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T'g Dousas A YEAR,] FOR THE DISSEMINATION OF USEFUL INTELLGENCE. VL. IV. WEDNESDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 9; 1868. NO 50 #1K HERA LD -~ I - J r? RED S IT WEDNESDAY MORNING, . At Newberry 0. M., o A T. ,a . K. exN ' , o $, aPER ANNUM, IN CURRENCY Ol PROVISIONS. S tii IvriabIR advanoe "' 'WvOfi6es, ESseral Ia#itatons, Obit .nastions sab.erving private S sas sre.harged as advertieements. ,Q rror's Message, No. 1. FFdaw. Citize*s of the Senate and 4 W oItss of Representatives : 'IH accordance with the requisi b Qf.the Constitution to lay - jou.information of the con 6f the State, and recom -aand to your consideration such meaasures as may be deemed neces xipedient, . shall proceed * pedbta that duty as briefly as will permit, post post to . future opportunity the discussion of all questions not .ii.e4y connected with the ad inistration of the Government. e inter1al since your last ses s n'has been so brief, and the de ! bonrneeted with the organiza' . -f-the new branche of public aesim have oecnpikd so much ie sd attention, as to leave but ttle oportunity for the consid eration of,matters of a more gene. earacter, many of which were iused in my Message at ipecisl session. ; 'Aet iproviding for the as ant'and taxation of property received considerable atten ad.he organization of the Auditor"' Department has pro gred is rapidly as circum. etanee rald permit. Great care atMa tion, bace been necessary i the ofieers, to whom sIWbe entrusted the eeecution of %.hA" law, but it is believed that t'ppoinuients made, and to be quad; 1will give efficiency and sue. oee this impertunt department o! tie- 1overnment. I shall lay hakre you, at the earliest practi ild period, the complete assess .at of ihe property of the State, ebe will a&ord the necessary Msi a'taxation. Shsestimate of-the Auditor for M eumtngent fund may appear ~,bat it should be remem thatM the Assessors books, *mese and other forms for the Edle1 State, are to be provided 'Nt ofthis fund, not only for the asseuEenent which is about to be mj:bat for that which will have af~.madeO previQous to the con wiug,f.the -General Assembly ~a organsationk d the Audi '&DNpartut and the success ~upeion ofthe .first assess mes .'-property, will. involve a Saanount of labor and some ut~1~ expenditures,. but as th< esalt'aimed at is mnost desirab1e,] e~mmentd that the Legislaturt 0ie*rd every facility for thi ~~iwent of the object. oypfrne to the report a C~osaptroller-Gey1!l, it will b4 tkar Abs ,b ntirem'onded dleb thke State is p$,407,306.27; con kea.ttbie plea sure of the .State .. $38,836.64 eent. fire loin ~.able in 1870 . .. ?14,453.81 prcent. stock # eState House .. 1,775,000.01 a.stock and bod funded debt -1,282-971-2 spJ~ent; bonds, ... o. . .. ..484,444.5 Six per cent. bonds, Mae. Ridge Rail Road . . .. . 1,000,000.01 (g etnt. bonds,51,0. .ofa. . , . .a . $5,407,306.2 laserest due on the' antSre debt July 1, 1848 . , ,. ,. ,$355,204.3 Jtrest due January i4889,,, . ...-..-.. $159,214. Total interest1 , . $514,418.7 TDi. is not the interest on capitM debt of $5,407,306.27, at si pe cnt;- hit the reason is obv ous, as a portion of the debt is at three per cent. and another por tion at five per cent. In addition to the foregoing in terest paying debt, there is a float. ing debt of $160,000, in the shape of Bills receivable,authorized by the Legislature, which are available for taxes, and which will all be proba bly absorbed. by application to that purpose during the present quarter, this giving but little aid to the Treasury in the way of current funds. This is the last quarter of the collections for 1867, under the assessment by the Mili tary Commander, and it will leave the entire collections for 1868 available for the purposes of the Treasury. They would have been sooner collected, but for the diffi culties attendant supon putting the new tax law in operation, the col lection under which will commence in January next. Urkder the new law, bringing every class of property, on- the tax-. -list, at its bona fide valuation, in cluding much of what has been heretofore exempted and a still larger amount entered at nominal value, at a moderate' estimate, there will be not less than three hundred millions of property as a basis of taxation..' This, at a very low per centage, will afford abun dant revenue to meet the current expenses of the State, the interest on its funded debt, and a consider able margin for.the establishment of a sinking fund. in this connection I would re commend that a law be passed providiug for the levying- and col lection of ta?es in eounties to meet their local expenditures and the salaries of their officers. This will enable them to jnake-such improve ments in the way of roads, bridges