The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-04-08

to correct it as far as possible, I
offered "a Bill to provide for the
granting Of certain charters"
[House Journal 1928, page 356.]
This Bill provided that upon appli
cation to the Clerk of Court, under
certain restrictions, religious, chari-
table, agricultural, military and
other associations or companies
should or might be Incorporated.
The Bill finally passed both branches
of the General Assembly, and was
approved by Gov. Moses, February
20, 1874. After the passage Of this
Act, except in one or two instances,
the Republican General Assembly
following adhered to its provisions.
In illustration of the expense in
Cured by the passages Of such Acts
of incorporation, take the following
statement of facts and figures: For
years prior to the approval of the
Act providing for the granting of
certain charters, the General Assem-
bly, incurred an expense of four
thousand dollars for every Act and
Joint Resolution ratified. This of
course includes all legislative ex-
penses, supplies, printing, dc. After
the approval Of the first attachee
Act, the Act regulating the disburse.
ment of public funds and the Act
providing for specific levies, the cost
of each Act and Joint Resolution
was reduced to within a fraction Of
one thousand dollars.
But in order that you may more
fully comprehend the beneficial re-
suits accruing from the enactment
of the Act providing for the grant.
ing of certain charters, in connection
with the last three Acts referred to-
I will submit the expense incurred
in granting charters to churches, &C..
during one session before and one
after their adoption.
Session Of S2 tho hSgIssture ire
ligious and like associations; expenses
incurred per Act 81 800; total. 00
Session 1875. one Act. expense in
curred................. 1.OU
Difference per session....".............s257,0 ,0Ol
Taking the general Act upon its
own merits, it saved to the State in
preventing the granting of charters
after the cost of each was reduced tt
one thousand dollars, not less than
fifty thousand dollars per annum
After the passage of the second at
tachee Act, the second printing Ac'
and the Act to reduce the per diem
and mileage of members of the
General Assembly, which I intro
duced and to which I shall refer
hereafter, the average cost of Acts
and Joint Resolutions was reduced
to about two hundred and eighty.fve
dollars each. This was during the ad
ministrations of Governors Hampton
and Simpson. Ofcourse the prompt
ness with which the Legislature dur.
ing those administrations disposed
of its work. contributed largely in
producing this last great reduction
in the expense incurred in the
passage of Acts. During Gov.
ernor Chamberlain's administration
for two sessions, the General
Assembly, except in one or two
instances, refused to entertain
or consider any Bill or Bills grant.
ing charters or Acts of incorpora.
ton which might or could be oh.
tanned from the Clerk of the Court,
as provided for under the general
Act presented by me. The cost Of
each Act then was near one thousand
dollars, and the consequent saving
and reduction under this general
Act was no small matter. Governor
Chamberlain in his first inaugural
referred to this special legislation as
follows:
"One cause of long. sessions, which I feel
bound to specify, has been the passage of an
inordinattes plumber Of special Acts Of incorposs
the General Assembly. during the last six
years will be convinced of tho waste Of time
arising from this cause"
No further reference was made to
this subject by Governor Chamber
lain afterwards, which furnishes
strong presumptive evidence that
the evil complained of had been so
far corrected as to no longer attract
attention, for it is we'll remembered
that as Governor he permitted no
opportunity to pass whereby he
could advert to the errors or abuses
of his own political party.
AS a kindred subject, the incor.
poration of towns and villages occu.
pied much time and entailed great
unnecessary expense upon the tax
payers. This mania for incorpo-
rating promiscuously every cross
road or country store, and in that
way electing only interested persons
Intendant and Wardens, granting
licenses to sell spirituous liquors,
almost, if not quite, became pub.
lie nuisance. To simplify and
economize in this particular, I came
to the conclusion that general
law, embracing all important pro-
visions, would accomplish much in
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