The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-02
THE AFFAIRS OF STATE.
An OFFICIAL REVIEW OF THE GENERAL
CONDITION OF OUR PUBLIC IN
STITUTIONS.
Our ResOurccs...Our ExPenditures---
A Half Million for Negro Educa'
tien:ls30.0 900 for Disabled Soldiers
s..0ur Public schools and our Pen
itentiary---T,e Canal---Call for an
Increase Of our Taxes.
Message of Governor Hugh S. Thompson, to
the General Assembly Of South Carolina,
at its Regular Session, Beginning No
verpber o. 1885,
THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLISA,
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER.

THE STATE OF SOUTH CARoLISA,
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER.
COLUMBIA, November "A, 1851
Gentlemen of The General assembly,: In tn
performance of the duty imposed upon IN
Governor by the Constitution of the stare
have the honor to transmit the following
message:
Public Debt.
The report of the comptroller-eeneral give
In full the character and condition OF tne pup
tic debt The agyrsSats re-, Seds is gsas!fss!y tn
bonds having been purchased by the sinkln!
fund commission OH account Of the high pre-
1nium which they commandeds yniy sA"N
Of old bonds were tundea uerins tne Stto, al a.
al over S40A, 900: and Of S!63 .312 of Green con
suls, only So 0Sl, s. (s6,2I9 IS of which amour
was invalid) have been eXchanged ior 6roWl
Funded debt (all valitD S6,l23,9O7 70; unfnndet
debt (partly INVALID estimated at 1898 ,2sl
The funded debt consists OF Brown consols, -
1920: valid Green cOnSols, Sal. 42l.4o; den
ciencies. e+N, ,iJG.s9; and agricultural lan'
scrip, sl9, 800.
Re.enues Of tile State.
The tota, reveues OF the State and counties
FOR the fiscal year commencing NoFcmoeI
iSS5. was about 81 oS90o0, OF which about 81 $50,
n N ,,xos raised Ly taxation. and S!53,0o0 tron
phosphate royalty. The collectlon OF Ine IaN
t,s wus unusually full and satisfactory, nearis
9S per cent. Of the assessed State tax haVine
been collected, and nearly 70 per cent naHI rson;
for each mil! levied was $l41GO, being an IN
crease Of 81, 900 over the preceding year, ahe
$50 % over the year 1873. The taxes iof tut
fiscal year lsSlS3 are now oeins cleste1' TIt Tht
levy amounts to s.. .Sl, ,494, divided as follows
For state, Sssl.526: for counties. S6T,l4S; ane
for schools, $H2 $50 not including polls.
By the use of certain undrawn balance!
which remain In the treasury temporarii!
tho necessity of borrowing money to pay th'
interest ON the public debt, in anticipation @
the collection OF taxes, mas oeen aEuiueo ;r.a ou
it is recommended that the authort ty to etfec
such a loan, If necessary. be again given 10 th'
Governor and the State treasurer. The re
commentators OF the comltroitef-Senert
that the counties he authorized 10 borrow tn'
necessary funds to meet both county AM
school expenses, and that some provision b'
made 10 recover the lost tax year, are also ear
nestly called to your attention.
Expenses of Iss5-ss.
It's estimated that 1t will require s49s,ooo t.
meet the ordinary expenses OF the Govern
lncnt for the fiscal year lSS5SG, and S'9l,OG u
pay the interest on the public debt. ines
amounts will be increased by such addltlona
arpropriations as may be required by l'%issi
tion, and will be decreased by the phoSphat
rSyaliy and any surplus that may remain II
the treasury AS these amounts are contln
CERT, and consequently unknown. inc necGs
General Assembly prepares the annual sup
e Phosphate Royalty.
All Of the phosphate royalty for the yea
ending September 80, 1885, amounting TO Sl!o
24a.f, has been collected. This Is the lafges
source Tor ore year. AS this yield was Prooa
bly, exceptional, it would be best in maxim!
estimates for The present fiscal year 10 piac'
the revenue from the phosphate royalty
Sl0,O00.
