The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1875-04-21
quoting our request thus continues

4 q Il.
quotirg our request thus continues :
eve will adopt the suggestions
made by our friend in the country
and show whore in our opinion, tho
dofeots Of the bill arc.
The Aggregate amount Of Stats tax
in tho bill is thirtoen mills. This il
three mills more than is absolutely
necessary at present. The State tax
for the fiscal year l875-76 need not
be more than ten mills, or one per
cont. With on aggregate tax Of
thirteen mills il tho present bill
there will necessarily bo deficiency
under it Of at least $l20,OOO on aq.
o3unt of its un quail and unwise dis.
tribution whereas, with u tax Of ten
mills, distributed in tho manner we
shall point out, there need not be any
deficiencies ut all AMI su,cly that is
a contamination devoutly to bs wish
cd. .,.,
We think it wiso and safe rule to
lay down, under all the circumst noes,
to redu,e the current expenses Of the
State, lcvy as small u tax as po, sible,
and then keep the appropriations
within the amount realized from that
levy. This is the fist and most i'm.
portunt duty for the pres INT admins
tration.
We think it is asking too much of
Governor Chamberlain that he should
sign tax bill Of thirtecn mills for
State purposes, the largcat nude
slnoe reconstruction, and thus ask
him to shoulder liabilities incurred by
previous administrations, aud that,
too, before, he gets the expenditures
Of his own reduced within the 20
ceipts. ..
Section l of the present bill lcvios
a tax Of one and half mills to pay
the "salnries and oontingents' of the
executive and judicial departments.
This amount is too email. The ap.
preparation for tho above named OBJ
jccts in the appropriation bill of the
present fiscal year is $233, 900. l,
will not, probably. be less the next
fiscal year, us salaries are fixed by
law and "sontingeuts'' have now
beon reduced to minium. The
net amount realized from one
mill tax is $4,000. 1t will,
therefore, require about two mills for
"sAlarios aud contingencies" Wo
,hiuk this amount is much larger
than it ought to lie, and the legisla.
ture ought 10 reduce it so that one
md one-half mills would be sufficient
md the attempt was made during tho
last session, but the bill e.. came to- au
untimely end. The principal otieo.
ton raised WAS that the officers who
were elected in 1871 were entitled TO
The salary fixed Mt the timo Of their
election they claiuied ttut the spirir
# the constitution, which forbits the
liminution of tho salaries Of the
governor, .leutenant-govornor and
Judges during their incumtency
ought to apply to them. ...
| We hope tho legislature will ena Of
low next winter, to take effect from
November |. 1876, gre .t1y reducing
'asaries. The present levy of one
md half mills will loavo deficit OF
| $4,000
| Section 2 lovics tax Of one and a
hat1 mills Tor "penal, charitable and
educational institutions, exclusive eof
common schools" THIS in too largo
tax. 1t ought to be reduced to one
md quarter mills, which is amply
'uffioient, The objects Of appro,,ria-
ion under this head are; The insane
asylum, the State orphan asylum, the
leaf, dumb and blind asylum, the
.'enitentiary, tho university, the
agricultural college ard the normal
school. The first named object does
not need more than 100000; the
'ccond $l 0,0O0 tho third $4,000 ;
'ho fourth $4,000; the fifth $780,.
900; the sixth $4,000, and the
eventh $4,000. This will aggregate
$4,000, the amount that will be
eallz d from one aud quartcr mills
which is sufficient to support these
institutions literally if propcrly )
managed.
| Wo will take up tho SECTIONS
seriatia, hereafter.