The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-01-03
VALUABLE INFORMATION.
The Secretary of State Enc'aVoTing
to Instruct the Offices S.

10 INStGuSl
The Secretary of State is endeavoring
in his Forthcoming annual report TO
give information of character that
will be Of some real service to the
State, and to present it in such way
that it will always be ready for reE-
erence. Chief Clerk CAN'T is doiAS
some excellent work along this line as
the statement in regard to the cotton
mill industry shows. 1t is the first
time that any such statement has been
60 ten up in the office and such work
requires time and trouble.
Secretary Cooper proposes also 20
make some timely suggestions as TO
public officers, their bonds and COM
missions He points out defec;s in the
present law as follows:
Il Submit herewith TO your ho1ofa-
be body a record of the election, a2-
nointmant and commission o. a.! OIL
GERS OF tha State oGcas.oned by tAis
| ONCE. not only for the information ot
your body, but that a permanent aC-
ceszible record may be preserved
th;rcof. 1t will be noted that, ii spite
fthe constitutional manda.e that ali
officers of the State shall BE- co9n:s-
sicred By the governor there does
lot appear in the record, nor have
there applied to this Office for commits
sions. various officers elected by your
honorable body, and arpcin,ei thro,gl
o.ler channels. Parties have assumed
and been allowed to exercise ottlclat
functions, without proper authority to
do so. In other cases county Officers
| who have been reelected have neglect
| ed to give new bonds and receive new
| commissions for the second :e-m. hold
ing their Offices under the terms OF
their former commissions. providing
for occupancy Of the Office until Their
successor qualities | have attempted
10 orrect these pernicious practices
as far as possible. reporting to his
eXcellency the governor various OF his
appointees TO county Offices who neg
lectcd or refused to qualify within a
reasonable time. However. the law
should be m1de mere stringent.
AN examination CT this record will
recommend TO you, SIS l most earne:t.y
do, the enac:ent of a measure fixing
some definite time upon which ottice-s
of the various classes shall assume
their duties when elected or appointed.
In the past it has been LETT to the con-
venience of the officials. 10 the detrl-
ment of efficient public service.
az would call TO the attention CT your
body the fact that the bonds OF State
| Officers are rot required to be recorded
but are simply filed in the treasurer S
Office. BY a ridiculous anomaly, the
| State treasurer is required to give a
band of s90.0Co-but this bond is not
required to be recorded, nor is 1t dcHe,
and is DEPOSITED in the keeping OF The
State treasurer!
Il would further recommend the
abolition OF all fees for commissions
of public Officers. The requirement
that $3.21 be paid is an inheritance
from our colonial ancestors-before tse
adoption of decimal currency into
which it was t!anslated-and OF course
has long since outgrown lis original
purpose, which was the provision VI
salary for the Office Of Secretary u
State. Certain Offices have been eX-
empted from it's payment, until 1t IS
no longer uniform; even here it is 50.
there is no reason why the SAFE
should give an officer fixed salary for
his service, and then require him ~
give back portion Of it for the cT.-
dence Of his election or appointment.
OF course this does not refer to fees
for appointments as nc:aries publ"
and commissioners Of deeds, whic2
| could well be inc-c2 sed."