The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-03-15
CONTROLLER WON'T
DRAW HIS WARRANTS,
AND THE liOrIrAL TNK TnE INSANE
Is SUSINSUKED.
ano'her l"gis'atura Hinndcr-Specia! Aot
bccl"tcs Premium Must bo Paid
nnd appropriation Act Doesn't
PrOvids for 1t.
The State March l2.1

Things look very gloomy undor
tho State insurance. act for tho IN
~urance Of thrsnStat" Hospital for the
Insane. AS the thing now stands,
owing to an oversight or the neglect
Of tho Legislature to handle the mat
ter thoroughly practically all Of the
valuable property Of this institution,
worth about $4,000, is and has
been without insurance Of any kind
sinco March |. Tho State sinking
fund commission WAS under tho i'm.
PRECISION that tho absence Of tho com
ptollcr g'nc!a from tho city was
tying up tho matter. Yesterday
morning, however, tho comptroller
was back in his Office, and it did not
take him long to assume tho position
that his chief clerk had already taken
that tho comptroller had no right
whatever to issue Il warrant for tho
Insurance. fcrs on tho hospital prop.
erty. This sccms to DO another
blunder Of tho Legislature in passing
specific act requiring tho hospital
to tnk0 State Insurance and yet not
making any provision in the urpro.
priation bill for tNo payment Of the
premium. Th" compiroll'r general
says that had h. hud any authority
III the mntlrr hr would have issued
his warrant sun,r timo ago and the
whole mutrcr wuulu have been ad-
justrd by this time.
1t now locke ms if tn" only remedy
is for the regents Of tho hospital to
meet and borrow the money from
~onlo bank on notes and get the leg
i~latur" to remray ita oversight when
when it roass"mbl,e, in january next.
Tho following is the letter from
lho state treasurer to tho comptroller
in regard to the mutter:
Hon. }. y. Dcrcnm, comptroller
general, city.
Dear sir: l hand you herewith ap.
plicntion FOR insurance to amount
S272, 1SO OF insurance. upon sundry
aeylum buildings, under provision Of
HI act entitled "an act to provide for
State Insurance. Of public buildings,"
as amended February Dist, 1901.
Section Of said act requires mo
to pay to tho commissioners Of the
| sinking fund ono half OF tho amount
annually paid in premiums for in
suranco on public buildings, which
payment in this case amounts to
81, 4l0 G3. Under section 50S Of the
general statutes, the State treasurer
is required to pay out all moneys
only on warrant OF the comptroller,
except in cases Of "lnturest on public
debt and tho pay Of members, officers
and employees Of tho general Assem-.
bly," | therefore, ask that you issue
to me your warrant or the payment
by mo Of said amount over to the
sinking fund commission, 80 that [
may comply with the requirement of
section 4 Of said act.
R. Ii. Jennings,
State Treasurer.
The comptro'lor's reply to this WAS
as follows
Columbia, S. c., March II, 1901.
Hon. r.. II. Jennings, State Treas.
uror, Columbia, S. G.
Dear Sir: Replying to yours Of this
date continuing tho application Of
DR.. j. w. BAbc"ck, superintendent
Of tho Staio hospital for the insane,
for ono years insurance, with the ro.
quest that ! draw u wnrrnnt in your
favor for hnif tho amount Of the
usual pr'r"Inln, amounting to
Sl,oi0.63. 1hero ls no provision in
tho appropriation act for the insur-
ance on this property, and in the
permanent act providing for this in
surancc, to which you refer, there ID
no authority conferred on tho comp
'roiler general to draw his warrant.
There being no appropriation aud no
warrant Of law for mo to do other.
wise, must decline to issue tho war
rant and hereby return your applica.
ton. Yours very truly,
j. p. Derham,
Comptroller General.
The only provision made in the
appropriation act for insurance or
this property ia l07 for the insurance
] of the product Of the farm.