The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-06-07
in the suggestions of the Governor to:
the General Assembly?

in the suggestions Of the Governor to
the General Assembly?
Those who favored the election of
Willard to the Office of Chief Justice
secured his election by assuring the men,
bers of the General Assembly that he
was the choice OF the Governor. If they
were the staunch supporters of the Gov
ernor as to men, why do they oppose
him as to the greatestand most abs orbing
measure that now agitates the minds of
the tax payers of this State? I opposed
him as to Willard because I believed
that the bondholdersf desired his eleva-
tion to this high position in the interest
of the "bond ring" His presence there
would serve as a basis to form the Su-
preme Court in the interest of the fraud
ulent bondholders of the State. IF this
was their intention, SC far we have de-
feated them. 81
But why this indecent haste to recog-
nize the consolidated bond debt of the
State by the passage of resolution be-
fore the complete organization of the
General Assembly, adopted by the House
of Representatives on December "a,
1876, as follows: "That in order to a
correct understanding of our objects and
purposes by all the people, ~ is proper
that we should, and we hereby do reit-
crate in good faith our pledge to redeem,
at the earliest practical moment, the
credit Of the Stale by the payment OF the
matured interest on the valid, legal and
recognized bonded Indebtedness. of the
State, as now provided for by law" Was
this resolution passed in the interest of
the tax payers, whose trusted servants
we are, or was it proposed and engineered
throug h body Of inexperienced legisla-
tors unwittingly in the interest of the
bondholders or the bond speculators, and
are those who now press the passage of
this enormous tax bill legislating for the
tax payer or for the bondholder and
bond speculator Those elegant, smooth,
hammered, oily-toDgued bondholders,
bond spectators, bankers and members
of the financial boards have produced
magical influence upon the law makers
of this General Assembly. sE4
The supporters of this bill, with loud
mouth pretensions to exceptional homes
ty, prate of thier fair fame and credit of
the St: g.. Do they not know that the
Republican party, in article 9, section
16, have repudiated portion of the pub
lie debt, which is as follows: "No debt,
contracted by this State in behalf of the
late rebellion, in whole or in part, shall
ever be paid?" The amount of bonds
and stocks that have been rendered in.
valid by this clause Of the constitution,
issued for the military defense of the
State, amounted to 81, ,241, $40. .00.n They
were held by our own citizens. The act
of 22d December, 1873, also repudiated
one-half of the public debt, which was
Sc, ,951, ,07S.09; also, in the same act S5,-
965, 900; making in the aggregate the
amount repudiated under the terms of
the constitution and acts of the General
Assembly S15, ,157 ,916. These gentlemen
who are guarding so jealously the fair
fame and credit of the State will have to
20 back and pay this repudiated debt if
they wish to be considered consistent in
their Quixotic schemes of public honesty.
The question naturally arises, have we
any credit, and what is the condition Of
our treasury Governor Hampton in
his message says, "the first, as it is the
most important, subject to which your
attention is invited is that of the fnan-
cial condition of the State. It is need
less for me to say that this condition is
deplorable, for it shows by our empty
treasury and ruined credit. by stagna-
ton in commercial circles and depression
in agricultural enterprises; by public
and personal poverty as widespread as
lamentable." ~ l-qf.''if a'.if s@
If we have to re-establish our credit,
how can we do it better than an energetic
inquiry into the validity of the bonds
that have been issued, separating those
that have been issued under the forms
and sanction of the law from the illegal
and fraudulent. We are asked to do in
our legislative capacity what we would
not do in our individual transactions to
pay accounts, notes and bonds that are
tainted with fraud without so much as an
investigation. Our people are poverty
stricken, and it is only necessary to levy
q tax sufficient to keep the government
going, and that amount is easily ascer-
tanned. H. ~ sir Sex
l. For the salaries of the executive
and judicial officers Of the Slate, S143,-
100.
2. For the support and maintenance of
the penal. charitable and educational in
stitutions of the State, exclusive of COM
mon schools, S101, 300. - -
8. For public printing for the two
houses of the General Assembly, $l0, 900.
4. For the pay of the members of the
General Assembly, $81 900; making in
the aggregate the sum of 1885,, 400.
I have left out of this estimate the tax
of one dollar on each poll, which ought
to realize, ifrigidly carried out, $500
for the use of the common school system.
All of said amounts aggregating the sum
of S4S5, 400 little above what was the
tax levy before the war. Let not single
dollar be added to this amount, for fear
you may drive a proud, brave and honest
people into the last resort of universal re-
pudiation.
How THE FARMER MUST MANAGE
When out of debt, a farmer can, on a
tight pinch, support his family on a very.
small income. His COWS, pigs and fowls,
with the breadstufs he can grow without
any hired help, will supply him with
food. Then, by keeping from fifty to
one hundred hens, he can buy his groce-
ries with the surplus eggs; and with a
few pigs fattened, a few calves, little
surplus grain, he can clothe his family,
and thus avoid mortgaging his farm-the
death-knell, in most cases, of 9 farmers
,,rosror;t,y ond neace of mind Every