The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-10
each other i'll battle fought shoulder to

What we are able to give is but pit
lance, but it helps and we should give 1t
cheerfully. Last year you appropriated
fo- i is to Confederate soldiers and
wi :. soldiers the SUM of sIoo,oo l
recommend like appropriation this year.
It is important that this appropriation
should be expended and distributed wise
ly and in such manner as to meet the
intention of the appropriation. The Sc
lection of good, competent, and conscicn-
tious township and county boards, NEIL
who know the conditions and are ac-
uuainted 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 NEIL
might be found who would be willing 10
serve without compensation, l suggest
that yolrn consider the wisdom and advisa-
bility of allowing the members of the
county and township boards one dollar
per day for not exceeding two days for
this service. %.t-.s =
<si;sAs you will see from the report of the
Comptroller General, there were Oh the
pensionroll the past year 7,I5S pension.
ers. Ofthisnumber 2,oto,are widows OF
soldiers. The total amount disbursed in
spensiSns Wass$oS, $3.50. The widows
were paid$ $3S,4I2 and the%soldiers $780,
s363 80, ~ -.
- =. DIRECT TAX.
fInderxre provisions of the Act of Con-
HIS AHRnst S, 1861, a direct tax was inl-
bosed up6M the citizens of the United
States atid part of it was apportioned to
and assesednponyth the State Of South Car
solina. E6FeSE Tax Commissioners were
appoi6 ted tosdemonstrate this law, but at
that tanpoR Fart Of the State Of South
Carolina 9ashnder Federal control. In
sNoven1bef e1&6I ,tlIe, whole of the. parish
ofSt. Helena. ahd all of that portion OF
st. Luke 's,Ehich was composed of is
.slands, fell INTO the hands Of Federal
forces, and the Direct Tax Commission
esrs estabI bIished themselves at that point,
and aideI the administration Of the. law
zRtlaaf the property1belonging to the citi-
szehspf those two parishes was sold and
bXtheI United States, aud resold
s|I ,eSs4fIelpposiEons >of that Act, and of
a1fsndato tory thereto, and these
eFs entirely divested of their
~ VI upCu luS SlSluludllOl
pQrtirn oSthe direct tax as
. South Carolina was
EG5tlecfS i tAS1 onAnd in some other
slosWsiesff Of tthsAState. The pro-
sceeds arising GoM Sale of the lands in
Beaufort went into the Treasury of the
United States dnder the different laws re-
4lafing thereto, aid have BEEN disposed of
bythe United States Government in ac-
!, cordance with those laws. =,
|. Asnumber of school farms, consisting
each ofsI6o 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 IN what was
then known as Port Royal City, a myth
cal city sought to be laid out and estab-
lished by the Direct Tax Commissioners,
and which, though thoroughly laid out
and projected, failed to become 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 on 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
the support of schools, without distinc-
ton of color or:race, on the islands in the
parishes of ST.. Helena and St. Lukes,
and by subsequent Act of Congress, ap-
proved March 8; 1873, it was directed that
in addition to these funds the rents de-
rived from the lots of school farm lands
should be likewise invested in such bonds
of the United States, and all of these
bonds retained by the Secretary of the
Treasury as a fund for 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
parishes by authority of said State, if suck
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 500
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 ofHsales directed by
these Acts of property formerly belonging
to citizens of Beaufort County there was
realized a sum of money iu the neighbor-
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 i'll 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 4th 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
interest, has been refunded to 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
sfemains in the Treasury of the United
States undisposed of, and is still withheld
from them, though the Supreme Court Of
the United States Mckee VS.. U. S., T64
U. S. Reports, 29I has declared that "a
perusal Of the entire Act March 2, 1917