taxation under the
Constitution. To effect this needed rcduc-
ton in expenditures, we insist that there
shall be an immediate reduction in the salS-
ries of all public officers, from the highest to
the lowest in the State and counties, and
that there shall be judicious reduction of
the number of the public Offices themselves ;
and the number Of attaches Of the General
Assembly shall be limited by law"
This is all very nice, and precisely what
the people demand; but, they have been
words Of promise to the ear and broken to
the hope. The public expenses have not
been reduced, nor are they within the reve-
nue. to be derived even from very heavy
system of taxation. We venture the prophe-
~ tb.t there will be large deficiency next
winter to be provided for There has been
no reduction Of the salaries Of either the
highest or the lowest officers and no reduc-
t;on of the Offices themselves. The number
of attaches was fixed by law, but outside OF
this there is not pledge in the paragraph
fulfilled, or any part thereof A more shame
ful and Wholesale failure, was never made
by .ny party in the world: We shall treat
Of the other pledges hereafter.
Tt is stated that on each Tuesday, Wed
nesday and Thursday, the New York Post
N@ce receives regularly from thirty to sixty
.,us of newspapers and other printed
nve " nunpaid. The receipts from paper