Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-12-07
THE MESSAGE.

Governor Tillman's message,
Just given to the Legislature, is
the most remarkable document OF
it's kind, in many respects, that
has ever issued in this or, perhaps,
any olhor State. The circum-
stances surrounding its production
created largely by the genius of
the man who now reviews them,
vested the paper with unusual in
terest in its anticipation, which is
more than justified by the result.
Dispensing, in the main, with the
dry statistical reports which
usually composes solarge a portion
of such papers, the Governor slczes
on the salient features of his ad-
minisration with the grasp Of u
born master and the avidity Of an
unjaded enthusiast and treats OF
them IN the concrete-a departure
from custom which may staltle
the stickler for forms and pre-
cedents, but which does not less
serve to euchain the interest and
attention of the reader.
The thoughts of the author are
couched in the most vigorous and
caaste English, excepting places
where broad suggestion now and
then is given utterance only to
add the utmost available force to
the expression. In places it rises
in dignity with the nature of the
theme and the language becomes
ssEfes ala esdiR IL ts is 39ge oRg n5sands RsaSs2 2e
Governor by natural association
is led away from domestic topics
In treating of the abuse of rail
road management by courts and
receiverships-to matter of
national concern and he improves
the disgression into the national
domain by suggestions of value
and moment.
Though covering an unusually
large amount of space the Message
is not more lengthy than the in
terest Of it and the variety of sub
jects of which it treats warrants.
1t will not only be more widely
read in South Carolina than such
documents usually are but it will
be more widely published, dis
cussed, and commented upon
abroad than perhaps the message
of any other Governor IN the
Union.
The piece de resistance of Gov
ernor Tillman's Message is his
attack on railroad receiverships
and the abuse of the Federal
jurisdiction by the interference
of it's courts to prevent the collec-
ton of taxes as assessed by the
State on these corporations when
they happen to be insolyent and
in the hands of the court.
The Governor here had a fair
field for the employment of his
powerful invective against glar-
ing public wrong and his treat
ment of it is vastly more vigorous,
because of the honesty, sincerity
and justice of his Indignation,
than is his treatment of the dis
pensary question where he be-
comes forced, commonplace and
uncertain owing, evidently, to the
weakness and doubtful justice of
his cause in the latter instance.
After reciting the history of tho
railroad cases, which is familiar
to our readers, he enters upon an
elaborate discussion of the
paramount right of sovereign
State to levy and collect its taxes
upon all the subjects within its
domain, against the assumption of
a Federal court 10 lnterposo
obstacles thereto, as practlced by
the United States Circuit Court in
the case of the South Carolina
Railway.
The right of a State to levy and
collect its taxes in its own way"
he says is SO old. so time-honored !:
the right of a receiver and the
power of the court to protect him
is 80 young, so new that the two
have never before come into con-
Aict. For the first time in the his
tory of American Jurisprudence
two great principles of law, both
based on Justice and equity: were