Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-01-02
sOaaEsrokIF FROM sgcRlTAaY SoF srars,
Changes Needed In Law as TO Public 0fficers.
Records Should be Kept.

The Secretary OF State is end deavorina
In his forthcoming annual report to give
Information Of o character that will be OF
some real service to- the State, aud Ia
present At In such a way that it will al.
ways be ready for reference. Chief
Clerk Can't is doing some excellent
work along this line as the statement I'm
regard to the cotton mill industry pub.
lished recently shows. It Is the fret
time that any suoh statement has been
Cotton up In the office and such work
requires time and trouble.
Secretary Cooper proposes also to make
some timely suggestions as to public
officers, their bonds and commissions.
He points out defoots in the present law
as follows:
NJ submit herewith to your honorable
body q record of the election, appoint
ment and commission of all officers Of
the State ocoasioned by this office, moi
only for the information of your body,
but thata permanent accessible record
may be preserved thereof. It will be
noted that, in spite of the constitutional
mandate that tall officers Of the State
shall be commissioned by the Governor,
there does not appear In the reoord, nor
have there applied to this Office for COM
missions, various officers elected ~ your
honorable body, and appointed through
other channels. Parties have assumed
and been allowed to exercise official
functions, without proper authority SO
to do. In other cases county officers
who have been reelected have neglected
to give new bonds and receive new COM
missions for the second term, holding
their offices under the terms of their for
mer commissions, providing for occu-
pancy of the Office until their successor
qualities. have attempted to correct
these pernicious practices as far as pos
sible, reporting to his Excellency the
Governor various Of his appointees to
county offices who neglected or refused
to qualify within reasonable time.
However, the law shorld be made moro
stringent.
"An examination of this record will
recommend to you, as most earnestly
do, the enactment of measure fixing
some definite time upon which officers
of the various classes shall assume their
duties, whom elected or appointed. In
the past it has been left to the conven-
ience of tho officials, to the dotriment of
efficient public service.
II would call to the attention of your
body the fact that The bonds of State
officers are not required to be recorded,
but are simply filed in the Treasurer's
office. BY a ridiculous anomaly, the
State Treasurer is required to give
bond for $90,000-but this bond is not
required to be recorded, nor is it done,
and is deposited in the keeping of the
State Treasurer.
II would further recommend the abo-
lition of all fees for commissions of pub
lie officers. The requirement that 1921
be paid is an inheritance from our colo
nial ancestors--before the adoption of
decimal currency into which it was
translated-and of course has long out
grown its original purpose, which was
the provision OF salary for the office of
the Secretary of State, Certain offices
have been exempted from its payment,
until it is no longer uniform; even here
1T is so, there is no reason why the State
should give an officer a fixed salary for
his service, and then require him to give
back portion of it for the evidence of
his election OF appointment OF course
this does not refer to fees for appoint
ments as notaries public and commits
sioners of deeds, which could well be in
creased D-GO1umhio State