The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-12-23
Nor GRAc1oUsLF DONE. governor
Chamberlain felt compelled to sign the
appropriation bill, yesteiday-con.'
trary to his better judgment. The
following are his reasons:
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,

/
following are his reasons:
ExEcUT1vR CHAMBER,
COLUMBIA, December 20, 1874.
| GENTLEMEN OF THE SENATE AND
House OF REPRESENTATIVES, have
this day approved the following ACT:
can Act to make appropriation for
the payment of the salary aud mileage
OF the members Of the General Assem-
bly, and the salaries Of the subordinate
officers and employees and other ex-
penses iucidentai thereto"
In atfixing my official approval to
this Act, 1 feel compelled to state to
your honorable bodies thtft have had
grave doubts respecting my duty in
tue premises. The mode iu which the
Aot was finally passed, under the ope-
ration OF the JOINT rules Of the two
houses. is spgg, stive OF more than one
difficulty of legal and constitutions al
nature. The Act in its present furm
has been distinctly and 1ecisively dis
approved by one house. Its Gual pas
sage is due wholly to a joint rule OF
the General Assembly cannot at
the present time enter upon discus
sion Of the legal e1ec. os this fact,
but 1t Is easy t. see how grave are the
questions involved and with what
facility such rule may be used to de
feat the will Of one or the other house
OF the General Assembly.
Again. whoever will inform himsalf
upon the subject will be satisfied that
the tax Of one mill on the dollar,
levied to meet appropriations for legis-
lative expenses for the present fiscal
year, cannot produce more than 2llO,-
900 or Sll5. 000 The amount nppro-
priated by the Act is, therefore, il ex-
cess Of the means provided to meet the
appropriations, and oae Of the prime
requisites of good administration is
thus early set aside.
Again. the old evil Of appropriatipg
gross amount to meet contingent or
incidental expenses re-appears. There
are, 80 far az L am able to Judge, no
expenses of the General Assembly
which are properly contingent. Every
item Of Legitimate expenditure is capa-
bile of being uscertaiued in dollars aud
cents, aud no occasion exists for MAX
ing an appropriation in advance of a
knowledge Of the exact amount needed
to meet such expenses
LASTLY. in the mode OF pay ment pro-
vided i'll Ssctions . and OF the Act,
the proper safeguards, in my judg-
ment. are omitted. What I deem these
to be, have indicated in my iuuugnrni
address before your honorable bodies.
l greatly regret, III the interest cf good
administration, that yomr honorable
bodies have not provided mode Of
payment which is. in my Judgment,
conformAble to sound aud safe prac.
tice.
Having thus briefly pointed out the
features of this Act which seem to me
Objectionable, acknowledge with gra-
titude the many features of the Act
which stamp it with an honorable su-
periority over our recent appropriation
Acts. Called upon, as am, to act in
view of what is practicable and attain.
abls, with only brief time in which
to reflect upon my duty, unless sub
ject the members OF your honorable
bodies to serious personal inconveui-
ence, and especially in view OF tho very
great improvement in this Act upon
former similar Acts, I have reluctantly
decided to give the Act my otiioial
sanction.
d. II. CHAMBERLAIN,
Governor.