The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-01-22

dom may seem best for the interests OF
their several districts. Local self-gov-
ernment in this particular is greatly
to be desired, and better results will
be obtained than by any effort OF
your body to prescribe rules and regu-
lalions to meet the conflicting condl-
tons that necessarily exist IN the va
rious school districts. The people who
pay the tax can better judge as how to
apply it to their own interest than the
General Assembly, with all due re:
spect to your body. The manner OF
selecting trustees need not be uniform,
and cannot be throughout the State if
intelligence is to govern in such selec-
tious. The Representatives from the
several Counties are the judges of how
to select these officers, and their con-
clusions will no doubt be accepted by
your body.
A supplementary tax is provided for
whenever the amount raised from the
three mills tax levy fails to provide a
per capita of three dollars upon the
number of pupils enrolled. With this,
however, you have not to deal, as it is
made the duty of the Comptroller
General to levy the supplementary tax
if needed. 1t is within your province
to prescribe the number of months
during which the free schools shall re-
main open, and in case the taxes here
tofore mentioned are insufficient to
maintain them you are required to
levy such additional tax upon the
property of the State as may be sutfl-
cient for such purpose.
To provide term of less than six
months would be a failure upon your
part to satisfy the great demand of our
people for better common schools:
Unless our youths are better prepared
| in these foundation schools the thirst
| for higher education will be slaked,
and our system of colleges will become
top heavy and fall of its own weight.
All the met income to be derived
by the State from the sale or license
for the sale ofintoxicating liquors, all
gifts to the State where the purpose is
not designated, all escheated property,
the net assets or funds of all estates or
copartnersbips in the hands of the
Courts of the State where there have
been no claimants for the same within
the last seventy years, and the direct
tax fund, are set apart as permanent
school fund, to be securely invested,
and the annual income shall be appor-
toned by the General Assembly for
the purpose of maintaining the public
schools. This sum will be large one,
and it will be necessary for you to
prescribe the manner in which and
by whom it is to be invested, as the
Constitution leaves this doubtful.
It is made the duty of the General
Assembly to provide for the division
| of the Counties into suitable school dis
tricts as compact in form as practicable
having regard to natural boundaries,
and not to exceed forty-nine nor be
less than nine square miles in area,
etc. 1t is impossible for your body to
do more than leave this matter in the
hands of the County Boards of Exam
liners and other County school author
tiles, enjoining upon them the execu-
ton of this provision.
OUR OLD SOLDlERS.
It is made the duty of your honor
able body at your first session after the
adoption of the Constitution to pro-
vide such proper and liberal legisla-
| ton as will guarantee and secure an
annual pension to every INDECENT or
disabled Confederate soldier and SAL
lor of this State and of the late Con-
federate States who are citizens of this
State and also to the INDECENT widows
of Confederate soldiers and sailors.
feel that it is absolutely unneces.
sary for me to say one word in refer
ence to this matter to enable you to
realize your duty. Most of you are
Confederate veterans, and those who
are not are sons of Confederate soldi-
ers. If there is one thing dear to the
hearts of South Carolinians, it is the
memory of the lost cause. A State
that exhausted her all to maintain it
cannot be ungrateful in her hour of
prosperity to the INDECENT and disabled
veteran who stand as living noun
ment of the principlee which must
finally prevail to perpetuate this re.
public. Let your appropriation be, as
the Constitution directs, proper and
liberal.
SUMMARY OF NEW LAWS.
Having thus gone over IN cursory
manner the various Articles of the
Constitution, it will be seen that the
legislation, required of you at this ses-
sion of your honorable body may be
classified as follows:
1. An Act to regulate the right Of
suffrage and for regulation of elec-
tons.
2. An Act defining and protecting
the homestead for heads of families
and for persons not heads of families.
8. An Act to provide for the incor-
poration of cities and towns and for
changing, amending or altering the
changing, amending or altering the
charters thereof.
4. An Act to provide for the incor-
poration of railroad. telegraph and
other transporting and transmitting
companies.
5. An Act to provide for the incor-
poration of banking institutions.
6. An Act to provide for a more
speedy administration of justic (Coun-
| ty Courts, or increase of Circuit Judge9
faad for the interchange of Circuits
among Circuit Judges and for change
of venue.
Z. An Act to provide for the appoint
ment or election of a Commissioner to
codify the laws and define his duties.
8. An Act regulating the formation
of new Counties.