and public buildings as the taste and public spirit of the citizens may dictate, without drawing.fiom the public Treasury moneys to de fray the expenses of local improvo meits. in which the citizens of the State at large have no direct inter est. The Comptroller's estimate of expenditures for the current year amount to $489,798.13 exclusive of interest, 8330,692.38, which in aludeg that on a portion of the debt for the quarter ending Octo ber, 1869, making an aggregate of $819,290.51. In the report.of t.he Comptreller-. General you will n'otice the items of what is considered as the war debt of the State aggregating $2, 722,315.86; and of credits due the State from $heriffs and Tax Col lectors, amounting in the aggre gate to $76,664.87, which he re commiends may be sunk and dropped from the accounts of the State. I would suggest that the Chair man of the Committee on Finance of the Senate, and the Chair-man of the Committee of Ways and Means in the House, be associated with the~ Comptroller in investi gating and determnining what claims originated from the prose ction of the war. I recommend to your consider ation the propriety of passing a law for the funding of the interest on.the State debt up to July 1, 1868, to avoid the necessity of forcing the bonds of the State on the market at a sacrifice. I have very confidence in the ability of the Treasury to meet the future interest upon our debt as it be comes due.* The fiollowing is a list of the as sets of the State on the 31st day October, 1868: Shares in N?orth Eastern SRail Road Company $120,000 Shares in Spartan burg and Union Rail Road Shares in Pendleton Rail Road Company . 42,500 SaeinGreenville and Columbia Rail Road Copay. .. ...... 433,960 Shrsin Blue ~Ridge Rail Road Company 1,310,000 Shares in Columbia and Augusta Rail Road r.Cmpay, ....... 42.200 Shares in Cheraw and Coalfields Rail Road Company ....... .. 200,000 Shares in Laurens Rail Road Company .. . 50,000 Shares in South Caro lina Rail Road Com pany ............ 24,000 Shares in Charleston and Savannah Rail 'Road Company .... 270,000 Shares in Southwestern Rail Road Bank . 6,000 Shares in Keowee and Tuckasegee Turnpike Company ......... 6,000 $1,754,660 The report of the Treasurer of this Department, and herewith transmitted, shows the operations ofthe Treasury from the 1st of May to 31st October, 1868, making the amount on hand at the former period, and the aggregate of sub sequent receipts $435,373.83, and the expenditures$409,688.76, leav ing a balance of $26,285,07 on hand at the making up of the re port. I would also ask your attention to the accompanying letter from the Treasurer, indicating a want of clerical force in his office, by which its business is 'retarded and the settlement of accounts de layed. I recommend to the Legislature that some early action be taken to prevent the Courts and officers of the Bank ofthe State from wasting and misapplying its assets to the payincnt of costs of Court, attor neys' fees, and-the salaries of offi cers and agents. If the holders of the.Fire Loan Bonds are determin ed to pursue the policy of disparag ing the-credit and resources of the State, when it must be apparent to them that no State of the Union is more solvent, or has a fairer prospect of promptiy meeting all her liabilities, they shoul. be con pelled to carry on this litigation at their own expense. I have reason to believe that not less thai sixty thousand dollars in gold has been squandered and made away with for salaries'of officers and agents who are performing no.necessary duties, fce, of attorneys who are employed for the purpose of bring ing the credit of the State into disrepute, and for other objects of equally questionable propri e t y. The holders of the Fire Loan Bonds should be placed on the same footing as other creditors of the State, and they should be held accountable for all damages the State has sustained, .or ;nay sus tain, by their u~nwarrantable litiga tion. The subj e ct of Magistrates' Courts was treated at sonw length in my former Message to the Gene ral Assembly. I would againa ear netly call your-attention :to thlis important matter. No discrimina tion has heretofore been made be tween grand and petit lareeny, nor has any precise limit been fixed for the guidance of Courts in such cases. A wide latitude has accor dingly been given to the discretion of Magistrates and Judges, and in consequence our jails are crowded with petty offenders, at an enor mous expense to the State. Indeed it has been the heaviest item oi charge upon the Treasury. I would respectfully suggest that final ju. risdiction be given to Magistrates in all cases of petit larceny and simple assault' and battery, and misdemeanors of similar grade giving, however, the accused par ties the right of appeal. Also, ] would