The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-01-21
! oYh ro(psEriieto srii $ 81 :o
, The Governors Message.

'e.q s,,aThe5 Governors Message 10 8
Fl Upoai the 4e-assembling Of the 'Legishsure,
FGov. sChamBeflain "seht in a a'1ehgthy message
PARfSh1 is chiefly occupied with review Of the
annual Il rep reports 81 the various ohsials Bis
messags urges Che same line Of policy contain'ed
Lin the ipapgn.ral in.ra address, and the concluding
}postanspecifcally urges various measures 'oi
tnefnrm, (which lwiAnbe found in the annexed
estt ttaots;i: 81, ;ua eeirn! ~ 5000 ri@di nj
FLOATING INDEBTEDNESS -oB oFHE' sf2qE
The floating Indebtedness Of the State pre-
sents atsAbieef SO vast iihaefhed and complicaI
ted TO require the ekereiss Of eqr: best !lndgi
f. Tie total amount Of The apparent. ,indebt-
stffiess of this class Is 'uhAsceftained. Ihc
legal; vaMityiof d large part'0f 1t is more than
doGbtful, and the metiEorious character OF "a
still larger p&rtimay we'll be disputed. There
lis acereain view which may be taken OF TINS
| whole class; of indebtedness, which would treat
it as ,aendatter to be indefinitely postponed. In
| this Hieiy the, present.A Administration aud Gen
keral ASSEMBLY might regard it assa an indebted,
ness for which they are not responsible and
which, they should bot. therefore, permit to be-
come burden upon thsit management of pub
lie affairs Fol- my own paft, cannot alto
tagether take this viewIof che suhject;' must
regard so much of this indebtedness as has the
character OF. legal and moral validity as por-
tionTof the public burden which we, who are
now. called to conduct public afairs;l must as-
sumo. ,Oni the. other. hand, am intie1lbly
opposed to the hasty or present liquidation OF
any considerable portion of. this Indebtedness.
The public interests, in my Judgment, require,
first that we should provide for the payment
promptly, apd in full, Of all expenditures made
or to be made during the present year. Not
sintil this Is sohe shouldrattention be turned to
the past floating Indebtedness Of the state.
Further than this, I am opposed to any plan
which looks to the indiscriminate payment of
bfh t1iis7 iiidebtedness Or its indiscriminate re-
duction or rejection. I: think its amount, the
Rariuusf classss- of which it consists, the time
and circumstances Hpder which and the objects
for which itwas incurred should be ascertained.
After tAisfs done, think such portions of this
indebtedness as, have the highest merit in point
Lef: general equity should be provided for, fit
ean be done without imposing. too great bur-
den of taxation upon the people, Under this
laHefYhead,.I 1 think, would fall the existing in
debtedness, in great part, at least, OF the Luna
the. ASYLUM and the State Penitentiaryi and
perhaps, of, other charitable and penal institu-
tiens. ], know, for instance, from personal e1-
perience and Information, } that many of our
MERCHANTS, bankers and other citizens have
come forward, from a sense of duty and not
from ordinary bHRinessl motives; on several oc-
'casions,c to- susf 4aRatic Asylum and
b bPenitentiatyt BIZ RrnislIlsg supplies aand. by
lending their money aud credit. Such services
create the highest possible obligatio6 on the
part of the State to repay such parties ct the
earliest practicable time. / recommend, then,
that, after due discrimination between the clas-
stcf pdrtions Or Glasses Of this indebredhess be
selected as hdye ths big hest equitable claim to
payment, and, .thens that it, be ascertained
whether the people, are able to hear the burden
/ of any additional tax to pay them, in whcie or
in part. Whateyer it may be found possible
+ to do in this way, I trust will be done Above
/ alt things, the General Assembly should mike
auy such levy specific nall respects: The ob-
kjocts, to which the tax is to be applied should
be distinguished; beyond sll doubt or question !;
if any debts, are to be paid in full, it should be
so ordered and if pro rata payment amepg
several debts sr,classss debts ,is:to be made,
the exact mode and PEI, centage Of payment
should be specified. No opportunity should be
10Y any diversion Of such funds from the
precise Objects for which they are designed by
the General Assembly With che expression
of thesev views, L submit the matter to the wis
dom of the General5Assetnbly, with the hope
that such action Will be taken .aa will convince
sll honest public creditors, Of the readiness Of
this General Assembly, to DO all in, their power
to meet the just Obligations Of the State. 80
ls4INoG4gY REPRESENTATION.
|-~f-eommend tothec consideration of .the~Gen-
eral Assemblystha question 4of enacting law
applying the system of voting, known as
cumulative voting or minority representa-
ton" TO the elections Of incorporated cities and
towns III the State + do not feel prepared to
|tdoo more thaG To- recommend thatthe system be
tried on small scale at present. AS d matter
Of theory 'the,systemi promises the best results,
but think our policy respecting it should be
tentative at. frsts ! IF its practical results are
satisfactory when applied to our cities and
-t0Rns, puBHC sentiment will sustain its appii-
cation to other eledH6hs. IA bill introduced by
Senator Cochran, of Anderson, is now before
the Senate; which embraces this feature among
its provisions, and I commend it to the favora-
BILE action of the General Assembly. rqa
- REVENUE REceHMENDHPIeNs: = ~.
+ rpiews,, with increased confidence, the. re-
COMMUNICATIONS made in my inaugural address,
and especially the recommendations for q re-
duction, of all public expenditures to the low
est point consistent with the actual require
ments Of good government; thsdisrontinuance
|, of contingent funds, except to very limited
extent ;ntAe shortening Of the sessions Of the
General Assembly ; the reduction of it's ex-
penses'and the entife abolition of Legislative
:oontiugent or incidental funds; the removal Of
all abuses connected with: the public printing
the keeping Of expenditures within receipts
and particularly the Immediate adoption Of a
proper system Of accountability in the 'disbntse'
meit of all public funds. The practical en-:
forcement Of the last recommendation regard
as absolutely essential to our success in avoid
jnglthe evils of the past, which now block our
efforts at progress on every hand: Upon this
subject, Hiy views are so decided that shall
feellobliged in future to place the responsible
ty for failure to adopt some safer SYSTEM than
the one now prevailing entirely. upon. the Gen
eral Assembly.
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