Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-01-12
sLEAsE TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Continued from First Page.)
Electric Chair for Executions.

seems to me that this is a much more
humane manner Of execution than the
barbaric form of hanging, or even
worse, standing a man on the ground
and Jerking him up, which Is practiced
In some counties.
Auditing of Accounts of State Off
ciaIs.
1 recommend that you appoint, or
have appointed, experts Of the highest
character and ability, to make a thor
ough examination into and check up
all vouchers, bonds, papers and other
papers in all Of the state offices. While
the legislative committee makes it's
check, many Of you have been on
these committees and know how 1t Is
done, and from the time allowed, we
all know that 1t Is merely formal
matter. Therefore. you should have
a thorough audit Of all departments
made.
Reiteration of Previous Messages
reiterate all the recommendations
made at your last session. and request
Of you to reread the same and give
them careful consideration. 1t would
be useless for me to repeat them in
this message, but stand by each and
every one Of them. and II you will
enact them into law they will be Of
benefit to the people.
Employment of Home Talent.
1 recommend that you pass an act
or joint resolution, requiring all Of
ficials Of state institutions Of this state,
when they have an architect to en-
ploy, buildings. to erect, contracts to
let, teachers to employ, ETC., that they
patronize home people. We hear a
great deal Of hollering and see much
newspaper writing about Boys and
girls, stay at home; stick to your
state" and yet we do not offer those
boys and girls positions and places
that will give them something to live
on and encourage them to stay at
home. On the contrary. II we want a
college president; II we want teach
er: II we want preacher; II We want
an architect, or II we want almost
anything else, a great many Of our
people seem to think that the further
from up in Yankeedom they come the
greater they are and the better SER
vice they will render Gentlemen, our
home boys and girls are Disseminated
against and we are bringing people
into the state who absolutely care
nothing for us, our history or our ira
ditions-all they want Is what they
can get out of us and as soon as they
get 1t, or they are offered q higher
salary somewhere else, they are ready.
and in many instances, do leave us. II
our institutions Of learning, some Of
them more than one hundred years
old, in all these years have not grad
uated men and women who can hold
any position in them, from president
down, you know, and know, and the
ntlA l. 4 t, % n1A fHaV
up.
Economy of My Administration.
II you will take into consideration
the amount Of money which has been
saved to the state by my vetoes Of the
last appropriation bill, the amount
saved by not appointing special judges,
by cutting off all newspapers, by re-
quiring each county to pay for it's own
requisitions refusing to issue useless
rewards, refusing to hire detectives to
do the work which should be perform
ed by regular officials, the amount re-
ceived from the appointment Of no
taries public, the low rate Of interest
at which money was borrowed, the
securing of interest on this money
while on deposit, the amounts Of the
contingent fund, stamp and stationery
fund, and fund for the enforcement Of
law and order which have not been
used. and in other ways, you will find
that during my twelve months of SER
vice / have saved the people of this
state more than one hundred thousand
dollars, by practicing economy and
holding down expenses. I have advo-
Gated economy upon the rostrum and
practiced economy In office. There are
no secrets In the office; every letter
o. tn hn
reply thereto, every letter addressed
every reply to him, and all other pa
pers are open for inspection by any
person. If there Is any Information
which anyone wishes or desires, II they
will call, they will be treated cour-
teously and every paper in regard to
any subject will be turned over to
them for inspection. A public officer
Is public servant; the office belongs
to the people and not to the Office
holder, and there should be no secrets
and no hide-and-seek between the
people and their servants.
Enforcement of the Laws.
I am satisfied that comparison Of
the reports Of your attorney general
and solicitors of the year 1911 with
past years will show a decrease In
crime in our own state: that we have
had fewer murders and a smaller
number Of violations Of the other
criminal laws. Every killing and ev-
cry little crime committed during the
year 1911 was heralded In big head
lines and special attention called to
them, in order to make 1t appear that
crime was on the rampage and that
the state was in a lawless condition.
We have had only one lynching; and,
so long as the crime for which this
occurred Is committed, just so long
will lynching be had, regardless of
how much the newspapers may howl
and rage, or who Is governor. When
negro puts his hands on white wo-
man he knows what Is coming, and
the treatment accorded to him gives
warning to others that II they do like
wise they will be treated the same
way.
/ have been hampered in the en-
forcement of the law by the refusal
of county officials in some counties to
pay constables appointed for the pur-
pose Of assisting the county officials
in the enforcement of the law, and for
this reason l have been compelled to
spend more money out Of the law and
order fund than would have been
necessary otherwise. In Greenville
county the constable presented his
claim; 1t was refused; he employed
the Hon. ]. j. McSwain as his attor-
ney, and the matter was appealed to
the circuit court, which court sustain
ed the appeal and ordered the claim
paid; and, my information Is, that
the officials have accepted this de-
cision and will make no further pro-
test in the matter. In the county of
Edgefeld, the constables employed the
Hon. S. MCGOWAN Simpkins. your
very efficient and distinguished read
ing clerk, as his attorney, and that
case is now in the supreme court. If
the county officials had not refused to
pay my appointees, of course, / would
have been better able to have more
enforced the laws partic
ularly the prohibition law; but, they
having refused, my hands were tied,
and 1 was compelled to rely almost
entirely upon the county and city
officials for the enforcement Of the
law; and, II 1t has not been as we'll
enforced as it should have been, the
rests upon those who
refused to pay my appointees
have managed the governors office
only, and all matters pertaining to
other departments have been prompt