The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-01-21

/, DO les5 than nine square miles in area
, etc. 1t Is impossible for your body {
> do more than leave this matter in tn
: hands of the county boards of examin
: ers and other county school authori
ties, enjolning upon them the exeou
, ti0n of this provision.
PENAL AND CHARITABLE INSTITU
,rIoNS.
The name of the Lunatic Asylnm,
has been. changed to the State Hospi
tai for the insane.
tits made the duty of your honorable
body at your first session after thf
adoption OF the constitution to pro
vide such proper and liberal legisla
tion as will guarantee and secure al
annual pension to every indigent OF
disabled Confederate soldier and sailor
OF this State and of the late Confeder-
rate States who are citizens of this
OF Confederate soldiers and sailors.
l feel that 1t 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 soldiers.
IL thore 4s one thing dear to the hearts
OF South Carolina, 1t is the memory
OF the lost cause. A State that ex-
hausted her all to maintain 1t cannot
be ungrateful in her hour of prosperity
to the INDECENT and disabled veteran
| who stands as living monument of
the principles which most finally pre-
vail to perpetuate this republic. Let
your appropriation be, as the consti-
tuition directs, proper and liberal.
Having thus gone over in q 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:
l. An act to regulate the right OF
| suffrage and for regulation of elec-
tions.
Q. An act defining and protecting
the homestead for heads OF families
and for persons not head of families.
3. An act to provide for the incorpo-
ration OF cities and towns and for
changing, amending of altering the
charters thereof.
4. An act to provide for the incorpo.
ration of railroad, telegraph and other
transporting and transmitting compa-
MES.
s. An act to provide for the incorpo-
ration of banking institutions.
o. An act to provide for more
speedy administration OF Justice (coun-
ty courts, or increase of circuit judgesl,
and for the Interchange of circuits
among circuit judges and for change
of venue.
I. An act to provide for the appoint
ment or election OF a commissioner to
codify the laws and define his duties.
.. An act regulating the formation
of new counties.
0. An act to provide q uniform as
sessment OF property for taxation.
10. An act to provide the manner in
which aims against the State may
be established and adjusted.
There are other matters not 80 ur-
gent that may we'll be confined until
your next regular session.
1t is my duty now, at the risk of try
Ing your patience, to give you flash
light glance at the administration of
the govornmedt during the past year.
would respectfully call your atten-
tion to the reports of The various
boards and heads of departments
which you will find full and complete,
and herewith transmitted to you.
FINANCE AND TAXATION.
Upon my induction into office the
deficit for the ordinary expenses for
the government was $4,000 in the
shapo OF u note Of the governor and
treasurer bearing interest at the rate of
per cent. This hes been paid In full
as we'll rs all other Obligations, and
am happy to Inform your honorable
body that there are In tho treasury
sufficient funds to pay the expenses Of
the constitutional convention without
any extra taxation upon the people.
AN appropriation of said amount, how
ever, will have to be made by you, as
this is the only way in which it can be
drawn from tho TREASURY
BY reason of the extension of the
time for payment of taxes for the past
fiscal year under authority of your
honorable body, the State treasurer
and governor borrowed 100000 with
which to meet the January 1896, in
terost on the public debt. | refused to
pay interest to the banks upon this
amount or any amount borrowed by me
for State purposes, for the reason that
the State deposits all of her funds in
such banks and receives no interest
thereon, and from spirit of recipro-
city deemed 1t just. | secured the
seriouS protest from tho banks, thus
esving the ~. 80 interest paid out
Tor the previous yea. The following
statement is given ior your intorma
tion showing the amount of taxes re-
ceived and disbursed, the amount of dis
pensary profits paid into the treasury,
and the phosphate royalty over and
above $75,0 900 placed in the oinking
fund and applicable to the general ac-
count. The profits from the dispensary
up to the first Of January 1896, when
tho new constitution went into effect,
will also be applicable to the general
account
From the foregoing it will be seen
that we commence the fiscal year with
out dollar Of Indebtedness. 1t will
be necessary for your honorable body
to provide sufficient revenues to run
the government for Ia months instead
OF IL as heretofore. This results from
the change In the close of the fiscal
year from the 31st of October to the
3lst OF December, under the new con-
stitution. Two-twelfths of the ordi-
nary expenses of the State government
| will have to be added therefore, to
| your levy for the next fiscal year in
order to make up the deficit at once and
remain on o cash basis. Under the
provisions OF the new constitution,
every dollar of outside revenue here
tofore going into the State treasury to
meet the ordinary expenses OF the gov
ornment except In phosphate royalty,
which is now hardly sufficient to pay
the fixed charge Of $75, 600 to the sink
ing fund, has been diverted to tho
school fund The dispensary profits,
the direct tax fund, escheated estates
and all gifts to the State where the
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