The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-03-12
COLUMBIA, S. G.
Thursday Morning. March IL, 1874.
Then and Now.

swer 0f the Radical committee to the
memorial Of the Ta1-Payers' Conven-
tion is worthy OF its authors, and of the
corrupt era which has brought them to
the surface. They cannot deny the
charges Of corruption and inoompe-
tency, but they seek to evade blame for
their existence. They endeavor to
shirk their responsibility in the pre-
mises, by placing blame on the shoul-
ders of those who, it is said, were too
proud to cooperate with the newly
made voters, and to guide and shield
them in tue discharge OF their new
duties as citizens. This would be but a
Aimsy excuse. il true, and it is not true.
The next plea. that abuses in the State
Government existed in other days. that
corruption was praotioed, &c., is OF a
piece with the former, and. if true,
which it is not, would not justify the
horrid exoesses to which things have
now gone. The State Government, be.
fore the war, is not on trial. It has
passed into history, md its records may
be safely left to speak for it. The
same sort OF apology is made in the
counter.memorial md in some Radical
Journals. for the intolerable extrava-
gsnce OF the present government. a
comparison is run between appropria-
tions or expenditures for the support OF
the State Government before the war
with those which are now SO freely
voted, and a deduction is drawn in favor
of the economy, moderation aud good
faith of the present dynasty. Nothing
could be more fallaoions or unfair. Be.
fore the war. the taxable property OF
South Carolina amounted to $500, co.,
900. Now. by high taxation, it is
placed at $3.50, 900, 900. Then the indi-
vidual citizen was rich, twice as rich as
the average Northern citizen. The
State was prosperous. abounded in re.
sources, the public debt was small and
the taxes moderate. Just before the
war. there was some increase in expen.
ditures, particularly in the construction
Of the new State House. It WAS no
wrong to the people then to e1pend
money freely for such purpose. They
could afford to do it. and their wants
and tastes justified it. It would be
great wrong now to undertake the con-
s:rlo.;cn Of snch q work. There is q
great difference between those times and
the present So the taxes which were
levied then. even if l.xge, which they
never Hero. could not be held to author
i1e similar extravaganza now.
One of our Radical contemporaries
the Uniom -parades the figures which
show the payments at the State Trea-
sury during the fiscal year OF l359-60.
Figures cannot lie. it III said. Init thav
can be 40 disposed as not to convey the
truth. In referring, a few days ago, TO
the extravagance Of the psesent appro-
priatiou bill, We said that the actual ex-
penscs Of the year (lS59-60) were only
$780,, ,07l So. We are asked to show how
this could be. when the payments
amounted to 1867, 96s 81. This We will
do. At the same time, we must bear in
mind that the public debt was only
81. 4.046. $40 on the let of Ootobsr of that
year, and if we deduct the stock issued
for building the new State Capitol, only
S2,224,330. This same year, the Bank
of the State redeemed and Cancelled
1928. 223 o. OF the public debt. When
aState could do that, and have balance
Of 1924, ,674.95 of undrawn appropria-
tions on hand at the same time, it can.
not be charged with extravaganza. Now
it can be. on hundred grounds.
We find an analysis of tile expendi-
tures of the year in question, and the
proper deductions fairly and Justly
made. III our contemporary, the Charles
ton Ne,cs and Courier, which we trans.
fer to our columns, in lieu of making
one of our own:
"For that year, tho total payments
(see Comptroller's Report, page 133.)
were 1857. .9G8, but more than two-thirds
OF this total expenditure must be
atrieken off to mako Tho coroo.;oo,