The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-12-03

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that provision be made for a rnassess-
mcnt OF land next year. In This connec-
ton l would urge the necessity Of n
change in 'he county governments and
the mode of assessing property.
COUNTY GOVERNMENTS.
The office Of county commissioner
should be abolished, and IN place Of il a |
government by townships substituted. |
Three intelligent men in each township, |
elected by ibe voters thereof, should be
entrusted with the management OF the
roads and bldycs, schools, and ASSESS
ment OF property in the same. The
Cha'rmen OF these local boards should
constitute county board to manage The
county finances, audit accounts and Or
der expenditures. The salaries, if any,
paid these township commissioners, or
sclectmcn, can be determined by the
voters or fixed by law. The ConsLitu-
of county school commissioner, and these
changes vii! inevitably result in great
saving to each county, while there will
he a corresponding increase in efficiency.
Property Will he assessed at its real
value, and millions now hidden will be
made to pay their share Of taxes. Tbs
county board should also constitute the
county board OF equal za!ion, Instead Of
being appoin ed rs al present by the
auditor.
! In thus connection l suggest the pro-
prlctY OF requiring all n1ics, ETC., to be
l.. stamped by The EQUITY auditor and
Il placed on tax books TO make then col
y lcCtible bv law. Make the note shaver
= or leudcr pay taxes as well as the land
owner whose property stands in his
name, while he perhaps owes as much
~ as II is worth. Equity would rcuui. c
n That mau deduct his debts rom lis
n properly and pay TAX on the remainder.
q This is impratcablc, but it is better that
~ property shall be trcbly taxed, bo,h
4 debtor aud creditor DaylnT, than that
the debtor must pay double, is he is
~ Obliged 70 do, aud The creditor pay moth
,. ing, as is 100 often done.
DEFAUI.TERS.
The lnvcstigallons bv different, officers
y durilo% the year have BROUGHT To light
,s The lact that thc "incipcnt rottcnncss'i
= charged last year as C:;iSt:ng in The GOV.
II crnmcnt WAS not II myth. A shortage
- OF S3,52S was discovered in Tic Office o
8 thc Adj ulaht and Inspector General, ,
Y like deLlciL of $500 in the account OF the
=, Clerk ei the l'cni,cntiary, and the Comp
u troller General has found shortages sal
!, unsettled IN the trcasurers' .'ilices OF
- Charleston, Sumter aud Union agwrc.al
Ing $9,GOS. That officer says in his re-
q port that there had been a good deal O
p money made good Of which no mention
- ls made, and that III nearly every coun
1 tY irregularities and errors existed, The
10 amounts a.9rcgatlngupwards OF sc, 900
NJ Which he collected and turncI into (ht
= treasury. These are The fruits of al
- cXamnat on of the books for one yea,
IL only. What would be uncarthcd ii th,
80 lnvcstis cations were carried back scvrra
% years, Is left u conjecture.
~ TIE ASYLUM.
AT your last session a special com
y mittcc was appointed to investigate the
50 HnairS OF lllls institution. This commit
- tee bcSan its labora in April, and, after
~ taking voluntary testimony from. som,
81 OF the employees Of the institution, ad
20 iouncd without completing It's work
:, They found, rs aitcrward learned. tina
- one OF the inmates had been allowed t,
retain pistol i'll his possession, aut
30 olhcf rcprchcnsiblc irregularities. Short
'3 y aitcrNard this same patient made
- mlrdcrouS assault on Que of the attcn
10 danls, and thc matter being ca led [,
my attention Immediately summonc,
the committee to come back and con
So cludc its labOrs. Two Of the members
DR.. Strait, Senator fl ON Lancaster, ant
- DR.. Goodwin, member of the IICus,
=, rom Grecnvillc, responded; and as
- , am, under the Constitution. charged
!. with the appointment Of all officers ant
, n al Of hn
with the committee and we made {
q thorough and searching investigator
= into lis management. a stenOsraphc
= was employed, who took down ali i'm
)5 pertant testimony, part Of which vii
be printed for your information to ac
Is company the report Of the committee
- We found that there had been very iaA
, discipline and negligence, attributable
. to the npcrintcldcnt, DR.. L. T.. Griffin
and after giving that gentleman an 0p
portunity to dlsprOye the charges made
2 against him, which he refused TO accept
N he was removed and the institution
= placed tcml 'rarily in charge OF Dr.
3 IhOiLps'A. The correspondence in the
case is on tile in the executive Office fol
y the inspection OF any member Of the
- General Assembly who desires to reaC
it. My insight INTO the condition auC
IL workings Of the institution and know.
J. ledge of its wants was largely increased
i by this personal investigation, and | can
q rcitcratc, with confidence. The opinions
d and advice given in my inaugural ad
e dress as to changes i'll its management
The mcscnt superintendent, DR.. }
j. w. Babc0ck, an accomplished ant
l. thoroughly educated specialist, who wa.
y appointed in July last, and assumed con
q troll on August Is, has made so lc suy
o gestion3 i'll which l heartily concur, il
IL reference TO the admission of patients
g and to other matters connected with tht
II institution. There arc now 13S inmate
70 i'll the asylum.
i THE PENTrENTIARY.
The report of the board Of director
u and superintendent shows this inslitll
y ton to be III II healthy condition. Th
- number OF convlcts this year is 103, n
Il IrCb,nnrnJ with -Ol vnn, l,,,,