The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-05-28
PUBLIC EXPENDITURES
THE COST Of TIE RUNNING OF OUR
STATE GOVERNMENT.

THE COST OF TIE RUNNING OF OUR
STATE GOVERNMENT.
-Hr. Ellis G. Gray!on Shows how Each Cen:
of the Annual STATE Tax Levy is Spent.
To the Editor Of Tie News and
Courier: The cal for convention
! issued BY the executive committee Of
the Farmers Association a&s q
great deal to say about the necessity
for economy, rctrenchment and re-
form il tie administration of our
State Government. The demand for
economy and retrcnchment presup-
poses the existence Of extravaganza
and wastefllEcss, The demand for
reform presIrposes the existence OF
corruption, or at best management.
As the latter charge seems to have
been virtually abandoned, as that
count in the indictment of the ex-
ecrtivc committee of the Farmers,
Association seems to have been mol
pressed, let as consider the former.
ABSOLUTE ECONOMY.
Some weeks ago ! wrote al article
for The News and Courier IN which
al effort was made to show that this
State has, relatively to tie other
States OF the Union, all economical
government. Let Us see, i It IS not
positively economical, If it is possible
to reduce taxation so that tie rcduc-
ton viii be felt appreciably. The
school tax is fixed by the Constitution
at not less than two mills The ex-
pelicnce Of fourteen years has shown
that in AbbeyiDe county (Which is
taken for coHyeHieuce) an annual levy
of at least three mills is required Tor
ordinary county purposes. In some
counties a higher rate is necessary.
Very few have q lower.
The State levy for this year IS five
and one-fourth mills About two and
three-fourths mills Of this levy are
required to pay The interest on the
State debt. These three items,
school tax, ordinary county purposes
and interest OH State debt, requiring
(in LIS county, g levy Of about seven
md three-fourths mills, may be called
fixed charges, IN which no reduction
is possible unless the State debt can
be refunded at 8 lower rate Of inter
est. Ali the other expenses OF the
State Government are paid out Of the
remaining two and one-half mills levy
and the phosphate royalty, and if any
reduction can be made it must be
made here. What are those expenses?
LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.
about S6OOO0-about &3S,000 for sal
aries, and the balance for printing
and other purposes. We 90 not sup
pose any well-;nformed man thinks
the salaries here are too high. Those
who have been members OF the Leg
islature know that it involves Il sacrIi-
fee OF money US well as Of time.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
abous SG5,G0o, about So, 4,00G foG sal
aries and the balance for other pur
poses. The bill which passed the
House ct the last session proposed to
reduce the Governors salary $500.
and the salaries Of some State officers.
and their clerks $500 each. | have
not the bill before me. but, according
to my recollection Of it, it woul<; have
effected reduction IN this depart
ment Of only $4,000 to $4,000. The
most ardent economists did not
want to go farther.
THE JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT
under existing law requires about
500, 5000 per annum. i bill passed the
House at the last session reducing the
salaries Of the Judges $500 each, Or
$500 IN all. IIany think this re-
duction ought TO have been made. [
confess I am not one OF the number.
Before the war twelve OF thirteen
Judges, with aggregate salaries OF
SS6,0OO or $4,000, attended to the
business Of a litisating population OF
275,OOO. Now eleven Judges, with
aggregate salaries of $4,000, attend
to the business CT a litigating popula-
ton of over million. They have
nearly twice as much work to do and
their expenses are heavier.
PENAL AND CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The next item is penal and Chart
able institutions, including the Peri-
tentiary, the L1lnatic Asylum and the
Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb and
Blind, to which may be added tor con
veniencc the Catawba Indians. These
require for this year an appropriation
Of S133,325. The Penitcntiary sup
ports it's own officers, and no redcc-
ton in the others is possible, Sc far
as anyone has shown.
The next is the health department.
Some contend that this department
is useless. That IS a question OF
policy. The appropriation, S13,G0o,
is certainly not excessive.
The next IS the tax department.
The appropriation for this IS S23.40o.
$4,000, fOf salaries OF auGltofs. ans.
$4,000 for printing for auditors and
trcasurers. The salaries OF the audi
tors are low enough, and the printing
is absolutely necessary.
COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
The next is the appropriation Ter
educational institutions, including the
South Carolina College $4,000, the
Citadel $40, 400, Clatin College $1,000,
the Winthrop Training School s., 400,
and the Clemson College $4,000,
total Si15.SOO. Some persons are
opposed to any appropriations for
higher education. Il may ne taken to
be the settled policy OF the State. how
ever, that these institutions shall be
maintained. If they are 70 be main.
tanned it is hard to see how it c&n be
done On less money, unless 1t be III