The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-01-23
ONE DOLLAR A YEAR.

codify tho laws andSdefne his duties.
8. An act regulating the formation
| OF new counties. 5nE, S&&
8. An act to provide q uniform as
sessment OF property for taxation.
TO- An act to provide the manner in
| hich Gains against the State may
bo Established and adjusted.
There Gru other matters not SO ur-
gent that may we'll be confined until
your nc NJ regular session.
1t Is my duty now, AZ the risk Of try
iIy your patience, to give you u flash
light glance AT tno administration of
tho government during the past year.
[ would respectfully call your alton
tion to tho reports Of the various
which you will find full and complete,
and herewith transmitted to you.
FINANCE AND TAXATION.
Upon my induction into office tho
deficit for the ordinary expenses for
shape Of u note Of the governor and
treasurer boaring interest ut the rate of
por cent. This has been paid in full
as we'll as 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 the treasury.
By reason OF tho extension Of the
time for payment of taxes for tho past
fiscal year under authority of YOUR
honorable body, tho State treasurer
and governor borrowed 100000 with
which to meot the January 1896, in
forest on tho public debt. | refused to
pay interest to the banks upon this
amount or any amount borrowed by mo
FOR State purposes for tho reason that
tho State deposits all of hor funds in
such banks and receives no interest
thereon, and from a spirit OF rcciprc-
city | deemed 1t just. [ secured the
money, | am glad to say, without any
serious protest from the banks, thus
saving the 81, l2l,69 interest paid out
for the previous year. The following
statement Is given for your informa-
ti0n showing tho amount of taxes re-
ceivcd and dsburscd, tho amount of dis
and the phosphate royalty over and
above $75,O 900 placed in the sinking
fund and applicable to the general ac-
count. The profits from the disponsary
up to tho first OF january 1896, when
tho new constitution went into effect,
will also be applicable to tho general
account
From the foregoing it will be seen
that VIC commence the fiscal year with
| out u dollar OF indebtedness. 1t will
| be necessary for your honorable body
to provide sufficient revenues to run
the government for II months instead
| OF II as heretofore. This results from
| tho change in the close OF the fiscal
year from the 3lst OF October to the
3lst OF December, under the new con-
stitution. Two-twelfths of tho ortli-
nary expenses Of the State government
will have to bo 8ddod therefore, to
your lcvy for tho next fiscal year in
ordor to make up tho deficit at once and
remain on IL cash basis. Undor the
provisions Of tho new constitution,
ovcry dollar Of outside revenue here
| t0f0ro going into the State treasury to
| meet tho ordinary expenses Of the gov
ernment except In phosphate royalty,
which is now hardly sufficient to pay
tho fixed charge OF $75, 900 to the sink
ing fund, has boon diverted to tho
school fund. The dispensary profits,
the direct tax fund, cschcated estates
and I'LL gifts to the State where the
purpose is not designated go to this
| cqualizing school fund. We arc en-
tircly dependent upon direct LAX to
raise funds to meet the ordinary OK
| pcnscs OF the government. I am salts
! fled, however, We will De able TO meet
all demands with the same levy as for
the past yoar, with the exception,
however, OF the two months additional.
Had tho funds Of last year been left
applicable to tho ordinary expenses,
the levy for tho noxt year would net
have exceeded 3 mills. The total taxa
| MT, rff hnC Cfnf1 f~,,
| fiscal year Is $lG0, I4S, ,04l. This will be
greatly increased another year by the
large number Of manufactures now in
process OF erection, and it is to be hop
| cd by ~ moro uniform system of assess
mont, necessary to be devised by your
honorable body as required by the con-
stitutiOn. Your present levy will be
upon the assessment OF lS04-5 for State
purposes, but this is not true as to
county and schools. The funds arising
from taxes OF lS94-5 for county and
school purposes were expended on con-
tracts made against them before they
were even collected. This condition
is unfortunate for the creditors of the
counties who arc school teachers and
| contractors, who are compelled to dis
| count their claims at eXOrbitant rates.
TO meet the difficulties al ising from
such q condition, / would respectfully
suggest that oil contracts due or to be-
como due, aftcr eXpcnding tho revenues
Of the year 1915 from any lawful
cause prior to January |, 1896, for
county or school purposes be declared
past Indebtedness and the county au-
thoritics bo allowed to issue bonds to
liquidate tho Sumo. Tho bonds could
be made payable, say In 10 years, with
provisions for the retirement of u given
number each year. The counties of
the State would thus be placed upon o
cash basis and teachers relieved of
great hardship. Much complaint has
| been made by the comptroller general
against the present system of assessing
the property OF corporations other than
railroad. | think the complaint we'll
founded /; as justice and equity demand
uniformity in this particular. We
have in ono county the stock Of bank
that pays 10 per cent. dividend assessed
at 70 cents on the dollar. In an adjoin-
ing county bank that pays per cent
| dividend assessed at 10S on the dollar