The ecomptrol!er.general calls attention t!
the Acts and the amendments thereto proVld
ing compensation for the soldiers OF Inns SIat'
who have been permanently dlSaOleo III an
limb in consequence Of wounds received II
the civil war. Under the Acts referred TO th
sum of Sl8, 600 has already been expended, ant
claims amounting to nenriy So,o'u are on M
awaiting further appropriately. by the Term
Of the Acts no one is allowed compcnsauoi
except for permanent ntiEjury to llno Man.
applications for aid have been received IRON
soldiers who have suffered injuries seriousl!
affecting their health. but for whose relief n
provision is made by law: 49,, The comptro'ier,
ated annually for PENSIONS to disa oied soldler
and sailors, each beneficiary to receive wv, un
less the number exceeds one Thousand, u
which case the amount shall De divided equal
iy among them. have no information as y
the number OF Soldiersand sailors who woui'
be entitled to receive this aid, and am una
bile, therefore, to say whether the sum propos
ed would be sufficient to afford any substan
tial relief: but the matter well deserves con
siderntiou by the General Assembly IN
State can never fully discharge her oollgatio'l
to the brave men who, in obedience TO ne
call, have suffered permanent injury In healtl
or in limb; but she should contribute, If pos
slble to the alieviation of the wants OF Suci
of them as are without the means OF support
and are incapacltated for manual labor D,
reason of disabilities incurred in the discharg
or duty. While those who can claim this rec
ognition Of services to the State diminish II
number each ear, the lnfrmitics of the sur
vivors, and their need for help, constantly In
crease.
Twould earnestly renew the recommends
tions made in my first annual message 10
such simplification of our present GUNNER
some system of assessment ana taxation a
shall relieve the unequal burdens caused o,
Jack of uniformity in the tax laws. anu OF e
fectiveness in their execution. The bill re
ported by the commission appointed to revls
and simp plify the tax laws. which has not yc
been acted on by the General Assembly, pro
poses scheme of assessment and taXatlot
which, ii adopted. will, In my opinion, COZ
rect many of the evils Of the present system
In connection with this subject woul
call special attention to the report OF the sec
retary of State to the sinking fund commls
sion, and to the suggestions therein maQe II
to amendments to the law by which iands 10,
feited for non payment of taxes can be mau
to yield their proper revenues to the SEits
The report shows that there are now 2,4oi 2
acres OF land in the State lot reported Tor tta
alton, and 9l2.S70 acres on the forfeited lis
making in all 3,3 .l24 acres from which LII
State receives no revenue.
Public Schools.
The report Of the superintendent of euuct
ton shows q most gratifying progress In IN
work of the public schools, and in thehealth
growth Of popular sentiment ON the suole'
OF education. Year by year the friction IN;
80 Iol ko n
school system in the earlier period OF us c
tabishmcnt has been reduced, and In a!l pa
ticulars controlablc by the school officers
has almost disappeared.
The number of pupils enrolled In the publ
schools during the year just closed was l7S,02
of which rs, ,45S were white and 1855 were &C
ored; the average attendance was l2.o9o,
which 1861 were white. ana G6,429 were coio
ed The number of teachers employed was
773 being an increase of eighty-niae over u
number employed during the preceding ycaI
and the number OF schools was 3,5G2, being q
increase of eighty over the number M IN optff W r
school term was three and half months,
decrease Of half month. The total amour
of funds available for school purposes duril
ports c ar are attainable, was S5l5.57osS, of whic
$4tl, ,59J.37 was collected during the year, S''
9Il6l consisted of unexpcndcd balance
brought forward from previous years. Ihe
tai amount expended was AS ,il9.4l.
1t was SHOWN III tnc annual TepolI III 70 10
that the limit of ratio of enrolment 10 U
school population of the State had been nearl
reached, and that the increase in this rcspe,
would, in the absence OF nnfavorable como
tionS, only keep pace with the natural increa'
of population. This indicates that the schoo
have been brought within the reach OF II
people. and are generally used by them. Tf
average attendance of pupils for the scho
term shows an increase of 1919, ana h;'s no
reached nearly SO per centum OF tnc e,l:n
mcnt. That this percentage should be so hlg
among q people mainly rural is highly encon
aging. because it demonstrates that inc wor
of the schools has become more effective an
hetter appreciated. There arc, however, wv