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

FLOATING INDEBTEDNESS. -.
+ What is conveniently termed. the
floating indebtedness of the State pre-
sents a subject Of great difficulty, but
one which presses for decision. -.
!. Under this head is included all the
various evidences of Indebtedness and
claims against the State which have
arisen between 1868 and 1874. Two rea-
SONS induce me to favor settlement OF
this part of: our debt, if..a reasonable
scheme can be adopted: first, justice to
the many holders Of these claims who
have given the State valuable: conaidera-
tion therefor, in money, merchandise, or
labor and services; second, the removal
from our current legislation of a disturb.
ing and most unfavorable influence. i
shall not dwell upon this subject at the
present time further than to say that any
scheme to command my support must
embody: these two provisions: First, the
proper auditing Of, all forms of this in.
debtedness; aud, second, the gradual
payment of, the debts by such annuul tax
as will not be too burdensome to the
people.
COUNTY FINANCES.
:. I am glad to express the belief that the
financial conditions Of many of the Coun:-
ties of the State has been greatly i'm
proved during the past year. In general,
fthink the former habits of extraYagance
and fraud in County affairs have been
corrected. "a" majority Of the Counties
are, however, fburdened, like the State,
by. floating Indebtedness, The requisites
of a,proper scheme for. the settlement of
this indebtedness are the, same, in my
opinion, as those already stated first, the
proper auditing Of all claims, and, second,
their gradual payment by taxation
Wherever these claims can be subjected
to judicial scrutiny, such course will fur.
nish the best attainable mode of auditing
the claims. - ~ T.. -
To guard against future evils of SIM
liar character, I recommend that County
Commissioners be required to make spe::
cifc levies for all the Lending objects or
expenditure. as is now done BY the State.
This will, to a great degree, prevent the
diversion of funds from the objects which
are most essential to the maintenance OF
County government, such' as the pay OF
Jurors; the dieting Of prisoners, the ordf'
nary expenses sof the Courts, and the
support of theapoor. County taxes are
now extremely burdensome, and every
effort should be made to reduce them.
\ = ~,
JUSTICES u II OF THE PEACE AND coNsTA.
- .'''. - W. BLEs.
Il again again urge that the provisions Of
Sections /, 81, %, % and "a Of Article
Nv of the Constitution, relating to the
election of "a competent number of JUS
tices of the Peace and Constabiesi in each
County; by theiqualifed electors thereof,
in.such manner as the General Assembly
may direct,n be, put into practice. The
adoption of new constitulio ional provisions
will give little. confidence in our good In
tenti3ns while important existing constl,
tutional requirem ents are wholly and
persistently disregarded. Though the
General Assembly has the power, they
have not the right, to deprive the electors
of the Counties of the constitutional
privilege of electing Justices ofthe Peace
and Constables,; IT, one constitutional
requirement. can be disregarded, all can
be. 81. far, at least, as they depend on the
positive action. Of the General Assembly.
The results of the system Of Trial Justices
appointed by the Governor certainly can
not be considered SO favorable as to JUS
tify the annulliDg of an important part
of tie Constitution. Let the Constitu-
tion be enforced in all its provisions, and
a public sentiment will then be cultiya-
ted. which will make the. Constitution the
shield for all classes of our. people from
the wrongs or excesses which the inter
ests' of any political party, may prompt
REGISTRATION OF VOTERS.
The Constitution, in Section 8 of Arti-
Gle VIII, declares that "it shall be the
duty; of the General Assembly to provide,
from time to time, for the registration OF
all electors" 80
What has Just been said of the election
of Justices of the Peace and Constables
applies equally to this provision Of the
Constitution. IF it were a question OF
constitutional construction, there might
be room for difference of opinion here.
But it will not be questioned that the
Constitution requires registration. 1t Is
equally plain that the phrase from "time
to timentis intended to secure the con-
slant observance of this safeguard of four
elections. Il. TO my mind there is no place
left for argument. on. this subject. In a
1oIitical or. party view I fear, nothing
more than the effect of q plain disregard
of constitutional requirements. In the
revolutions of political fortune, which
are always incident to wide or universal
suffrage, by q disregard of the Constitu-
ton, -" u. -; -. - >
Instructions, which, being tsught, return
To plague the inventors" ," ''''
i.'sa siINoR1TY REPRESENTATION.
> TAM confident, from various indica-
tions, that THE principle of minority rep.
resentationI i,i growing in favor'among all
the; people; Of the State. 1T offers IN
theory, certainly, and in practice, so far
as yet tested IA mode: of reaching that
highest result of our. representative sys!
tenn, the true proportional influence Of
each class OF ps!rty into which our voting
population may Be divided. The rule of
the majority III not thereby destroyed,
while the voice and influence Of the mi
nority is not wholly suppressed. In this
Stateiits adysniagesin our Counties and
municipalities would be peculiarly great.
Our voting population is now, in q great
measure, divided upon lines which are
not conducive to the best results in our
public, affairs. Minority representation
will mitigate these evils without changing
the basis of political power. - -
Practically, though not in name, this
principle has already: been applied in
an Hsf1 1opo