The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-01-19

aition Of affairs that faces you to-day
Hnt while We have not had the pre-
dieted return of prosperity, we should
recall with thankfulncss the good
health. peace and happiness we have
been permitted to enjoy. Without
farther preliminary l proceed to dis
charge one Of the most important du-
ties imposed upon the Chief Executive
by the Constitution.
The finances Of the State are in
very unsatisfactory condition. Dur
ing the session Of the General Assem-
bly,, for 1896, levy Of four and half
..:lls vas laid &c meet the current e1-
pcnses Of the fiscal year, beginning
January l. 1897, and ending December
~, 1897. The sum raised by this
tevy proved insufficient to meet the
expenses, and we have, therefore,
deficit Of sl0O,O 900 to be provided for.
Ry using every dollar from every
available source and by overdrawing
sn,al! amounts upon banks in which
large sums Of the States funds have
been deposited, We have met promptly
al current obligations without borrow
ing dollar. The books were opened
for the collection Of taxes October Is,
and since that time we have used
money thus collected to pay current
expenses. This money now being
collected, however, belongs legitimate
~ to the current appropriations for
1888. BY refusing to borrow $780,
600, as is often done, though have
not saved the State any great amount
in the way of interest charges, have
refused to eanction what appears to
me to be bad policy-the policy Of
borrowing money at interest.
The levy for State purposes will be
high. but you must remember that we
have deficit Of $l0O, ,OOO-not OF your
niakirg-to be provided for, and that
the State will no longer receive any
revenue for current expenses from
lispcnsary profits, for under the pro-
Visions of the Constitution all profits
from the dispensary must hereafter go
co the school fund. During the past
year the general fund has been aug
mentcd by s92, 900 received from the
diapcnsary; the year previous this
augmentation amounted to 800, 900.
l have endeavored to secure state
ment of the finances of the State from
the Treasurer. But as his books were
not balanced up to the time Of CON-
pletion of my Message, beg to refer
you Go the Treasurer report.
TIIE DIspENsARY.
The most difficult problem that con-
fronts you is the regulation of the
GqHor traf6c-and it IS your duty, as
the trusted representatives Of the
people, to use your best efforts in sat-
isfactorily solving this question.
In my inaugural address l asked
that no material change be made in
the dispensary law until it could be
given fair trial This it had never
had. Upon my recommendation the
law remained as it was, with the ex-
ception of few unimportant amend
Rents. On assuming the duties of
Governor undertook the enforce
lncnt Of the law, cndcavoring to do so
with as little friction as possible. At
tirst my efforts were encouragingly
successful, but this success was him
.dcred by disagrcemcnts among the
members Of the State board Of con-
troll. The management in the State
dispensary and the chickering's and
disscnsions in the State board dis
gusted some of the warmest supporters
"f the law, and caused great many
TO lose faith in the system. But by
reorganization of the force this mis-
was corrected AMI the
board he's since worked in harmony.
he it said to their csedit, the dienen-
sary is now conducted in a more bust
ness-like way than ever before. Had
it not been for the intervention Of the
Federal Courts I do not hesitate to
say that the dispcnsary would to-day
have very little opposition, aud would
havc already proved, both financially
and morally, a great success.
The Federal Courts have greatly
crippled the law and rendered futile
all my efforts for its enforcement, BY
holding in the case of Donald We.
Scott that citizens of the State have u
right to import whiskcy for personal
use. A great many who were engaged
in the illicit traffic in whiskey took
advantage Of this decision to import
whiskcy for sale; it thus became very
difficult for the State constables to