The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-12-10

ture of this fund will thus be placed with the
Comptroller General, where they will remain
accessible to the people, and liable at any time
to examination and publication The reduc.
ton of public expenses by this system will not
be inconsiderable, while the gain To official
morality by the removal of opportunity tor
questionable uses of public funds will begreat
Another subject demanding our most prompt
and energetic action is the reduction OF the
expenses Of the General Assembly. cannot
believe that any difference of opinion will ex.
ist upon this subject The public within and
without the State have united in pronouncing
the expenditures heretofore made for legisla-
tive expenses an intolerable abuse. Since 1868
six regular and two special sessions of the Gen
eral Assembly have been held. The total cost
of these sessions has been 81, l47, ,43O.97. The
average cost of each regular session has been
1920, ,40516. The lowest cost of any regular
session was. that of the regular session OF
186S-69,. amounting to Sl69,OO5.79; and the
highest cost was that of the regular session OF
1S71-72, amounting to about S617 ,2S4.10. Be-
sides these amounts now specified, there are
outstanding of bills payable issued on account
of legislative expenses during the same period
S192,275.15. These figures render comment
superAuous. The problem is to reduce these
expenses to an economical limit. The hrst
and most obvious measure of reform is the
shortening of the length of the sessions:
find the average length of the regular sessions
since 1868 has been 105 days. 1t is clear that
no public requirements will warrant sessions of
such length in the future. am aware that ia
this may be regarded as matter so peculiarly
within the discretion Of the General Assembly
as to make any recommendations of mine i'm
pertinent. But my convictions of public duty
upon this point are too clear to allow me for
any cause to withhold the expression of my
views I cannot see at present any reason of a
public nature which can require session OF
more than thirty days. If this General AS
sembly could set the example of return to the
former rule in this State of final adjournment
before the Christmas holidays, l am confident
that they would receive the heartiest approval
of all our people. know of no services which
could be rendered by remaining in session a
longer period, which would be held as valuable
by our constituents as the example of return
to rigid economy in this respect. One cause of
long sessions which + feel bound to specify,
has been the passage of an inordinate number
of special acts of incorporation. Whoever will
examine the acts of the General Assembly du-
ring the last six years will be convinced Of the
waste of time arising from this cause. The
remedy is obvious. Let a general incorpora-
ton act be passed, or let the present acts be
duly revised and perfected, and then let all Or
dinary applications for corporate powers be
made under the provisions of such acts.
The second measure of retrenchment in leg
islative expenses which urge, is reduction
of the number of subordinate officers and at
taches of the General Assembly. Upon this
point am happy to speak in commendation of
an act passed by the last General Assembly.
BY that act the total number of subordinate
officers and attaches in both branches of the
General Assembly is limited to ffty-seven. l
trust your attention will be given to this SUBJ
ject, and that if, upon examination, the num-
Der therein provided for is found to be the
lowest number consistent with the proper trans
action of business, the law will remain undis-
turbed.
The third and most important means of re-
ducing legislative expenses will be found in
cutting off the gross abuses which have hereto o.
fore existed under the name of contingent or
incidental legislative expenses. l am unable
to obtain statement of the precise amount
expended during the last six years under this
head. I find, however, that the average ex-
penditure at each regular session since 1868,
for attaches and contingent or incidental ex-
penses, has been about S25S, ,424.65. OF this
amount estimate that not less than $3.50, 600
have been expended for contingent legislative
expenses at each regular session. II these
figures do not teach their own lesson, then ar
gument would be idle. Let it be borne in mind
also that the amounts now stated represent
only the actual payments made. There re-
mains still vast amount of unpaid claims In
the form of legislative pay certificates, estima-
ted at not less than $500 900.
In seeking a remedy for these startling
grievances am convinced that nothing is so
essential as the establishment of q proper sys-
tenn of accountability in the payment of legis-
lative expenses. Our present system is wholly
anomalous so far as can learn from examin-
ing the systems prevailing in other States, and
is wholly at variance with the general theory
of our own State in the payment of other pub
lie expenses. The comptroller general is the
proper auditing officer of the State. His office
is intended to be the permanent depository of
the written evidences of the expenditure of
public funds The separation of the duty of
auditing from that of paying demands against
the State is essential. The requirement of
proper evidences of the character and validity
of every demand made against the State and
the preservation of those evidences of public
inspection, is also essential. In order to meet
UUCSC 1 lCSouiu'Siiu oiitte hlA pay
ments to be made on account of legislative
expenses be made by the State treasurer upon
warrants drawn by the comptroller general, for
which the vouchers shall be filed with the
comptroller general: In the payment of men,
bers, subordinate officers, attaches, &c., the only
voucher requisite would be a duly certified list
of all persons who held these positions. The
comptroller general having satisfied himself of
the correctness of the lists furnished by the
officers of the General Assembly and the au-
thority of law for their payment, would then
draw his warrants upon the treasurer for the
proper sums of money. In the payment of
contingent expenses each branch of the Gene
raj Assembly would, by committee or other;
wise, make such audit as might be deemed
necessary of such accounts, and order their
payment The vouchers thus accepted by the
General Assembly would be sent to the Office
of the comptroller general, and and there remain
forever exposed to the scrutiny OF the public
and payment would be made by the treasurer
onlu on tho warrant of the comptroller general