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

ed for school purposes was SO ap:.
piled, as appears from the published
reports and monthly statements of
the State Treasurer and reports of
Comptroller General.
Again, to illustrate
For three years previous to the pas.
sage of this specific levy Act the
average amounts incurred per ses-
sion for legislative expenses. ex-
elusive of printing, ,was..............S52S,SS SS2 AZ
Average legislative expenses, excu-
sive OF printing, incurred under
specific levy for three years......... l7l.OOO w
Average difference per annum... .SS2 AZ
This would seem to be enough as
to the practical results of this Act
and the very great and astounding
decrease in public expenditures.
Details would be useless. When
first adopted, ehree and one.half
mills were required for deficiencies
alone. After its adoption levy Of
q fraction over one mill was sufi-
cient, a large proportion of that de.
6ciency being occasioned by the loss
Of the States money through the
failure Of the South Carolina Bank
and trust Company. The year
previous to my election the General
Assembly remained in session until
there was expended in legislative
expenses almost every dollar re.
ceived from taxes, drawing from
the State Treasurer more than eight
hundred thousand dollars Of the
million and Two thousand dol
lars received from the tax levy,
and incurring additional liabilities
amounting to several hundred thou.
sand dollars, thus creating a def.
cheney in one fiscal year of more
than one million dollars, as reported
by Governor Moses in his first mes
sage. After the adoption of the new
system of levy the schools we're kept
open, the teachers received their
pay, the Judges and State officers
received their salaries, the penal and
charitable institutions received their
appropriations, and the interest on
the consolidated debt was paid up
to the amounts collected for these
purposes respectively. There was
but one violation and depar-
ture from this law, viz, on the
part of Cardozo, Treasurer, in the
payment of the claim of the
Thomas Price Company, amounting
to s15,816.90, for which he was
indicted.
Governor Chamberlain, in his
first inaugural address, said Of this
Act:
1.-The General Assembly at the last regular
levy Of taxes for each object of public e1pen-
diture. I most earnestly urge that this plan
be observed in the future; its advantages are
manifest and obvious. IT the Legislature Is
to have control Of the public funds, no measure
specific levies."
I will again refer to Governor
Chamberlain to demonstrate more
fully the manner in which expenses
we're reduced under the specific levy
Act, the Act forbidding officers to
contract in excess of amount appro-
priated, and the attache Act. In
his message to the General Assem-.
bly,, regular session 1S75-76, he
said:
I'm the matter of expenditures I have the
satisfaction Of saying that great advances have
been made during the past year towards
proper scale and measure.
"The entire appropriation for legislative
expenses for the fiscal year was Sl50.OO0 The
appropriation under this hcad for the preced-
ing FISCAL year was Sl9!.oo. whiie % inc average
sem bly,, from 1868 to 1873 inclusive, was $780,.
405.l6. the cost Of the regular session of
ls7l-72 reaching as high an amountas sel7.-
ga. In honorable contrast with former years,
tions have been issued or incurred by the OIL
GERS of the General Assembly. during the past
year in excess of the appropriations made,
1t is to be borne in mind that the
legislative expenses mentioned by
Governor Chamberlain comprise
the amounts which were paid out
of the treasury during the fiscal
year, while such expenses mentioned
by me comprise the amounts which
were paid out Of the treasury during
the fiscal year and also the amounts
which were not 80 paid and were
provided for by subsequent legisla-
ton.
Having seen the good effect of
the specific levy for State purposes,
I desired to have it applied to the
Counties; and for that purpose
during the session of 1876, as
will be seen by reference to Senate
Journal, page Ill, I presented "a
Bill to require the Boards of County
Commissioners throughout the State
to apportion the annual taxes
amongst specific objects for which
said taxes were levied" This Bill
passed the Senate at the special ses.
sion of 1877, but was defeated
in the House. 1t required the
County Commissioners to apportioh
the levies III sufficient amounts to
pay: first, jurors and Court ex-
penses; second, dieting prisoners
third, assessors; fourth, roads and
bridges; fifth, support of poor, ETC.,
etc; and forbid the amounts thus
apportioned being used for any other
purpose.