The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-12-02
GOVERNORS MESSAGE.

GUvEkNUh > MESSAdE.
..a EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
ssf COLUMBIA, S. G., Nov. %, 1875. J
Gentlemen Of tie Senate and
House Of Representatives, ::
Iwelcoms you on your return to the
scenes of your public duties, Tie period
since your separation has witnessed the
/. death of but two of your number; peace
and heafth have preeaffed throughout
the Statei the labor. of all classes of our
citizens has been rewarded by large
degree of material prosperity the causes
of discomfort and hostility among our
people have been, greatly diminished; ;;
and the feeling of respeetand attachment
to the Union, of which our State is q
part, has been sensibly strengthened
For these5blessings we owe QUIZ sincere
gratitude to the great Ruler Of the world
II, presenting 70 you such information
and views respecting public affairs as ]
deem Important I express the hope that
5 we shall bring to the discharge of our
present duties deep, and constant feel:
ing that'w are simply the servants and
Representatives of the whole people Of the
State. !. The honors and enoI1ments: of
public Office are merely incidental to its
duties and responsible bilities. To seek the
former and disregard the latter, is an :Of.
Tense against che first principles Of moral
andoficial obligation. Those to whom
We owe our present positions will Justly
measure US by the standard of our fdeli-
ty to the trusts conided to US. Invoke,
therefore, upon our deliberations and Ia
bors at this session the spirit of fidelity,
of patriotism, of earnest cooperation in
the measures best tspiteE 80 advance the
great interests Of the State. I shall en-
deaYor, ormyself, to lend aIlmy powers
t0-the work Of assisting the General As
sembly in the proper discharge of its
high duties. I shall, be best ,contept.to
follow yon in the path Of reform ecoRo-
my and good administration. Ehatpath
I.shall surely follow, whether with fswior
many, but I trust / shall hereafter find it
made broad and clear before me by those
who alone have power to enact into laws
the demands ofthe people. -. ''i
TAXATION.
The amount of taxes levied and col
lected, the methods of their levy and col
lection, and the objects upon which they
are expended, are the most important
subjects with which the State govern
ment has to deal.
By theRsesent assessment0fTeal prop
ty, whichyMis rnade IN 1874, the total
value of srsa property in the State is
SOC, 0,095, ,4N. While there are, no doubt,
individual instances Of error and hard
ship id the present valuation, yet, sosfar
as mysinformatiop extends,the. general
result Is as fair as can reasonably Be e1-
pected. IF the individual taxpayer will
avail himself of the means afforded by
the present laws-fof his protection
against unequal or excessive assessments,
/ thine the instances will be very rare in
which Injustice will be finally done, AT
Aeslast, session af. the General Assembly,
thessta4Stioii and assessment Acts were
carefully revised, and an additional Act
relating to atorfeitedn lands was passed.
The tax, hMssof theState are now, in my
Judgment, we'll adapted to secure, in the
language of the Constitution, equality
and uniformity" in the assessment, of
property for taxation:ia x - -
The total valuation Of personal prop
efty under the assessment Of 1875 is
$45,791, ,006, in which is included Icona
siderable amount of personal property
which has hitherto escaped taxation.
/ am happy to express my belief that
the tax laws Of the State are now admin
istered with fairness and ability, and no
instances are known to me in which COM
plants duly presented have NOT received
due. consideration. sTheresults ,areahfgh-
ly creditable to the people, as we'll as to
our tax-oficers, In, an aggregate tax for
the past year of 81 ,555, ,20l .68, only S12,-
S519.47 have been returned as nuUa bona,
being less than four-fifths of one per
cent. In,1S72 the returns of nala bona
amounted to s4S, S,392.77, and in 1873 to
s51, ,S69.96: = '''' ;'''' ''' ,.,''
During the past, year, under the decis-
ion of the United States Supreme Court,
the entire property of the Northeastern
railroad company, and large part of the
property Of the South Carolina Railroad
Company, has been subjected totaxation.
The question of the liability of the prop
erty of. the, Savannah and Charleston
Railroad Company, and the Air Line
Railroad Company, isstill pending in the
United States, Courts, and in the mean.
time the State authorities are enioined
from enforcing the, collection Of any,
taxes on their property. It is believed
that during the pressb year finsl' deciss
ions favorable to the State will be reached
in these cases, and thus several mils
lions be added to the taxable property Of
the State.
have no specific recommendation TO-
make upon the subject of our tax laws,
but I shall warmly favor any changes
which may promise greater efficiency or
fairness in the administration of this de-
partment of Government. fl-s q
EXPENDITURES.
In the matter of expenditures / have
the satisfaction of saying that great ad-
yanees have sbeenmade dnang:ths gpBt
yearrtowards.a proper scale and meaIife.
The entire appropriation for legislative
expenses for, the fiscal year was $50, 900.
The appropriation under this head for
the proceeding, fiscal year was $l9l 900,
while tina average -codt. ora regular seS-
sion of the General Assembly from 1868
to 1873, inclusive, was 1920, ,4O5.16, the
cost of the regular session of 1S71-72,
reaching as high an amount as $617 ,l34.
Tn honorable contrast with former years,
it should also be mentioned that no obli-
cations have been issued or incurred by
the officers of the General Assembly du-
ring the past year, in excess of the ap-
preparations made. -
The intolerable abuses of former years
il connection with contingent funds have
The The entire amount appropriated during
the m past year for the contingent funds Of
all the Executive officers, including the
contingent fund of the Supreme Court
and tie special litigation fund Of Che
Attorney General 5F 900, Bas$1Ss5O.
nj. ~ ,,f;; "a annroprati0nsSf for legislative