Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-01-12
Mistellanruus 8raaina.
sLEAsE TO. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Full Text Of Governors First Annual
Message.

Following Is the full text or Gov
ernor Blease's first annual message to
the general assembly of South Caro-
lima, received in the house and senate
last Tuesday:
To the Honorable. the Members OF
the General Assembly of the State of
South Carolina-Gentlemen Once
Iagain you have met together and 1t
becomes my duty, as governor. to
make recommendations which are for
the best interest Of the people Of our
state
Y This having been a very busy year
In the executive department, 1t is i'm
possible to embody the various mat
ters into .one message without making
1t entirely too lengthy. Therefore,
whatever may have been the usual
custom. I will communicate with you
by several messages instead Of one.
/ have given close attention to finan-
cial interests. and find extravaganza In
many places, and that useless offices
have been created, and that 1t Is pos
sible to run the government on less
money, which would relieve our peo-
| pie from their heavy tax burden.
| Bank Examiner.
The position of bank examiner
should be abolished. and the duties
thereof devolved upon the comptroll-
| er general.
Bureau Of Agriculture.
The bureau of agriculture Is not
accomplishing the work that 1t should,
in view of the amount Of money 1t Is
spending.
State Geoloeist.
Unless there Is great improvement
in this department, 1t should be abol-
ished.
Game Warden.
The position Of game warden Is use
less and unnecessary and should be
abolished.
Government Printing.
| A thorough investigation by men
who cannot be unduly influenced, and
thoroughly understanding the print
ing business, will show extravaganza
in the public printing and much use
less and unnecessary work Is being
done, which is very expensive and Of
no benefit to anyone but the printers
The work is very slow. the acts OF
the legislature not being published un-
til far into the year, when they should
be published within thirty days, In or
der that the people may know what
the laws are, and not be, as they were
in past years, four or five months
without even the solicitors knowing
the laws under which they were pros
ecuting people. You say, Ignorance
of the law Is no excuse" II so, surely
you should not then be the cause Oh
that ignorance. The reports and res
olutions Of the general assembly are
long delayed and unless fastened this
year your campaign for re-election
will be over before you have been fur
nished with the records which you
have already made. You should pass
an act providing a forfeiture If the
work Is not finished by the date pro.
vided In section SO, vol. l. Code or
Laws.
Insurance Commissioner.
recommend that the office of in
surance commissioner be abolished
and this department placed In the
hands Of the comptroller general.
Higher Institutions Of Learning. .
Our higher state institutions or
learning are receiving entirely too
much money, and a special message
will be submitted to you containing
letters from the presidents OF the va
rious colleges, which will clearly dem
onstrate this fact. The idea Of one or
your state colleges receiving S75,O0O
for the number Of students 1t mas ls
preposterous. Look at Woford, FUR
man, Erskine and Newberry, number
of students and amount received by
each. You may say, look at the differ-
ence in the graduates. What places
are the graduates of these colleges
holding? Where did your senators and
Iconeressmen, state house officials, su-
preme court judges, circuit judges and
your county officers graduate? Wnere
did your merchant graduate: where
did your banker graduate; where did
the teacher who teaches your children
graduate: where did the men that are
preaching to you, your wire ana your
children graduate? Did you say al
at the state colleges? II so, look
again, then say why 1t Is necessary 10
have so much money for state col
leges? Some say they cannot tell. 1t
Is because the parents pay the bills
at the denominational schools and
the whole people dncluding those
same parents) pay the taxes, whicn
are so easily voted away, that run the
state schools. I would not injure any
state college, but extravaganza Is
wrong anywhere, and especially when
the people are paying more taxes now
than they can well afford, and unless
you reduce these appropriations !
would advise you to get two thirds OF
| your members votes for them, LOT
| they will be needed
Water and Lights.
We are paying too much for water
and lights for the public institutions
| in Columbia. From a thorough inves-
La
| that their entire plant Is on state
property. For the year 1911 you paid
for water $500, and for lights $4,000,
making a total Of $l3.5OO.
Catawba Indians.
You are paying too much money to
| the Catawba Indians. This amount
| has gradually increased from year to
year until it is now $4,000. | would
advise that you appoint a sub-com-
mittee, or authorize some OF your
state officials, to have conference
with the committees of the house and
senate of the United States Zone OF
which our senior senator Is chairman).
and see If the United States govern
ment will not take care Of these In
dams. as it is doing in other parts OF
the nation.
Finances.
In regard to finances: 1promised the
people to fight for reduction of expens-
es and to veto extravaganza and have
done everything that l said l would
do in my campaign promises. and have
not done anything that said l would
not do.
You were told in the campaign,
"Rlease's election III ruin the state
financially" Your at ;ntion Is called to
the fact that with the assistance or
Mr. j. Pope Matthews, cashier of the
Palmetto National bank of Columbia,
money was borrowed at the lowest
rate we have ever had, except during
the administration of Governor Hey
ward, when a part Of the amount need
ed was secured at this rate. But this
year the entire amount was secured at
3 per cent. In some instances 1t has
heen necessary to leave 20 per cent
on deposit, but in this borrow such
was not the case, and while the mon
ey is on deposit here, 1t Is drawing In
terest for the state, thus further re-
ducing the net cost of the loan, which
has not been done heretofore.
The state treasurer signed the notes.
I then took charge of them and went
to New York with Mr.. Matthews and
| 10 oil npampntS for obtaining