Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1873-12-04
THE TRHAsURER,s REPORT.
the Editor of tie Commercial !:
COLUMBIA, Nov. 81, 1873.

the prominent members OF IL were suro
that under no circumstances need they
fear making so bad record as those just
being relegated to private life. There
were doubtless struggles made to- take
some step in the path Of reform. How
far these struggles resulted In good to
the tax payers we are trying to discover
from the treasurer's report. 1
In the first place taxes were last year
three mills more than any year Of the
previous administration and were five
mills more than the average yearly tax
levy under the Scott regime.
Without comment, let me.note a few
of the items of expense reported BY the
present treasurer.
Printing paid for, s364,4l7.92; print
ing claims due and unpaid, 500, ,5s9.63;
total for printing for one year 1856, ,oO6.-
90. Besides this amount appropriation
have Just been passed, $4,000 for an
immigration report; $4,000 for books for
the collection Of taxes; $25,0OO for print
ing decisions of the supreme court; $50,-
600 for the printing Of the extra session;
total for printing up to the present time,
S640, ,OO6.92
Next take the legislative expenses for
1s72-73. Amount paid, $3.50, ,9sl.30;
due and unpaid, ST. .S61; total, $3.50, ,S42.-
80. Besides this bill has been present.
ed for appropriating 100000 more for
deficiencies of the legislature, which it is
said does not nearly cover the amount OF
certificates out for that session. 1t is
safe, however, to assume that the $780,
900 is out in some shape or it would not
be demanded. Thus we may put the
printing paid, unpaid and ordered at
S64O, ,OO5.92. aud the Legislative expenses
paid, and unpaid, at 1850, ,s42.3O; grand
total of $l,OO0,S49.22. This sum is
nearly equal to the whole amount collect
by taxation in the last year of Scotts
administration.
The receipts by the state treasurer are
reported at Sl,7l9, 1851; all of which
has been disbursed according to appro-
priations, and there remains due and
unpaid for wait of funds under appro-
priations, $S29, 527.27; a total expense
of So, ,549, ,255.64 for the first fiscal year
of this administration.
In this immense amount it will be OBJ
served that there are only two items for
interest. One Of them is for 81, ,672 paid
on the agricultural college bonds, and
the other is somewhat mysterious item
of 81, 44O payment of interest on land
commission bonds; total payment ofin-
terest of only Sl2,ll2. There was also
paid of deficiencies of previous year $780,
Sl5 for schools; $2l, ,S9S.30 for legislative
expenses of lS70-7l-72. The total ex-
pense then of this first year Of the re-
formed republican party of South Carroll
ma, making the above deductions, is $2,-
4l4,97l.
In 1868 the legislature spent $I30,0O0
on itself, and the state tax was u mills;
NOW it spend S360,s42 and the tax is IL
mills. The extravaganza of 1868, caused
the organization of the ku klux klan.
Can we afford now to say with Boss
Tweed to the people "what are you
going to do about it.
The state of Ohio collects a state tax
amounting to over twenty millions of dol
lars or more than ten times our highest
amount, and yet the legislative expenses
are set down az no more than one-tenth
that which ours costs. The proportion
of expenditure to means is hundred to
one against us.
Each year these two drains upon the
state have become more and more. 1t
can be shown that the paid and unpaid
expenses of the legislature and the paid
and unpaid printing claims have swal-
lowed up nearly the whole amount raised
from taxation during the past five years.
The other expenses had to be met by
the sale of bonds.
Now no administration ought to be
held entirely responsible for this. Mr..
Cardozo cannot in justice be blamed for
having paid out money on appropria-
tions. He is an executive officer, and
does as he is ordered. Governor Moses
did not contract these printing bills, nor
did he hire all the employees whose wa.
ges 60 to swell the enormous sum of
$36O,S43, for legislative expenses. He
may be blamed for not vetoing the bills,
but it is certain that if he had done so it
would have been Intellectual, so that he
would have beaten his enemies and
cooled his friends, without benefting
the state. The other state officers form
ing what is called the administration
have even less to do with this particular
extravaganza. So that it seems clear that
no administration, not the purest in the
country, unless backed up by an honest
and economical legislature, could have
prevented the state of things shown
above.
Let the people cease then talking about