The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1899-01-13
CONFEDERATE RECoRps.

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At the session of the General AS.
sembly, $500 were appropriated for
the completion of tho Confederate
rolls. Col. John p. Thomas, Con-
federate Historian, reports that the
rolls have been completed, but the
history has not been written. In
my last Message I made the follow
ing recommendation:
ut is the duty of the State to pre-.
pare an historical account of the part
taken by the commands from this
State in the great civil war, and to
complete the rolls. /, therefore,
urge that provision be made for car
rying on this work. To insure com.
pletlon, | recommend that SUN be
appropriated sufficient for carving
out this undertaking, and suggest, as
an lnducement to it's completion,
that while sufficient money may be
allowed monthly for current ex-
penses, the major portion be paid
only upon the completion and &C
ceptance of the work as now mapped
out"
1t this recommendation had been
adopted, the entire work might have
been completed, for the Historian
could easily have written tho history
and collected the missing rolls, if he
had been authorized or required to
do so.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
You will be called upon to elect
various officers TO fill positions of em-
olument or Of trust in the State. A
Superintendent Of the Penitentiary.
q Librarian of the State Library,
and various Trustees of higher edu-
cational institutions are to be chosen.
l urge the Importance of at once
holding these elections aud filling
these positions; for the experience of
the past proves that while such cleo
tions are pending and undecided
public business ia often made to wait
and made to suffer. All elections
should be set for an early date in
your session.
BIENNIAL SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE.
Only eight States of the Union
hold annual sessions of their Legis
latures, and it seems q most desira-
bic policy for our own State. Each
session of our General Assembly
costs about fifty thousand dollars.
We have too much legislation, and
consequently too many laws. Bien-
NAL sessions, limited to forty days,
would be ample for due considera-
tion of all matters pertaining to leg
islative business. therefore rec
ommend that an amendment to the
Constitution of the State, looking to
the establishment of bionnial sessions
Of the General Assembly, be submit.
ted to the people. Members of the
Legislature would then be selected
for a term of four years. THIS very
desirable action on the part of the
voters would result in q saving of
twenty five thousand dollars a year,
and this and other good reasons will
commend the measure to the people
Of the State.
THE ORDER AND DURATION OF COURTS.
There is great necessity for legis-
lative enactment to secure method,
uniformity and stability in the time,
order and duration of our Courts,
There is, at present, demoralizing
irregularity in this matter. Some
counties have too much timo for their
legal sittings; others too little.
Moreover, the creation Of q number
Of new counties has added to the
difficulties and complexity of the
case, and this and many othor con-
siderations call imperatively for q
reimbursement of the roster of Courts.
offer some suggestions for the
correction of those irregularities, and
for the establishment Of equal and
helpful methods in the adjustment
of these matters
There should be a sufficient interval
between the circuits to allow time
for writing DEGREES; and, IN addition
to this, the order Of Courts in a cir.