The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-01-22
HE
ANNUAL
/. MESSAGE N.
Of GOVERNOR JOIN GARY EVANS 70
he Gen eral Assembly Of
the State.
IMpoRrANr T REC CONCENTRATIONS
He Presents His Views on the Various
n Subjects and Tells Them 4
8 Their Duty.
or GOVERNOR JOIN GARY EVANS 70
4 RECOMMENDATIONS

IssS Their Duty.
Gentlemen of The General Assembly:
The past year has been momentous
one in the history Of South Carolina.
Much has been done to the glory and
renown Of the State, and much has
Ssbeen done that might well have been
left undone. .s,i u
For the first time since 1868 your de-
4 iberations will be governed by an or
ganic law framed by our own people.
Under the act passed by your honora-
BILE body calling and providing for o
Constitutional Convention, delegates
were duly elected by the people, and
the Convention assembled on the 10th
day Of September, and adjourned on
(9the 4th day Of December A. D. 1895,
having framed the present Constitu-
Z tiion, which went into effect January l,
1896. ,y: ',.t
d Tdeem il unnecessary to give you
more; than q cursory review of the eff
forts made BY q few white men and the
negroes to defeat The holding of this
\ Convention and but for the sake of
history I should not do SO at all.
After the primary elections for State
and County officers last summer an ac-
4 'tion was brought by Matthew @. But
Ter, ex-U United States Senator, against
i W.T.. C..tBates and w. 81. Enerbe,
State Treasurer and Comptroller Cen
.eral respectively, to enjoin the pay
ment of the salaries due to the Super
visors of Registration of the State up
on the ground that our election laws
were unconstitutional, null and void.
The result WAS a victory for the State,
but the decision not coming in time to
suit the plaintiffs new tack was taken
and q case made against the Supervisor
of Richland Comfy.
A ready tool was found in United
States Circuit Judge Gof, Republi-
can from West Virginia, and one, to
use his own4words, who felt that 'sduty
mingled with inclination" compelled
him to declare our registration laws
unconstitutional, and to enjoin the
officers from executing them. While
this crisis confronted us I felt impel-
ed to issue an address to the people of
the State preparing them for the issues
that might confront us, and had no
fears of their ability to meet them.
In this address I gave pen portraits
of the Judges and their co-conspirators
and it is unnecessary to portray them
here. @
Fortunately, We were enabled to ap-
peal to the United States Circuit Court
of Appeals in time to reverse Judge
Goff and conduct our election for dele
gates under the registration laws now
OF force. In this connection I desire
to express my high appreciation of the
ability displayed by the Attorney Gen
eral and his assistant and the valuable
services of Messrs. Nc Grady, Barnwell
and Mower These gentleman volun-
-tarily offered their services to the State
in overthrowing the tyranny of Judge
Goff, but was unwilling to accept
them gratis, and upon the request of
the Attorney General I retained Messrs.
a. Grady and Mower to assist in the
Management of the cases. trust that
your honorable body will grant them
such remuneration as you may think
just and equitable.
In spite of all efforts to defeat it, our
Convention has met and adjourned and
given us q good Constitution, and we
can well afford to let bygones be by
cones and deal with the present as We
find it.
RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE.
The most Important Article COM
manding your attention is that of the
t'Right of Suffrage" This matter
should be given the right of way, and
let it be the first law enacted by your
honorable body. There are many
reasons for this. First, the people are
anxious to know how and when the
right to register is to be had; and, Sec
ond, it is of vital importance that a full
registration of electors should be had
before the next general election. The
requirements of the Constitution are
residence in the State two years, in
the County one year, and in the poll
ing precinct in which the elector offers
TO vote four months, and the payment
six months before any election of.any
poll tax then due and payable. Minis
ters of the Gospel and school teachers