The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-12-02

ment OF lard text year. n this connec-
ton l would urse the necessity OF a
change in he coGoty governments aud
the mode 0. assessing property.
COUNTY GOVERNMENTS.
The Office Of county commissioner
should be abolished, and IN place Of It a
government by townships substituted.
Thres in1eliicen. men in each township,
elected by the voters thereof, should be
entrusted with the management OF the
reads and bridges, schools, and assess
ment of property in the same. The
cLairnen OF these local boards should
constitutes q county board TO manage the
county finances, audit accounts and Or
Der expenditures. The salaries. II any,
ps:d these township commissioners, OF
s-.lsctmen, can be determined oy tse
voters OF hxed by law. The Constltu-
.iop can be changed to abolish the ofhce
Of county school commissioner, and THESE
chsnses vii, inevitably results in great
saving to each county, while there VIII
he a corresponding increase IN eilciency;
Propertv Will be assessed at It's Teal
raln. and millions BOW hidden will be
maSs ,~,S 70 nav their share Of taxes. This
nonnry n.SS = hoard should also constitute the
cos,nty c board of equal zaion, instead Of
beng appointed as at present oH 'i'e
=, this connection I sugges: the pro-
nristv OF requiring all notes, etc. 10 DC
Stamped By the county aaaltor ano
,,lacaG On tax books 10 make then col
tectihIe b7 iav. Make the note shaver
or lender pay taxes as we'll as the land
ovrer whose property stands IN ais
name, while be perhaps owes as much
as /: is worth. Equity would reqoi
thata nsn deduct MS debts :com his
property and pay tax on the remainder.
This Is iaoraiicable. but It is better that
nronerty shall be trebly taxed, bott
,,.btor and creditor paying, than thai
the debtor must pay double, as Re Is
obliged to do, and the creditor pay moth
inc. as is too often done.
DEFAULTERs.
Th. Investigations by different officers
dnrirg the year have brought to llsh,
the fact that the ''incipient rottenness'
CHARGED last year as existing ia the gov
ernnent was not a myth. a shortage
ofs5 sos was discovered in tho Office o.
the Adj utant AID Inspector General,
like dehcis Of 1880 IN the account OF the
C,erk Q, the Penitentiary, and the Comp
troller General has found shortages ssll
nr settled ia the treasurers' Offices O
charleston, Sumter and Union agsregat
Inc s.. SOS. That officer says in his re-
port that there had been good deal O
money made good Of which no mentor
is made, and that IN nearly every coun
+y irreonlar;ties and errors existed, the
anounts acsresatlng upwards OF $40, 600
Tb;ch he collected and turned into the
treasury. These are the fruits OF al
examination Of the books for one yea
only. What weuld be uneartheo II th'
Investigations were carried back se7ers
wears, IS LEFT to conjecture.
THE ASYLUM.
A. vour last session q special com
mirtee was appointed to investigate th'
fzs Bsssh af HIS Is RHSt5ttaSt@2n H5IS e HRs S4nms
taking voluntary testimony from some
OF the enp.oyees of the Institution, ad
iourned without completing It's work
Tsey found, as l afterward learned, tina
one OF tie Inmates lad been allowed tt
retain pistol in his possession, ast
otherreprehensi5le irregularities. Short
|ly atterward this same patient made
murderous assault on one OF the atten
dants. and tie matter being called tt
nv attention l Immediately summoned
the committee 10 come back and cen
cIude it's lsbors. Two Of the members
DR.. Strait, Senator fiom Lancaster, ant
DR.. Goodwin, member OF the Hous'
from Greenyille, responded; and as
am. under the Constitution, charged
with the appointment of all officers ane
EMPLOYEES Of the institution, l wen
with the committee and we made
thorough and searching investigation
into it's management. A stenographel
was employed, who took down all i'm
pertant testimony, part Of which vii
be printed for Your information to &C
company the report OF the committee
We found that there had been very iaS
discipline and negligence, attributable
to the superintendent, DR.. ?. E. Griffin
and after giving that gentleman an op.
portunity to dlsprove the charges made
against hie, which he refused to accept
he was removed and the institution
placed temporarily in charge OF DR.
Thompson. The correspondence in the
case is on file in the executive Office fol
the inspection Of any member Of the
General Assembly who desires to reac
it. NY insight into the condition anc
workings of the institution and know.
ledge OF its wants was largely increased
by this personal investigation, and car
reiterave, with confidence, the opinions
and advice given in my inaugural ad
dress SIS 10 changes in its management
The present superintendent, DR.. j
". Babcock. an accomplished aD(
thoroughly educated specialist, who was
GpDOiUISC IL July IdSis Civ StoSSAA4So S'A
troll on Angus. Is, has made some sug
gestiens in which | heartily concur, IL
reference to the admission Of patients
and to other matters connected with the
institution. There are now l3S inmates
n the asylum.
THE pENITENTIARY.
The report Of the board OF directors
s:nd superintendent shows this institu
ton to be i'll healthy condition. The
number OF convlcts this Year IS 1913, as
compared with 79l last year. Atten'
tor mas been paid to the sanitary condi
ton and the proper dieting ofthe prison.
ers, the COOL results (which are sheTr
in the decrease IN the death rate, which
facts are v,ry gratifying. The financial
concition is as follows:
Total am ourt received. ..... SCI ,038.5
Total amount paid cut..... 52,6Ol 9:
Cash balance paid out S6,436.9:
Due by contractors. ........ o.3OC0l
Cotton unsoid ................ 15,O00.5(
rHot,1 ,-.,+- 800 -Dc n.