The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-04-19
A Model Government.

A Model Government.
Mr.. E. M. Smalley, one of the editors
Of the New York Tribune. writes to tha
paper from Columbia, under date of tht
30th ultimo, as follows:
This morning I took look at what j!
left of the rival State governments, nov
that their chiefs are absent in Washing
ton. First to the State House. At the
extremity of the long hall, which run:
from the end of the building, I saw what
has been for nearly three months the only
obstacle to an immediate settlement o1
the South Carolina question: few stacks
of arms and a blue-coated soldier walking
to and fro. This sentinel pacing his beat
before the door of the Governors room
represents the vast power of the United
States government exerted 10 protect
Chamberlain and his associates against
being elected from their Offices by legal
process of the State courts. From their
Offices, did I say? From their Office.
rooms would be the correct statement.
for not one of them exercises any official
functions. All executive powers have
passed into the hands Of the Hampton
government by the force of the popular
will and of judicial decisions.
Leaving the State House and strolling
down the broad, sunny, lonesome main
street, I was directed to the second floor
of small two-story brick building, for
the Offices of the Hampton government.
On the lower floor was bank. Mount
ing a narrow wooden staircase, came to
landing on which two doors fronted.
A printed sign of white cardboard
nailed on the panels of one read, "Lieu-
tenant Governor, Comptroller General,
Attorney General;;" and on the other q
like inexpensive tablet had this inscrip-
ton, at once instructive and hospitable
to all who might be seeking the head of
the State, "Governor-Walk in" This
door led into a sort of ante-room, furn-
ished with few fifty cent chairs and q
rude table on which stood bucket of
water and a tin dipper. Beyond was a
smaller room with table at which a
clerk was writing, store counter sup.
porting q case Of pigeon holes, and a
dilapidated plush-lined sofa, suggestive
of o clearinghouse auction. Still farth-
er on was smaller room, scarce six by
nine in size, where the Governor works.
An unpainted pine table, a desk made by
penitentiary convicts, and four or five
chairs were its outfit. Walls and floors
in all these rooms were bare, and they
looked like the quarters of some poor
country lawyer waiting for G. practice.
The whole stock of furniture would not
fetch $25 at auction.
In the adjoining Office, occupied jointly
by the three officials whose titles we're on
the sign, a like Spartan simplicity reigned.
To save money until he should be fully
established, Gov. Hampton has only com
missioned such of the officials as he can
not get along without, and he is running
the government with the utmost economy.
The Comptroller General, Mr.. Hagood,
told me that the whole State government
only employs one clerk, who served the
different officers by turn. "When we get
behind with our books we 60 out and
recruit some volunteers to help u.s." he
added. A gentleman who was writing at
a table on the other side of the room said
that he had been drafted into service to
fix up the returns of the insurance com.
panies. "Here," said Mr.. Hagood, point
ing to the pigeon-holes of the cheap desk
at which he sat, lis the whole Comptroller
Generals Office" To show that the bus
mess of the Office was actually carried on
by him, and not by his rival in the three
luxuriously furnished rooms in the State
Hodse, he showed his accounts of money
received and paid out, including the re-
ceipts of the superintendent of the State
charitable and penal institutions.
The Hampton Legislature, not having
q quorum in the Senate, passed no tax
bill, but adopted a resolution requesting
the people to pay such person as the
Governor might appoint, sum equal to
one-fourth of their last years taxes, and
promising that such payments should be
credited when the regular tax levy was
made. Gov. Hampton thought he would
not need so much money, and asked, by
proclamation, for only ten per cent: OF
last years tax. The people responded
with almost unanimity. Some did not
pay, but they were few in number, and
their refusal to comply was compensated
for by others paying more than their
quota, so that Hampton got in all rather
more than one-tenth of the total tax OF
1876. Up to the End of this month he
obtained, from these voluntary payments,
s12O,141. He has now balance on
hand of nearly $4,000, after paying all
demands except county officers salaries
and the school fund. His Legislature
cost only $4,000. Republican Legisla-
lures have cost about 100000 annually.
All the Judges of the State courts, except
three, have drawn their salaries from
him. The Chamberlain Government has
not collected dollar of taxes. Its Leg
islature passed tax bill, but injunctions
from the courts stopped its enforcement:
The officials are, to quote the words OF
one of them, Giving on faith" Cham
berlain's legislators did not have to go
away entirely empty handed, however,
for Corbin paid them 5000 piece when
they elected him to the Senate. He
cashed some sort of warrants to that
amount for all the men who voted for
him. It is alleged he used money for
this purpose which belonged to the State
as royalty due from a phosphate mining
company of which he'is president.
AN INDIAN DUEL.-A citizen ofSioux
City, says the Omaha Herald, who has
snent much time among the agencies OF