The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-11-30
Continued from last page.

In the Circuit Court In Charleston, The decision
OF which was declared hnal by the law pro
viding for the distribution. The judge OF INA
court decided that there were no grounds o
appeal, and now these legal cormorants haF'
appealed to the Supreme Court OF the Uhile'
States on some trivial preteNt other, soirl!
with the view Of wearyiDg the patience o! tn'
claimants and forcing them TO DIVISION, aus
this they have succeeded In doing In u iarS'
number of cases. The very terms OF me &C
under which the State accepted inns trust l"l
bids the payment OF one CEN s,ro.Giv %. ,GS recnm
Irend that the General Assembly autnoilZt
me to demand OF the master III Ghar,estnr
the names Of and the amounts dIe tn lh'
parties thus situated, that l may pay tnei
what i due without uwaiiin: the lssuesot lhf
trivial appeal TO the United States Supreme
Court.
Idesire to call your attention to the follow
Ing extract from my last niessaee:
In the report OF the AdJutant ana inspect
or General, he suggests that a small tund he
provided for the publication. In pampaie'
form, of the rolls Of such companies and reg
imenGs ss arc not complete. 1he purpose u
that these may be distributed In the Territory
noin which the men were enlisted, so that the
survivors may have some data 10 De guiueu
by in supplying the missing names. ~
should be matter % Of State n pr,ne' s,iI[s mnu
to that everything reasopable be done to
put on record in the archives OF the gov
ernment at least the name OF every man VINO
ore the gray. therefore urge consideration
OF the AdJutant Generals recOinmend ndati0u
He Is a Jealous and efficient officer, aHd nclnS
a .allant Confederate soldier himself Will use
every reasonable effort TO finish this necessary
work. .
In this onnection would call your alien.
tiun to the matter OF pensions for Conieuerate
soldiers and widows Since | have oeen Gov
OF disabled Confederate soldiers have been
brought to my attention. They had no au
equate means Of support and ih' pension, uls.
Iributed on per capita bass Was W s. inSu n 1mSer.
ent vice OF any pension system that ihere
Shall be abuse Of the States bounty, ana there
is not the slightest doubt III The wor!a tsat
many persons In South Carolina are today
getting pro rata shtre OF pension money
whose Claims to II are doubtful; while there
are others more worthy not receiving any OF
not enough. But If We grant that every PEN
sioner is entitled TO wha, he or she gets and
that the list could be enlarged II the state
could afford IL, there are certainly some cases
more meritorious than diners ana taere
should be some method provided looking 10
Just discrimination In favor OF these. 10 pre-
vent abuse CT the States bounty, aud, ~ the
same time, provide for those most neeuy, !
know OF no class Of men TO whose ludgmeCt
and feeling I would sooner entrust the dis-
tribution of the pittance the State Is able 70
give than 10 the Confederate soldiers. ana
urge that the present sys stem or passing upon
= the applications for pension be abolished and
that the Con federaie survivors In each county
be request ed to form an organization In Wnlcu
every survivor shall be enrolled. to whlch the
whole matter be intrusted. There are many
pensioners who can easily do without the pit
lance they receive.
There are a considerable NUMBER VINO must
90 TO the Door house unless they get more.
Several attempts have been made at different
times to found soldiers home In the State
to give to these heroes comfortable resting
place till they "croSs over the river" whether
IL is better to provide such home or to leave
these wur-worn men among friends anu
neighbors, Is for you 10 dec ide. think Inc
veterans would prefer The latter ana II tne
Confederate soldiers of each county Will take
the matter In hand and give II the attention
IL deserves, their Organization, which might
be made pleasant and useful In many olher
ways, and especially in Tue CORRECTION ana
preservation Of data for the future historian,
can be OF great service IN smoothing the path
to the grave Of their less fortunate brethren
feel satisfied that II this scheme Is properly
carried out the soldiers who are also taXpay-
ers can be safely trusted with the money and
II IL becomes necessary, the amount can &c
increased. The pro rata share OF each county
should be on basis Of the number Of ex-Con-
federate soldiers In that county.
MAR1oNs TOMB.
A joint resolution TO provide for the repair
ing of the tomb Of General Francis Marion.
in Berk ley county," and appr0priating $500
therefor, was passed by the last General AS
senbiy, and the duty imposed on me OF see
ing the work properly done Feeling thai
could rely on his Judgment and taste, l re-
quested the Hon. W. A. Courtney, of Charles
ton, to visit the grave and prepare such speci-
fications as would enable me to carry out The
wish OF the legislature He reported the con.
dition Of the tomb to be such that there Is no
possibility OF repairing 1t, but that new
tomb would have 10 be provided II IT were TO
reflect any credit on the State; and advised
me that this could not be done In creditable
way, approaching the one which has been
partially destroyed by falling tree, with the
money provided. With the assistance OF Mr.
Dr. of Nhnr a 81
suitable tomb, with bronze tablets for the In
scrptions, estimating the cost at about $500,
with which sum an enduring and indestructi-
BILE tombjcould be purchased, and l recon-
mend the appropriation OF that amount for
this pious and patriotic purpose.
In this connection desire to direct the at
tentIon Of the General Assembly 10 the pain
ful dearth within the wall> OF the State House
OF memorials mementoes, pictures or other
souvenirs of South Cardinals great dead. No
State Of the original thirteen suffered IN the
Revolutionary War as much as ours, and, ex-
cepting Virginia, might add, In the Confed
crate War. Upon the soil OF none were so
many revolutionary battles fought, and none
furnished brighter galaxy of brave and pa
triotic officers in both these wars. From
some cause the history of South Cardinals
share In those days and those heroes has
never been written in q fitting way, and
Times rsvenous tooth has lett US little except
their names. Then, coming to later period,
our annals are adorned with brilliant orators,
wise statesmen and eminent jurlsts; and
-
struck with the painful lack OF authentic ac-
count or record Of their lives and reminders
OF how they looked, There are three Of tour
paintings in the Senate chamber and hall OF
the representative OF some OF our later worth
les, aud one Georgian, who lent valuable aid 10
the State ut a most critical period, but here
the catalogue ends. The library walls, up
stairs, and all other rooms are bare, and the
thousands OF visitors f:on this Stale and ol h.
ers who annually in-pect The State Capitol
cannot find a,S ''counterteit presentmenL" of
South Cardinals great men. II may be con-
sidered extravaganza To attempt TO supply
what every lover OF the State would wish To
see supplied, but take IL that there can be
no ditfrrance OF opinion as TO the value and
desirabiiity OF memorials Of the men who
have illustrated our history. A people who
do not respect their ancestors c,nnot hope to
be respected by their p0sper,y, and sentiment
at last Is the mother Of patti iiotism.
The promptneSs, without casiling, with
which your predecessors gave money TO copy
the records 10 England bearing upon South
Carolinas history, leads me to suggest that a
small annual appropriation 0e made to pro
vide paintings OF the men whose virtue and
greatness we have heard extolled, but have
never read, because their lives have never
been written. Then visitors 10 the State
House may see at least.
"Some frail memorial still erected nigh"
to teach our youths both how to live and die
une thousand d. liars year given to the
State House Commission and an invitation
TO the descendants and families OF these great
short while relieve the painful blankuess
which now exists In our Capitol.
REGISTRATION.
The act Of 1882 requiring and providing q
system Of reg istraton OF the voters OF this
State, by reason OF It's provisions, has brought
about condition OF affairs which becomes
more and more the subject OF comp aint and