The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-12-18
From the State Capitol.
Correspondence Of the Charleston Ne,rs and Courier
COIJ1ArRIA. s. G.. Dec. 9.

COLUMBIA, S. c., Dec. 9.
The crisis of the session of the General AS
sembly is near at hand A concurrent resolu-
tion was adopted in the House to-day to take
recess from the 18th of the present month to
the 18th of January, 1874. 1t will doubtless
be concurred in by the Senate without any
material amendment. 1t means, of course,
that the tax bill and the mode of adjustment
of the public debt shall have been fixed upon
before the time mentioned, and as they act
upon those two measures must the General
Assembly be adjudged as wise and economical,
or failure. The latter will doubtless be the
verdict of every intelligent observer, for as time
rolls on the disposition to pile on the taxes, and
to complicate the matter of settling the debt
still further by the introduction of all sorts of
questionable and illegal claims, appears to in
crease. At first, sixteen mills, which is the
rate of levy as fixed by the House in the bill
to raise supplies, was regarded as enormous,
and as bearing dangerously hard upon the peo-
Pile, as it unquestionably does, for it is two
mills more than was ever levied even during
the reign of the unlamented predecessor of his
Excellency who now is. Now, the talk is that
even sixteen mills will not satisfy the avari-
cous cravings of our delectable rulers, and
that they must have a mill or two more. 1t
they continue to respond to the frequent and
loud calls of the Credit Mobiler Printing Com
pany, that insatiate monster which actually
devoured far more of the taxes last year than
did the public schools, and to make wild ap-
preparations for the benefit of other favored
claimants, sixteen mills may probably not be
enough to meet all expenses, and in the same
way thirty mills or any other given rate might
also fail to realize a sutficiency of the needful:
But two wrongs will never make right, ana
Il. i. Of f1a lodi rQr.
ty will never be able to justify their uncon-
scionable burden upon the people, upon the
ground that it is necessary in order to meet
their imprudent and dishonest appropriations.
Tinkering at the debt, the fever for which, so
high about month ago, suddenly abated en-
tirely, is beginning again to engage the atten-
ton of our mighty rulers This time the Sen
ate is to try its hand at adjusting the finances.
Senator Jervey leads off in g. brilliant bill in
troduced by him to-day, which is called "a bill
to adjust the debt of the State" 1t does not
differ from the bills of similar character which
have been introduced in the House. and ex-
planned in my correspondence at the time OF
their introduction, except in the rate OF dis
count, and being more omnibus in its nature.
The same enumeration of the bonds and stocks
is made; tax of blank number of mills is
declared to be levied to pay the interest and
provide sinking fund it is made felony,
punishable with heavy fine and imprisonment,
to embezzle or divert the money raised tor IN
terest and the sinking fund, &c; the coupons
and interest. orders are made receivable Tor
the taxes to be provided for in the bill, &C.,
lust as the former bills provide. The original
features are that the old bonds and the new
bonds, outside of the fraudulent conversion
bonds, are to be exchanged at the rate of sixty
six and two thirds cents of their face value.
The fraudulent Conversion Bonds at twenty
five cents of their face value and the pay GER
tificates, bills payable, Blue Ridge Scrip, and
other evidences of Indebtedness at fifty cents.
The bill, I am informed, is not the omnibus
bill proper This latter, it is said, is being
doctored up by Honest John, who is here in
busy consultation, commonly called lobbying,
with the members about something. In the
Senate to-day nothing much was done. In the
House, the sergeant-at-arms reported the mum,
ber of extra attaches, and the "cat in the meal
tub" was disclosed at last He reports that
there have been employed outside of the regu-
lar list, which was fixed by resolution last
winter at thirty-three, extra attaches to the
number of eighty, being four committee clerks,
6fty-one laborers and twenty-five pages. This
makes in all one hundred and thirteen attaches,
some thirteen less than the entire number OF
members elected and more than the ordinary
number of members present. This IS retrench-
ment and reform with vengeance.