Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-02-10
THE STATE TAXES.

lhe ways and means COmmlttee nelu
protracted session on Wednesday night of last
week, at which Governor Chamberlain was
present by invitation, and addressed them at
length upon the necessity Of reducing expen-
ses. He strenuously urged such d reduction
as would only call for tax levy of about
eight mills next year, including the Bonanza
tax. Addressing the committee, he said he
did not speak as partisan, but as Repub-
lican, reminding them that the party has
pledged itself to retrenchment, and that the
only safety of the party is to come as near
the ful6llment of these pledges as they can.
After reading the plank in the Republican
platform pledging that party to a reduction
of public expenses, the Governor continued {:
"This, however, is not as strong voice to me
as the voice of the people and the realization
of the fact that we owe it to them to fulfill
these pledges. We are bound, therefore, by
every consideration to effect as great reduc.
ton in the public expenditures as is possible"
He then took up the appropriation bill, Sec
ton by section, in connection with the tax bill,
showing where reductions could me made,
and the reasons why they should be made
On the subject of reducing the salaries Of
State officials, the correspondent Of the Nens
and Courier reports him as using the follow
ing language:
The Governors salary he recommended to be
cut down to $500, with private secretary at
2OO In reference to the executive officers, who
he recommended should be cut down to $1,000
wear EACH with $500 for clerical hire, the Cover
nor urged that it was neither wise nor necessaryto
have heads ofdepartments in State government
like this. The officers should attend to the work
themselves, having, of course small contingent
fund for the hire of clerical services when needed
There was no necessity for the secretary Of State
to have salared clerks. Nor for the comptroller
general to have two salarled clerks. The State
treasurer and comptroller-general might be al
lowed to have 81 900 each for the hire of clerks as
occasion might demand. The superintendent Of
education and the attorney general $500 for the
same purpose The adjutant-generars office he
regarded as utterly useless. There were no du-
ties to be performed, and the idea of having a
clerk with salary ofSl 900 ssimpy ridiculous.
He recommended, therefore, that the salary of the
Acknowledgement be made nominal for the nolnl-
nal work to be done, say $500 per annum. He
could recommend no reduction in the salaries OF
| the Supreme and Circuit Court Judges. These Of
fees were filled by lawyers who, while they fill
ed the bench, could not engage in the practice of
their profession; but he recommended the aboll-
The reports could be prepared by competent
person and published in Columbia. If he was
given the copy the profits of the publication would
afford ample pay. The salaries of the circuit So
licitors, s., 900, should be abolished Before the
war those officers drew no salaries, the fees and
costs being regarded as ample compensation, and
the office was then sought by some Of the ablest
men in the State. The appropriation for the sala-
| ries of county auditors should be reduced from
S32 900 to S25 O0O and that for extra clerk for
! Charleston county should be stricken out The
office of auditor of that county was one Of the
most remuneratve in the State He should be
put upon salary of 81 900, and the fees should be
turned over to the State. The salaries ofthe coun-
| ty school commissioners should be reduced at
least one half and the office should be given to men
who do not have to depend upon the salary for a
living What a travesty 1t is to see men filling
| the office of school commissioner, to pass upon
| the qualifications of school teachers, when they
can barely write their own names. The duties Of
the office could be faithfully discharged by devo
! ting three days in each month to supervision of
schools, and many thrifty, honest and intelligent
citizens could be found who would undertake the
work for merely nominal saary-many tor no
salary at all. The salaries of the health officers
should be reduced to g., 500; many of the best
physicians would gladly take it at the reduced sal
ary. The Governor stated here that he was OPP
posed to the practice of offering rewards for the
arrest of criminals. 1t was the duty of the conf
munity county in which the CRIME was COM
mitted to offer the reward, and, besides, it had a
bad tendency He recommended that the Cover
nor's contingent fund be reduced to $1,000, that
! the adiutant and inspector generals contingent
fund be abolished, and that the legislative fund for
the attorney generals office DO discontinued.
There were many of the best lawyers in the State
who would, at the request of the attorney gener-
al, when he found it necessary, assist him in an
important suit in which the interests of the State
were involved, and trust to the General Assembly
for their fees. The minute recommendations OF
the Governor need not here be recounted. He
summed up that under this section, the first. the
appropriations could thus be reduced from $780,
600 to $llS, 600, which would only require tax
levy of 9-lO ola mill.
Regarding the public institutions, the pub
lie printing and the legislative expenses, and
the public school fund, a similar line Of ar
gument was employed by the Governor, in
which he showed that the expenses of the
Penitentiary, the Lunatic Asylum, the State
Orphan Asylum and the State University