The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-07-27

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Governor Chamberlain found the change
made without any act Of his to secure it
There is no. credit due him as a reformer
for reducing contingent Legislative cx-
penses, for no reduction has been made
by his administration: -.
The same thing is also true of the pub
lie printing. The act reducing this in
famous expenditure of public money to
fifty thousand dollars, and throwing the
work open to, competing bidders, was
passed in Gov. Moses administration,
(see acts 1884, p. .7O7.) There was
recommendation of Governor Chamber
lain to secure a further reduction, but no
great effort was made to. secure it, and
therefore the law stands as passed by the
Moses Legislature. There is one fact
worthy Of note in this matter, which is
that the Governor, by the use of his veto
power, could prevent the appropriation
of any more money to this object than
was necessary, and if he really desired to
reduce tile amount he could have forced
the Legislature to adopt his views 1'by
vetoing the appropriation bills. He did
not desire to do it, and ended his interest
in the matter when he recommended it.
1t is very remarkable that the Ne,cs and
Courier should have claimed the three
foregoing reforms as due to Governor
Chamberlain, when in fact they we're
enacted in Moses administration. Our
Contemporary could not surely have in
tended to deceive its readers, but such is
the obvious effect of a!tributing these re-
forms to thc.present Governor.
Governor Chamberlain did recommend
a wholesale reduction in the salaries of
public officials; and secured the passage
of an act to 60 into effect next term,
which reduces the salaries. and will be q
saving to the amount of about, thirty
thousand dollars; but his recommends
tions were more those of demagogue
pandering to public opinion, and attemp-
ting to go even ahead of that opinion,
than of real reformer who wishes to
correct public abuses and abate extrava-
gantsalaries. His Recommendation made
no exceptions, and thereby cut down
some salaries which ought not to bere-
duced, and left some others still much
higher than they should remain. The
Governor and the Superior and Circuit
Court Judges do not receive more than
men of the proper ability for such posi-
tions deserve, and if the Governor had
attempted to secure reduction by leay-
ing such. salaries as these as they now
are, and recommending complete
change in others, he would have taken
a step in the right, direction. For in
stance, the Lieutenant Governor ought
only to receive the pay of a member of
the Senate, which would save $4,000; /;
the Governors private secretary, s1,50O,
saving $500; the Adjutant and Inspector
General, $500, saving $4,000; the sala-
ries of the eight circuit Solicitors should
be abolished, saving $4,000, and SO on all
the way through the list of officers. The
cost of collecting taxes in the way of
auditors, treasurers, &C., is on an ever
age about $4,000 to the county, and
ought to be reduced by a change of the
system to an average of 81, 500, thus saw
ing over $4,000 to the State in the col
lection of taxes. A general change
should be. made, and if the Governor
truly desires reform in this matter he
would have directed his efforts to plan
to accomplish these reductions.
The Ners and Courier next proceeds to
applaud the Governors course upon the
subject of taxation. The cause of this
eulogy is that he vetoed the bill which
levied tax of Is mills for State purpo-
ses. 1t is true this veto was favorable to
the people, for they could not have paid
the tax, and if the collection of it had
been attempted it is not improbable that
trouble would have ensued. 1t was a
necessity to veto the bill, and the Gov
ernor recommended the distribution of a
portion of the levy over period of years,
and approved bill leyying 81 mills for
State purposes, and the two bonanza
bills, one lcvying mill for four years
and the other levying 1 mill for two
years, thus making the State tax II mills,
which is the highest tax rate ever yet
levied upon our people. There was no
reduction over former years, but an in
crease. This, however, was not all, for
there is still to be paid u mills on the
big bonanza and mill OH the little bo-
nanza, or % mills yet, which, added to
the ii mills tax paid this year, makes
the tax voted by, the last Legislature,
and approved by the Governor, 1Ss mills,
or mill more than the bill which the
Governor vetoed. The levy Of 13 mills
would all have been collected at once.
while the whole levy of 134 mills i'm,
posed tax of II for the first year: II
for the next year and ] mill for the two
years following. But this does not close
the Governors administration of the tax
laws, for he has approved the appropria'
ton bill, thereby creating deficiency o.
about 5000, 900 to be provided for in this
falps taxes; and for some cause or Other