The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-01-14
COLUMBIA,tS.vC.
cSJ -Trl = Tr-<-IT-ry
Th1gaaRH Morning. january IA, 1876.
4 s,aoysrnos,s aI.saags.

message. held ,oyer from yesterday.
with our strong approval OF its scope
and purpose. g 1t is,a At supplements
OF the inaugural address, which has
received, the, warm sanction Of the
State Z AS II will be extensively read.
it will not be necessary to, reproduce
it's Recommendations in fall. or the
considerations np6h which they are
based. III the outset, the Governor
very properly cails, attention to the
serious public Inconvenience which
results from the delay Of the public
officers to finnish their reports. Even
now, nearly two months and half
after the close of the last fiscal year,
and.scven weeks after the alIas! meet
ing Of the General Assembly. he has
barely had opportunity to examine
several OF them. There ia no doubt
that ,this is = serious and, expensive
evila calculated TO impede the public
busiasss and UNNECESSARILY to protract
the sitting of the Legislature. We
ehould think efficient men oonld be
more prompt If they chose to be. The
Governor IL confident that the esti.
mates made in the Comptroller's re.
port of the taxable property of the
State, end c. the amounts to be re-
alizedi thntefrom under the specific
levies, afe the highest limits which oan
be readbed under thom. It appears
that the snm which can be realized for
"salaries and contingent funds" from
$14l, ,624. 952. (she estimated amount of
taxable property in the State is $780,
476,5l; while the amount required by
the estimate for, these purposes is not
leas than $2l2.450. making def
oienoy OF s6l. .97s. 49-a result that
ought and must be avoided. We pass
over several topics of, less interest. to
glanoeue moment, at the views of the
Governor. on tbe management and con.
ditiono of the Luhasio Asylum and the
State R4niteptiary. Al thea ,alose of
the Last fiscal; year. October 81. 1874.
there uaGi D. debt owing by the first
named inatitGtiph, Of $55. .2e5 So, and
by ths lass OF 1887. .s1s, SO. OF which
8l2.8S0 has arisen during tho fiscal
year, aud d,besides thats $l5,s5O.31 re-
maing dne 70 guards apd employees.
It is difficult to see how. he says, in
referepep 10 the contracting of the in
debtedne6a. of Ai2.5S0 for the Peni.
tentiafy in'excess of the appropriation,
it could have been done without direct
violation Of the law of March, 1874.
He ia constrained to decline recon-
mending an increased appropriation
for either OF these institutions. and
calls special attention to this ACT,
which makes it, felony 'ior any
public. i officer (State or County,
to enter into q contract for any
purpose whatsoever, in a sum in
excess or she Tax levied or the amount
appropriated,"!s we entirely agree
with oommeudation-one which
hae oftent been made !n thess &C.
lumne--that the labor Of the peniten-
tiary bS made available for the support,
in part. of<the institution, either by
its utilizstion Within the walls, or by
letting ont .conviots for hire. The
projected sseilroads from Chester to
Cheraw, from Greenwood to Augusta,
and from Anderson 70 Port Royal,
might give useful and profitable en-
ployment to these idle people. now q
heavy expense to the over-burdened
Taxpayers. In discussing the floating
Indebtedness @.of the State, the Co.
vernon ttakes safe middle.ground, be-
tween the view of it which would
throw it overheard by indefinite post
poncmept. and that which would no.
cept itiFall ns valid, and the hasty
liquidation OF any considerable por.
tion Of it. He is opposed to any plan
which looks to the indiscriminato pay.
ment or indisorin,inate rejection of it
all. Its amount, the vnrious classes
of which it CONSISTS, the tims and cir
ko L.: