Year: 1875




made, during the present year: Not until
this is done should our attention be turned to
the past floating Indebtedness of the State.
Further than this, am opposed to any plan
which looks to the indiscriminate payment of
all this Indebtedness, or the indisciiminate re-
duction or rejection. I think its amount, the
various classes of which it consists, the time
and circumstances under which and the OBJ
iects for which it was incurred, should be as
certained. After this is done, [ think such
portions of this Indebtedness as have the high
est merit in point of general equity should be
provided for, if it can be done without impos-
ing too great burden of taxation upon the
people. Under this latter head, L think,
would fall the existing indebtedness, in great
part, at least, of the lunatic asylum and the
State penitentiary, and, perhaps, ofother char
liable and penal Institutions l know, for In
stance, from personal experience and intor-
nation, that many of our merchants, bankers
and other citizens have come forward, from
sense of duty and not from ordinary business
motives, on several occasions, to sustain our
lunatic asylum and penitentiary, by furnishing
supplies and by lending their money and
credit. Such services create the highest pos
sble obligation on the part of the State to re-
pay such parties at the earliest practicable
time recommend, then, that, after due dis
elimination between the classes of our foat-
ing Indebtedness has been made, such portions
or classes of this Indebtedness be selected as
have the highest equitable claim to payment,
and, then, that it be ascertained whether the
people are able to bear the burden Of any ad-
ditional tax to pay them, in whole or in part.
Whatever it may be found possible to do IN
this way, trust will be done. Above all
things, the general assembly should make any
such levy specific in all respects. The objects
to which the tax is to be applied should be
distinguished, beyond all doubt or question;
if any debts are to be paid in full, it should be
so ordered; and if a pro rata payment among
several debts or classes of debts is to be made,
the exact mode and per centage of payment
should be specified. No opportunity should
be given for any diversion of such funds from
the precise objects for which they are designed
by the general assembly. With the express
sion of these views, Isubmit the matter to the
wisdom of the general assembly, with the
hope that such action will be taken as will
convince all honest public creditors of the
readiness of this general assembly to do all in
their power to meet the just obligations of the
State.


On the subject of fish culture, the Govern
or recommends an appropriation of about
$1,000 to procure the best varieties of fish
with which 10 replenish our 'waters-the sub
ject having been called to his attention by
several citizens of the State.


MINORITY REPREsENTATIoN.-l commend
to the consideration of the General Assembly
the question of enacting law applying the
system of voting, known as "cumulatlve vo-
ting" or "minority representation, to the
elections of Incorporated cities and towns in
the State. I do not feel prepared to do more
than to recommend that the system be tried
on small scale at present. AS matter of
theory, the system promises the best results
but think our policy respecting it should be
tentative at first. If its practical results are
satisfactory when applied to our cities and
towns, public sentiment will sustain its appll.
cation to other elections. A bill introduced
by Senator Cochran, of Anderson, is now be-
fore the Senate, which embraces this feature
among its provisions, and I commend it to
the favorable action of the general assembly.


REVENUE RECoMMENDAT1oNs.-l renew,
with increased confidence, the recommends
tions made in my inaugural address, and es-
pecially the recommendations for reduction
Of all public expenditures to the lowest point
consistent with the actual requirements OF
good government; the discontinuance of con.
tingent funds, except to very limited extent;
the shortening of the sessions of the general
assembly; the reduction of its expenses and
the entire abolition of legislative contingent
or incidental funds ; the removal of all abuses
connected with the public printing; the keep
ing of expenditures within receipts, and par
ticularly the immediate adoption Of a proper
system of accountability in the disbursement
of all public funds. The practical enforce
ment of the last recommendation regard as
absolutely essential to our success in avoiding
the evils of the past, which now block our
efforts at progress on every hand Upon this
subject, my views are so decided that I shall
feel obliged in future to place the responsible
ity for failure to adopt some safer system
than the one now prevailing entirely upon
the general assembly.


MODE OF SELECTING COUNTY AUDITORS
AND TREAsURERs.-1n my inaugural adj
dress, l called attention to the question of
the best mode of selecting the county audi
tors and treasurers. My remarks on that occa-
sion have been understood as positive re-
commentator of their election by the people.
Such was not my intention, nor does my Ian
guage properly convey that meaning. My re-
lations to this question are such at present
as possibly to give me an unconscious bias in
considering the subject. The importantly of
applicants, the difficulty of obtaining correct
and unbiased information as to the qualifca-
tions Of applicants, and the personal dissat-
isfaction certain to arise, whenever any selec-
tion is made from several candidates, may,
am aware, affect my present judgment upon
this question, and therefore, leave it, with
out recommendation, to the wisdom of the
general assembly.


JUSTICES OF THE PEACE AND CoNsTABLEs.
In my inaugural address, recommended that
the provisions of the State constitution, which
require the election by the people in each
county of "a competent number Of justices Of
the peace and constables," should be enforced
without further delay. Considerable discus
sion has since taken place respecting the wis
dom of that recommendation, and now ven.
ture, in renewing that recommendation, to
present my reasons more fully. The one all
sufficng reason why those officers should be
elected by the people, reason which should
supersede the necessity of further discussion,
in my judgment, is that such is the positive
requirement of the constitution. I do not
think the general policy or result of the sys-
tenn, nor especially any question Of party ad-
vantage or disadvantage, has any proper
place in the consideration of this question. I