Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-06-26

ern States, which they had left on wild hunt
for fortune and not found it.
One middle-aged man from Greenville,
South Carolina, had in charge a younger
brother whose mind was deranged. He told
me his story:
my brother went to Texas six months ago,
very much against the wishes ofhis folks. But
he said South Carolina was such hard State
for young man to get a start in that he would
try Texas. He is very religious, having join.
ed the church when child. He went to
Marshall, Texas. There they keep the bar
rooms open on Sunday, and 'cut up the same
as any other day. They are clever people,
but mighty roug h. Seeing 80 much wicked
ness, 80 different from what it is in our coun-
try, worked on him so that he lost his mind,
and fear never will get straight again"
Another young mans experience was some
what different. He had gone to Texas from
Mississippi with companion. They proposed
to make an immediate fortune trading in vast
herds of cattle. When they arrived in Texas
they had even one thousand dollars in gold.
With so large capital to begin with they
had no idea but what they would soon become
rich in the cattle business, and return home
covered with gold dust and honor. But the
plans of men often 60 contrary in Texas
These hopeful young men were taken sick in
the interior on account of bad water. Their
board cost them forty dollars month in gold
each. They only escaped doctors bill be-
cause there were no doctors. When we'll they
continued on their journey west, looking for
"cheap CATTLE They did not find them till
they got nearly to New Mexico. Then they
thought it would be big thing to drive their
cattle to southern California. They "drove"
a few days, became discouraged at slow pro-
gress, and sold out to another drover, losing
Just two hundred dollars. They got tired Of
cattle, returned to the eastern part Of the
State, and went into the sheep business They
took drove of sheep to Jefferson, and could
not sell them at smaller loss than one hun.
dred dollars. As it would take some time to
make fortune at these figures, they conclu-
ded to drive their sheep to Kansas They
succeeded in losing near two hundred and tf.
ty dollars. They returned to Texas, still
looking for a good place to grow up with the
country, and paying good round board bills
all the time. They intended to commence in
the cattle and sheep business, but board bills
ate up their capital 80 fast they took the tail
end oft and bought tickets for home, wiser
but poorer men"
The Attorney Generals Opinion.
In Columbia last week, the several
County Auditors of the State met in Conven-
ton, for the purpose of consulting and inter-
changing views in regard to the laws regula-
ting the assessment Of property. The Con-
vention was addressed by several of the State
officers, and among others by Attorney-Gen-
eral Melton, who took occasion to refer to the
fact that he was frequently applied to by va
rious officers for his opinion on "vexed ques-
tions." Inasmuch as the impression very
general prevails that it is the duty Of the At
torney- General to decide all questions which
may arise with officers while in the dis
charge of their duties, and that the opinion of
the Attorney.General is final in such cases,
we make the following extract for the purpose
of disabusing the public mind of that idea:
"Coming into the Office Of encouragement,
through the amiability of his predecessor he
had been informed of many of the customs at
once, one of which was that officers from all
grades of service were in the habit of apply.
ing direct to the attorney general for opinions
upon this and that subject, and that they had
evidently conceived it to be the duty of the
attorney general to give decision in all such
cases to any officer who may apply. 1t would
be amusing, he said, to look over some of the
many communications he received from day
to day from trial justices, treasurers, auditors
and knots of people here and there who gather
together to discuss some point in which they
have fancy or have really been wronged
kind of an idea that he was the judge of the
community. He begged to say that he was
no such thing. He was the law officer of the
State to conduct such litigation on the part Of
the State as might be required of him but no
citizen had the right to call upon him for an
official opinion in the manner he had recited.
Those who had the right to demand his official
opinion were the General Assembly or either
or both branches of it, but not an individual
member of that body, the Governor, the treas
urer, the secretary Of State, comptroller-gen'
eral and superintendent of education, the exc
cutive officers of the State, and he had made
it uniform practice to deny others except in
cases of extreme necessity. First, it was not
his duty to give to others his opinion on de-
mand, and, secondly, it was worth no more
than his opinion as lawyer, if he did give it,
there being no official sanction for it. He
would now venture to give one opinion, how.
ever and that was that the board of county
auditors was under the direct control of the
comptroller.general, who has the law inter.
preted to him whenever he requests it, and
whatever he lays down is assumed to be the
law, and you will act under it. The comp
troller-general has the right to demand the
opinion of the attorney and he un-
dertook to say that ninety-nine out of every
one hundred cases referred to the attorney
general could be at once answered by the
comptroller.general, and the opinion of that
officer must be considered by the county au-
ditors as their guide. He knew the auditors
did not mean any disrespect in thus ignoring
the right department to which their inquiries
should be made, but it was possible that it
could be 80 regarded. tits your duty to COM
municate with him with you 1 have no off,
cial relations. The same rule applies to the
county treasurers and regarding the manage
ment of the schools and all the various agen-
cies of the State. To all these am officially
a stranger, except to those who have them d.
rectly in charge.
The attorney.general closed by saying that
he would be obliged if the several auditors
would speak of this at their various places of
business, that parties might thus be saved the
trouble of sending to him communications, to
which, at most, he could only give formal
reply"
Colonel Mosby Interviewed.