The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-06-05
anderson gatelligemtes.
Etom he Eaaefeld Advertiser.
Letter from Hon. Hugh A. Shaw, Of
Edgefleld.
H,MRuRG. s. C.. March. 1879.

answer to your kind letter of February,
in reference to the management OF the
South Carolina Penitentiary.
I was not q little surprised to learn
that majority of your board of Direc-
tors are "eager to commence. huge oper-
ations for the benefit of Columbia, espe-
cially in the re-opcning of that canal as
State Enterprise rs and who
claim that the last appropriation was
made for the express purpose of opening
that canal as a State enterprise" Col.
Butle- and myself dissent from that view
that "no appropriation was
made for the benefit of that canal COM
pauy except two hundred convicts, and
we are ready to turn them over to the
Canal Commissioners under that act"
"Now am right or am I wrong~ You
are correctI and / hope no amount OF
sophistry will cause you to yield one
particle in reference to this matter. AS
soon as it is generally understood that
this "huge operation" cannot cost much
less, if any, than $500, 600, and that your
Board of Directors propose to use the
pitiful sum of $11 900 (which was appro-
priated to increase the present water
power within the walls of the Penitenti-
ary) to commence this "huge operation
the people from one end of the country
to the other will demand some explana-
ton of this prodigal use of their money.
The Language of the act referred to
might be construed to mean this "huge
operation" urged by the majority of your
Board; but to commence such work
with an appropriation of S11, 900 does
not look like business. This "huge op-
eration," it is true, might be commenced
with Sl1, 900, and ] suppose every dollar
of the money would be expended in good
faith, but perhaps in such a way that it
would not be worth 70 the State, Colum-
bia or anybody else one cent, unless fol-
lowed by other appropriations from the
State amounting to at least $500, 900, or,
as it is State enterprise, perhaps to
S1,OO0,00O.
This might be called management; and
if our State was in condition to spend
million of dollars, without material in
convenience, I might not object to this
undertaking.; but, sir, what are the facts
as to our financial condition? As you
know, our State debt, as it now stands, in
round numbers, is Sc, 100000 The Court
of Claims have issued about $500, 900
worth of 6 per cent. bonds, and have
about 81 100000 yet to be, reported on:
z What amount the Court will report good
no one can tell.
The old South Carolina Bank bills are
yariously estimated from SS00,0O0 to two
and a quarter millions. My estimate is
about, or not less than, S1,S00,000. Our
railroad contingent liabilities are very
, large, and recent events convince me
that the State will have to pay the most
if not all of those claims. This will add
to our State debt several millions more.
We pay on this large amount 6 per cent.
per annum, which will aggregate at least
100000 more than was necessary to pay
all of our current State expenses, includ-
ing interest on the public debt, before
the war. At that time We had near six
times as much property as We DOW own.
make this short statement in refer
ence to our money matterswith the hope
that our people will stop and think be-
fore they enter into any "huge operation"
that will make it necessary to draw more
money from the pockets of the masses.
They haven't got the money! And it
appears that men in high position will
never realize this sad fact.
You think with sufficient water-power
to employ 600 convicts and put sufficient
. buildings, that we could rent the entire
concern for sum that will pay all ex-
penses and bring annually small in
come. Sir, I have no doubt as to your
honesty in this matter, but one great OBJ
lection is this: it is making aniexperi-
ment with our money at time when we
cannot afford to experiment; and besides,
the experience of most of the Southern
States is adverse to this opinion. No
prudent man will experiment on a large
scale at time when he is very much
embarrassed, and while he finds it diff
cult to satisfy the pressing demands of
his creditors and the constant everyday
rants of his family. If this would be
imprudent in individuals, would itnot be
equally so with State that is so sorely
pressed as South Carolina?
We have, believe, about 700 convicts,
with a constant yearly increase from
every county in the State; and, under
our present laws, within ten years we
may reasonably expect this number to
reach one thousand at least. To provide
for this large. number of convicts from
the scanty means within the control OF
the people of this State is no little mat:
ter, and should demand the most earnest
: consideration of all our thinking men.
Our present system, to say the least OF
it, is a very expensive machine. Our
annual appropriations usually amount to
from thirty to ninety thousand dollars.
Our last appropriation for this institution
will aggregate about $57 900, with almost
positive certainty that there will be a
large deficiency. At this important
iuncture in our financial troubles, am
disposed to look at this matter from a
n.oneyed point of view; at the same
, time we should not lose sight of the fact
that they are the worst of cur population
who must be fed, clothed, guarded, worked
at "hard labor" and at the same time
comparatively comfortable. Without
detriment to the general interest of the
State, can we so alter the law that the
number of conYicts will diminish in
stead of increase? In answer to this
question the lash naturally presents itself
Its cheapness is very strong argument
to every taxpayer who finds it difficult
to pay his proportion of this expense
aud it occurs to me it would be difficult
to find any argument that would make q
more lasting impression on large por.
ton of that class of persons found within
the walls of our PeniLentiary. Most OF
the States have abandoned this mode OF
punishment for crime, as something Of
the past; but if all evil doers, particu-
larly those accustomed to steal, knew the
penalty for that crime was "forty lashes,
save one," on the bare back, to be paid
in two installments, at short intervals.
would it not be greater terror than q
few years confinement in comfortable
quarters, with good, warm clothing, plen,