The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-10-13

T anticnate the question, if SGO9OOO was
sufficient Tor the needs of the government IN
1850, why collect S1@1,DO In 1879! III is a prrti,,
! nent one, and can be satisfactorily answered
only by close inspection and comparison ol
| the actual expenditures of each yea. Ihls Is
| really the surcSt test rs to whether the money
of the people has been waSteluliy eApei,ue'ii'
ancc with law and for the best interests ot the
state: whether it is Il fact that Ring IN 60
lumbia has for ten years squandcreu the pup
lie funds in the interest of its members, each
year. like the horse leech'S daughter CRYING
for more, or whether the finances OF the state
have been, ms many good people still oeiievc,
administered with an honesty and ability
That should cntille those in control Of the
Government to respect. and not abuse. Ihht
such ar examination may be the more easl'!
made, have tahulated the eXpendtures m mnl
six successive years, from 1SI9.SO TO lSSl-eo SO
classified as to be easily understood. Ana
thai there may be no possible mistake In re,
gard to the statements, Will explain now L
have reached my results. ,
Tn the Statements of receipts and expendi-
lures made annually by the comptroller gene
ral I have accepted only the expenditures oi
the current year, diScaraing, for obvious rea'
sons, the payments FOR pack years nre n.n ,1,n ",
agricultural department. and the rhllroau
commission, as neither OF these amounts are
paid from the taxes. In computing the
amount paid for interest Oh the pubic ucDt.
have been compelled, for accuracy, to take
the whole accrued interest for each year, lor
in The report this iteni is consolidated, 1nclu-
ug the interest for several m M dif1sremI years s
expenditures amounted TO S19l, ,7OO.S3 ana SSS5-
9l5 respectively; that is, an increase III the
five years OF S92,2l5. In the intermcdlnte
years the expenditures ranged between Inc
amounts given, being next greater in lSSl-s2,
when the legislative session extended into
February, and the publication OF the Revised
Statutes increased the cost of public printing
to over $40 QUO. The point to be determined Is,
whether this increase In the expenditures OF
the Government is evidence Of extravaganza
and msmanngemento OF The States finances
as Is unhesitatinsiy charged by Mr.. Tiliman
An analysis Of The accounts will show, and
naturally proc; of the charge would be en-
pected In the expenditures of the depart
ments specially under control of "lhe men
who spend the money"
all of the officers in the State House. cost IN
1850 S4 ,240 66; this represented salaries, once
expenses. rewards and proclamatiohs, anu
every expense incident to such offices. In
1885, with the addition Of $1,000 for the sup,
port Of the militia, and 81, 800 for Normal
Institute, the expenditures were but SN,5og.oo,
showing decrease Of moro than Sl.O0O In the
ordinary current expenses OF these depart
ments. Eliminating the two items above
mentioned, and the expenses of these depart
ments, through the series OF six years, are So
uniform as to imply at least Il reduction to
their actual necessities, or else wonderful
method In SQuandering the money. But, GER
tainly there IS no external evidence mere that
these departments haze contributed 10 the
wasteiul expenditure OF the public funds.
1t will he seer at a glance that all of the In.
crease In the expenses of the State Is confined
to about halfdozen items, to.wit: Inc
I.unatic Asylum and the institute lor the
Deaf, Dumb and Blind, the South Carolina
University and the Citadel Academy, the
completion Of the State House. and election
expenses CLASSIFIED. they represent entirely
the charitable, the educational ana the econ
omic interests of the State. Estimated In
dollars and cents, they represent, in 1885, an
increase of the expenses of the State. aS COM
pared with 1850. OF $169,2l5.65. Showing at the
Of about $1,000. shall not discuss the wis
dom OF these expenditures. The Asylum,
which is the heaviest burthen, appeals TO the
humanity of our people. The appropriation
of S75,0O0 for the preservation OF the State
House was made purely from considerations
uf economy. If they constitute evidence Of
all the ugly charges preferred by Mr. Tlllman.
then the responsibility must rest Win tne
people and their representatives. 1t cannot be
graiuitously put upon officials whose duties
are merely ministerial.
Mr.. Tillman complains that since this agita-
tion began he has been attacked by men of all
kinds and cal,breS. l diSclalm any attention
in this communication of adding TO the NUM-
Der of his Sncallcd aSSailantS He has made
Il statement, based upon figures, the accuracy
of which challenge, but in doing so have
kept within the bound OF legitimate discus.
sion. Ii have failed to make out my case or
to destroy his, presume that he VIII polnt
out Tile WeQhtc>S Oh MY aTSuucUG ul'u
ina ccuracy Of my statements. The subj1ct is
one OF vital interest TO the people and they
are entitled to the truth, whatever it be
But while Mr.. Tillman complains Of being
attacked, does he not in this very letter, ana
has he not for Il year paSt, made damning
charges against The servants chosen by the
people to admisistcr their affairs, and Is he
not employing all of his talcnta and all of his
energy in the effort to utterly destroy
confidence in, and respect for, the state Gov
ernment and its representatives?
Now, after many months of agitation and
made a specific charge, to the effect thai the
he has cited the comptroller generals report
as authority for his statement. and by his
own witness 1 have proved It's inaccuracy.
He has also by Implication charged that there
is "Rimg" In Columbia composed of "the
men who spend the money" that Is, OF
course, the state officials, and that this
"Riug'' Or these State officials are entirely re-
SponSblc for the Increase in taxes and for the
cXtravagunt wastes OF tie public funds. Har.
ing made these charges, will Mr.. 1illnan
come out like man, squnrcly and iairly, and
subStantiate them? VIII he be candid
enough to explain to the people of South
Carolina in what way it is possible for any
Stale officer, Or any combination OF State ofil-
GERS, to increase or decrease the ttScS, when
the power to fix tn rate of taxation, and the
| amount to be raised, r.StS absolutely with the
General Assembly? VIII he enliShtcn the
people as to the method by which state Of
ficerS can increase or decrease the annual
expenditure of public moneys? Docs not the
| Legislature by Act specify and provide CN-