The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-10


What we are able to give is but pit
lance, but it helps and we should give it
Last year you appropriated
for pensions to Confederate soldiers and
widows of soldiers the sum of $4,000
recommend like appropriation this year.
It is important that this appropriation
should be expended and distributed wise
" and in such manner as to meet the
intention of the appropriation. The Sc
lection Of good, competent, and conscien-
tious township and county boards, men
who know the conditions and are ac-
quainted with the needs of the applicants,
is of very great Importance. 1t is difficult
to get men to work without pay, and
while in this case it seems that good men
might be found who would be willing to
serve without compensation, suggest
that you consider the wisdom and advlsa-
bility of allowing the members of the
county and township boards one dollar
per:day for not exceeding two days for
this service.
Asyou will see from the report of the
Comptroller General, there were on the
pension roll the past year 7,15S pension
ers, OF This number 2,eIo are widows of
soldiers The total amount disbursed in
pensiors WAS $98,67s.So. The widows
werep paid S3S,4fa and the soldiers $780,
363, ,8oa> ,sSE5 r. :
n DIRECT TAX. ~
ufder the provisions of the Act of Con-
gres5 august S, 1861, direct tax was i'm
poseE Upon the citizens of the United
Stete and part of it was apportioned to
and &fsessed upon the State of South Car
o1in& Direct.Tax Commissioners were
appd5&ted to demonstrate this law, but at
that me no part of the State of South
Carolina was under Federal control. In
Novefhbe 861, the whole of the parish
of ST. Helena, and all of that portion Of
st. Lnfes, which was composed of is
lands, fell into the hands of Federal
forces, aud the Direct Tax Commission
ets established themselves at that point,
ard under;the administration of the law
all of the property belonging to the citi-
'zens of those two parishes was sold and
bonEht by the United States, aud resold
Hnder the provisions of that Act, and of
6<he Acts arnendatory thereto, and these
were entirely divested of their
fties. Eater upon the determination
$ WaE. of the direct tax as
e totGe STATE of South Carolina was
collected iii Charleston and in some other
lower connties ofSthe State. The pro-
ceeds arising from the sale of the lands in
Beaufort went into the Treasury of the
United States under the different laws re-
lating thereto, and have been disposed of
by the United States Government in ac-
cordances with those laws -.
A number of school farms, Consisting
each of 100 acres, carved out of the plan
tations entirely in St. Helena parish, were
reserved from the early sales, and leased
by the Government, and rents collected
and separately kept, and at the close of
the war the Government found itself in
possession of these school farms, of a NUM-
Der of houses and lots in the town of Beau
fort, and number of lots i'll what was
then known as Port Royal City, a myth
cal city sought to be laid out and estab-
lished blythe Direct Tax Commissioners,
and which,. though thoroughly laid out
and projected, failed to become a city,
and is now part of three plantations in
St. Helena parish.
BY special enactment (Act of Congress,
July I6, 1860 it was directed that these
school farms, houses and lots in Beaufort,
and lots in the City of Port Royal OH St.
Helena Island, should be sold and the
proceeds invested in bonds of the United
States, and the interest used under direc-
ton of the Secretary of the Treasury in 4
the supp0St'of schools, without dstinc- 4
ton ofsotor or race, on the islands in the
parishes of st. Helena and st. Luke's,
and byisubsequent Act of Congress, ap-
proved March 3, 1873, it was directed that,
in ADDITION to these funds the rents de-
rived from:the lots of &hool farm lands
should be likewise invested in such bonds
of the United StatsA and all of these
bonds retained By. .fM Secretary Of the
Treasury as fund 'fBr the use and sup
port of free public schools in the parishes
of St. Helena and St. Luke's, South Car
olina, in equal parts, the interest of
which should be annually expended to
increase the efficiency of any free public
schools established and sustained in said 1
parishes by authority of said State, ifsuch !
school shall'exist, otherwise at the discre-
ton Of the commissioners herein named,
and special board of three commission
ers, directed to be appointed by the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, removable at his
pleasure, each to receive salary of $Ioo
per year for his services in administering
this fund. The Act concludes with the
following statement: This Act shall be
subject to amendment or repeal at the
pleasure of Congress-"
From the proceeds of sales directed by
these Acts Of property formerly belonging
to citizens of Beaufort County there was
realized suin of money iu the neigilbor-
hood of $4,000, which money, in obedi-
ence to these Acts, has been invested in
bonds of the United States, and these
bonds are now in the Treasury of the
United States, and the interest, though a
mere pittance, after the payment of the
salaries of three commissioners, is added
to the school fund for Beaufort County,
and continues to be so applied to this
day.
All Act of Congress approved March ?,
1891, was passed to refund the money COL
lected by the United States under Direct
Tax Acts, and provision was made in
the 18th section Of that Act to make some
partial compensation to the citizens of
Beaufort for the loss of their lands and the
actual direct tax, with the penalty and
has been refundedto the citizens
of this State, and the citizens of Beaufort
have received from the Secretary of the
Treasury the gratuity which was given to
them on account of their land, but this
fund, the immediate proceeds Of lands of
former citizens of Beaufort County, still |
remains in the Treasury of the United
States undisposed of, and is still withheld
from them, though the Supreme Court of
the United StatesdMcKee VS.. U. S., 164
u. S. Reports, 29D has declared that "a