The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-08-17
CLEANING UP MAYFIELD.
His Figures all WrOng-Superinten
ent LipscOmb Shows the Utter I'm
reliability Of Mayheld's State.

COLUMBIA. August G.-To the Editor Of the
State The Register Of August 5th contains
y report OF the speech OF Superintendent OF
Education Mayfield at Union, in which he at
State government under Tillman and under
his predecessors very much 10 the detriment
Of the latter
That portion OF the speech which refers to
it appears TO be the duty of those acquainted
with the facts TO state them, that the good
people OF the State may not be imposed on by
any such partisan statements
First. AS to healleged debt OF S,OOO. M
such thing existed, as 1t will be seen by the re-
port of Superintendent Talbert for 1891, that
he ack now ledges 10 have received from me In
cash Si,d7.B and charges up as debts Of for
ance of Si5l.7O in cash above all debts be could
charge to my management. 1t Is possible that
the alleged debt was the first payment on the
DeSaussure place, purchased by authority OF
the Legislature, and If so, he had Just as we'll
made il S25, 900 as 5000. for the whole amount
has 10 be paid eventually.
Accepting his statement that this IS 900 Is
properly chargeable as debt left unpaid, an
examination OF Superintendent Talbercs re-
port for 1891 will show that he ack nowledges
The receipt of and accounts for S24,l55.95 from
sales Of cotton and farm produce, old iron and
machinery lett on hand and proceeds OF con
vict hire &C.. due the prison before he took
charge, ard have taken into account no cot
ton sold after August, 1891, except 522 bales
from Seegers' farm, and thirty-flve bales from
Spigener,s farm, s"d n IN SEPTEMBER wnlcn l
This, alter paying Mr.. Mayfield's S8,OOO,
leaves the modest sum OF SIG, l55 % In favor OF
the previous year without taking into consld-
Grafton the stock and produce on tne State u,
farms and cash on hand, which, as shown III
n previous communication, amounts 10 ABOUT
Sl7,L00 or more.
SECOND. AS to the wonderful saving in the
per capita expense of maintaining the con-
victs. Mr.. Maytield makes 1t SC per capita per
day. For 1890 1t was IS lie and for 1891 (ten
months) superintendent Talbert makes II
1870 for practically the same Items OF expen.
pendlture, just about &c IT Will be seen az
taken from the reports without explanation.
Mr. Mayfed, sngularly enough, fall 10 eX-
plain how much of this apparent reduction M u
TO be credited to the consumption In vi OF loO
head of beef cattle ana l2l head Of sheep lelt
as the States share OH Green Hill farm. (Su-
perinlendent Talbert does not report the sale
or loss of these cattle, and does not claim 10
have any on hand IN October. 1871, and they
must have been eaten.) Nor how much
should be credited TO the feeding o! 122 con-
victs per day for the ten months by the Glenn
son College trustees.
SuperlntendentT Talbert reports the daily av.
erage number Of convicts as 10 and total eX'
penditures S52 GOl.p for len months. Taklng
OIL the Items for the board OF directors, trans
| portation Of new prisoners, new hospital. wa.
| Ter wheel water, and DeSausSure farm, which
are not properly chargeable to maintainance
| leaves lin round number $4,000 which max es
something over 10 cents instend OF loH per
capita per day, for the ten months.
| Now, take from the 10 the l22 fed by the
Clemson College trustees. or only take OH I'll
| leuvi M one-hnir for the clothing and other al
lention furnished by the pehitentiary besides
iood, we have small Item Of S3,o23.36 pro-
yided for by other parties than the prison au
thoritirs Mt ~ cents per day, which ADDS
roughly, about 0ne-half TO the total expense
and OF course One-twelfth 10 the per capita
cost or In all over ~ cents Instead Of l5Ls. and
| tho saving ia thus in favor or the previous
| year.
O95.33 accounted for as debts or former al
| ministratlOn' should be deducted from thu
expenses. Not SO for II we do Superintend
ent Tillbcrt will then only have accounted fo
| nine months expenses, as the only hmoun
claimed TO have been paid out ior January y
Is S:iG6 81 outside o debts OF former admins
trution" and payment on DeSaussure farm
and the average payment for the other nin'
months Is about S,2OO, 80 that one month
expenses were left of, presumably OctooerS
To be paid in November, and this vii prooa
bly, be accounted for In the next fiscal year.
). To the casual observer, with the two reports
In his hand there appears to De u'ierene. is re-
membered that $50 con victs were catred lor 90
r days in 1899 and only 40 convlets wer ,
cared for for only Di days In le9l
about Sl4,5OO Is accounted for. an'
and extraordinary expenditures set lorlh u
incidental III lSW with us can be SHOWN m m'
corresponding expenditure In ISL. Sll,OU
more is accounted for. the apparent di1erenc
disappears like snow before the summer sun
nnd in yes a balance in favor OF 1870.
!. If Mr.. Mnyheld's argument Is rs utterl.
without basis, when he talks about the othe
-, departments of the state government, as IL
about the penitentary, the whoie lhlng mus
be rotten indeed.
| desire to say that this Is not Intended a
! an attack on the present management OF tn
i peniten tiary, and would not nave been wrl
!. ion but for MIR. Maytield's partisan effort
y uisparage the previous administration.
: Very respectfully, T. j. Lipscomb.
q EX1Superintendent South Carolina Penitel
r tiary.