The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-04-18

i
The last Legislature levied 6s mills for
State and school purposes. Two mills of
this gces to the schools, and which tho peo-
pie ordained themselves. 30 the Legisla-
ture was not ssesponsible for that. The
Consolidated Debt 10 about the same ns the
ante-beuum debt. and It Will taxa ss8O, 600
to pay the interest on it, II found to be Just
aud legal. This is 8 Nails more, but not
quite this amount was levied-say mills
for interest on debt which was not of our
contraction. These two items FIR which
the Legislature ives not responsible amount
to mills. Now. take the mills from the
es mills, and there is left q mills tax for
State purposes for which we were alone
responsible. Two and half mills amount
TO $500, 200; TO this add the 500, 900 received
from phosphate royalties and we have
100000. But only $4,000 of this Is col.
lected from the people. Again, we contrac-
ted no debts Of any description. 1 think
the action OF the Legislature In tho matter
or finances will compare favorabiy with
any Legislature, ente-bellum or otherwise
Compare our work with Radical Leeisls-
lures, and SEQ what tho Democratic party
has done for the State. The amount saved
TO the Taxpayers annually By comparing
tha expenses Of the Democratic Legislature
with the expenses of Radical Legislatures
amounts TO nearly $2,OOO,0O0 AS large as
this amount may seem to be, arn ready to
prove 1t If necessary. Suppose $2.OO0, 900
were reduced TO silver; it would a,nount
to about twenty-six tons In weight, and
1t would take twenty-six teams, each
hauling 1000 pounds, to carry the atealines
OK these Radical rogues for one year.
think we have cause to rejoice. and deter
mine that never egain In tho future shall
the afihirs Of the State fall into Radical
hands.
will endeavor now to explain some Of
the acts Of the Legislature, against which
objections have been raised. The Press and
people clamored for the Legislature to ad-
journ. There may have been moro speak
Ing than was necessary, but we were travel
ing over On unknown track, We had no
experience or precedents to guide us, and
upon our actions depended the happiness
and welfare oi>elI the people It bshooved
US, then. to walk with care and discretion.
will here state as my deliberate Judgment.
that If the Legislature could have remained
in session five months longer, It would have
been the best investment tho State could
hnve made, and before the year Is out the
reasons why will be seen, A good deal has
been said about our per diem; that we re-
duced all other officers pay, but would not
reduce our own. For the flrst regular ses-
sion, and the special session following, we
were entitled to $1,000, as the law then stood,
but for both sessions we only. took S4OO and
one mileage, instead of two. Right here
let me state fact: The constitution end
the laws both entitled the members to this
amount, $1,000, and to every member desir-
Ing to claim it, it was vested right. TO
pay such an amount was preposterous but
how to get around doing SO was the ques-
ton. was sent as subcommittee to con.
fer with Gov. Hampton, Lieut.. Governor
Simpson, Speaker Wallace and Attorney
General Conner on the subject. They all
admitted there was no way out Of the diff
Guilty, but 1t was agreed to take the bull by
tie horns aad refuse to pay any but the
$400, and not to pay that unless tie men,
bers would give the State clear receipt.
There was another difficulty. The Senate
had Radical majority, and could defeat
our appropriation bill If we did not pny
them, and thus defeat the Hampton gov
eminent in its incipiency. After that the
pay was fixed at SIS per day, end it was
thought that the session would last thirty
or forty days. which would entitle zach
member to $3.50 or 5000, instead of $500,
as was then the pay. do not regard s5
per tiay as toe much. No farmer can leave
his work and home even fol. that amount.
l am poor man. dependent like most
others Upon my labo- and attention for a.
livelihood for myself anu family; and I
assure you my losses have been such since
have been member, that duty to nv
wife and children demand that g,vs up
such LIE. 30 It will be with others. A
legislative life Is not now holiday life, as
it once was; and as for the honor, there is
not much in putting ones self up ~ o tar
get for every malicious ohaft. Instead.
however, of not reducing our ow pay, we
did reduce it more than that of any ofiicer
in the State. $50
The fence Law has excited a9great deal of
bitterness, and this one and that one has
been blamed. The fence law was intro
duced by Senator Cochran. The Anderson
delegation, while they wers each one in
favor of the law. were opposed to bringing
1t up at this time. They were in favor of
postponing 1t to such day as would not en-
danger our organization. Especially wore
they in favor Of this policy, as they believed
It was introduced for the purpose Of diyid-
ing our people, for we knew nothing could
co well accomplish such o result as this
sweeping revolution. But such o pressure
vas brought to bear upon us by the people
"a the County, that we believed 1t to be our
duty to assist in passing such u law and
ve believed. further, that as the matter had
gone 50 far more harm would be inflicted
upon the party not to pass the law than to
pass 1t. The first law was tho very best
that could be obtained. After the eleven
townships had adopted the no fence,n the
FIVE other townships petitioned the Legisla-
ture to extend the law to them also. upon
the ground that they wera opposed to the
township system. These petitions were
signed by q majority of all the people
in these townships, except in Brushy
Greek. With such petitions we would
have been recreant to our duty not to SO
amend the law. But the time at which the
law should so into operation In these five
Townships wns the question. The delega-
a. A.