Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-17
GOVERNORS MESSASE.
Clear.cut Views on Important QueS'
tiOnS.
The COMMON SCHOOLS EMPASIZED.

Executive Says That Unless the Couh-
try Schools are Provided for, He
Will Veto Too Heavy Appropria-
tions for the State colleses-Says it
is Ridiculous to Try to Force Chill
dren to Go to School Without First
Providing Schools for Them to Go
to, and Will Not Stand for Any
Compulsory Education Bill.
Gentlemen of the General Assembly:
It is with a great deal Of pleasure
that 1 welcome you to the session OF
1918. Some familiar faces OF your
last body are not seen among your
membership today. The changes nave
been many. The people OF South
Carolina have spoken, and we all
must abide by their decision, whether
1t be for or against us. But comihs
fresh from the people, as you do ana
having been re-endorsed by them re-
centlv as I have been, it is encumoent
upon us to lay aside any personal
feelings we may have. and any po-
utical differences with each other'
and Join together in the effort 10
bring our. most diligent and most
thoughtful consideration to the solu-
ton of all public questions CONFRONT
ing us. and endeavor to 90 those
things only which are for the best IN
tarests of all the people, both black
and white, of our grand old common
wealth.
7 am proud to say, notwltnstano.
ing have just passed through one v,
the most bitter campaigns ever "aseu
against a human being, that' as gov
ernor, l have no Ill Will to"aras any
man. save those who went out VI
their way to use as campaign material
AGAINST me those things OUTSIDE oi
the nolitical record, commonly caileu
falsehoods. in an endeavor TO lnJure
INV personal reputation. That, now
aver should have no influence In our
consideration of what Is best lot our
state. Some of my friends were oe-
feated: some of those who were hot
my political supporters were eleceeo' eo
but il was done by the sovereign peo-
ME and I have no complaint to make.
Turning nv back upon the past, my
ewes are to the future, and II is my
earnest desire to serve the people ol
nv state with fairness ana Win JUS
tice. and to do that only which is the
will of my Heavenly Father, ana
pray to him daily to guide ana oirecl
me, that 1 may do that whlch Is Ior
the common good or the; people VI NY
state. and accomplish the purposes
for which he has given me my hte.
For what / have done in the past
wherever II may have been, or what-
ever II NAV have been, have no apol-
osies to offer to any man or set OF
men, and no excuses to make.
beg leave to reiterate my inaugu-
raj address Of 1911, my annual mes
sage of 1912, and each and every mes
sage which I have sent to the general
assembly since l have been governor,
and to ask YOU to read each one OF
them. and give them your careful con-
sideration. laying aside any personal
or political feeling that you may nave
towards me; and in the course OF TINS
message, in making certain recon-
mendations for your consideration,
shall refer YOU to my message to the
last general assembly, in order that,
If YOU desire the information, you may
secure il. and, further, in order 10
save making this message too long
and tedious.
A Word to the New Members.
There has been, in the past, in vog-
ne the house of representatives,
rule. or system, by which new mem
bers have been caught and sometimes
deceived, viz: Committeeman, Wneh
they 60 into their room for organlza-
ton, are presented by some member
with a resolution to the erect that
this committee discuss all measures
before us among ourselves, that we
fHn
that the minority shall be bound py
the action of the majority, that the
report shall be unanimous, and tnat
the minority shall support, upon tne
floor of the house, whatever the Dill
or Appropriation may be, so as 10 pre-
sent in the house an UNDIVIDED coH-
mittee. Now, new members, l warn
YOU, that you may not be caught py
this subterfuge in your committee
room. Your constituents at home 90
not know of the discussions and the
action in your committee room; these
are not published and are not present.
ed to the people. But your vote IN
the house is recorded in the public
journals, and when you go nome ana
your people say, Il see you voted lot
such and such a large appropriation
you say, 20, yes, but l voted agalnst
1t in the committee" your people can
not understand this, and your oppo-
nents turn it to your disadvantage,
and they should; for 1t is not What
you do in the committee, but II is
what you do on the floor of the house
and your votes in the public session,
that carry the appropriations ana
make the laws. The majority OF your
committee may be six; If II be COM
mittee of eleven, the other five have
their hands tied by those six; when
YOU go into the house an approprla-
ton may carry by only three or four
votes and If those five minority
members had stood on the floor OF
of the house as they stood In the
committee, that appropriation coulo
not carry, or the bill could not pass,
and the people of South Carolina
would be saved the increase in their
taxes.
Now. new members, you have been
warned; it is a matter for you to act
upon. and the final arbiter Will De
your constituents, who are LOOKING
10 YOU to represent them and their
interests.
South Carolina Prosperous
Our state has prospered wonder
fully in the past twelve months -Four
million of dollars have come in as
investments in cotton mills alone
as will be shown by the reports. The
report of the secretary of state viii
show a large increase in the invest
ment of capital in many other enter
prises of various kinds; and the re-
ceipts of his office from the charter
fees will give some idea of this era
of prosperity upon which South Caro-
lima has entered.
| am delighted to say that not a
state officer or county officer in the
entire state has been charged with be-
ing short in his accounts, or with any
conduct unbecoming his position, sc
far as has been brought to my knowl-
edge, with the lone exception of the
state bank examiner, which case viii
be brought more directly to your at
tention later.
All this is truly gratifying to me, es'
pecially in view of the fact that 1t wa:
hN