recommend the establish ment of a fair and reasonable fee bill, as reports have reached this office of unreasonable and unjusti fiable exactions of Magistrates and Constables, from the poor and ignorant, in cases where* by little effort, th.e matters in disput< could have been amicably arranged Cases have also been brought t< my attention in which it is allege that prosecutions have been insti tuted for malicious purposes, an< Exeuve interference invoked al a remecdy for injustice. If thil ioos and nrofligate administratioi of law is not checked, and the offenders held to a strict accoun tability, the courts of justice, in stead of being a shield and a pro tection, may become - an engine of oppression and wrong to the peo ple. I transmit for your consideration the report of the Regents of the Lunatic Asylm for the year en ding November 7, 1868, covering the reports of Dr. J. W. Parker, the Superintendent andPhysician, and of John Waties, Esq., the Treas urer of the institution. The report of the Superiatendent shows that at the commencement of the year the number of patients was 187: and that there were received during the year 82, making a total of 269.; of this number 11 have died, 2 have been removed, 2 eloped, and 50 have been discharged cured -total 65; leaving in the Asylum at present 204 patients; of which 107 are males, and 97 females. Paying patients, 52;. .paupers. 152. The. report and accompanying tables exhibit a very favorable condition of affairs;. showing.that 61 per cent. of those admitted have been cured, while only 4 per. cent. of those under treatment have died. Among those received were 25 colored persons, who were with few exceptions-in great destitution -three of thein exhausted from disease and want of attention, Four of their number- died, one eloped, and thirteen were seat home cured: one however relapsed, and of his own accord retarned to the Asylum. For than twenty years colorrd. persons have been adminttedto the institution, and have enjoyed- the advantages afforded, and such as facilitated their, -cure and con tributed to their comfort, as is now the case.' The Asylum for the education of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind was reorganized in November,.866, at the Cedar Spring Asylum, Spat tan burg County, and was operated very successfully until the -close of the fiscal year, on the let of Oeto ber, 1867. The aDprdpriatian be ing then exh_austed, the farthei- ex erises of the institation were sus pended, and the pupils sent to their respetive honmes. The loca tion is an admirable one, the build-. ings large and commodiotis, and to avoid their going to decay, I concur in the recommendation, heretofore made, that authority should be granted to rent or lease the buildings, so that he may avail himself of any opportunity that may present itself' of secnring a tenant, who~ will, protect the pr-emi ses and keep them in necessary repair until ,the fmnances of the State shall justify the -re-organiza tion of the institution. The rail roads whobe bonds -are guaranteed or endorsed by the the State have been -furnished with a copy of'the concurrent res olution notifying them* that uni less provisions at'e made by them to pay interest due and past due by November next, legal' proceed ings will be instituted against them. No answer has as yet been received from either of them ex cept the accompanying letter from the President of the Greenville Railroad Company, giving a very satisfactory account of the pros p.ets and conditions of the road. The contingent liability of the State from endorsements of rail road bonds isaifo*Iows: South Carolina Rail Road bonds, paya ble in 1868, secured by first mor',gage..$2,093,312.40 Charleston and Sa vannah Rail Road bonds, payable in March, 1877, se cured by first mort gage.....-------..505,00.00 Northeastern Rail Road bonds, paya ble March 1,. 1869, secured by first Imortgage..--..---..-... 92,000,00 Laurens Rail Road bonds, payable in 1879, secured by ir-s. mortgage .. .. . . 75,000,00 Spartanburg and Un ion Rail Road bonds, payable 1878 and 1879, secured by first mortgage . .. 350,000.00 Greenville and Co lumbia Rail Road bonds, payable in 1881, 1882, 1883 and 1886 .......... 945,471,21 Of the endorsements upon the Greenville and Columbia Rail Road Bonds $700,000 is under au thority of the Act of 1861, and $203,848,89 is under the authority of the Act of 1866, passed for the purpose of enabling the Company to pay the interest past due and to fall due prior to the 1st Janua ry, 1868, upon coupons and upon the mortgage and guaranteed bonds. . This guarantee is upon certificates of indebtedness. The sum of $41,622.38 is upon the out standing debt of the Company, upon which there is no lien, the' guarantee having been made where the holders of demands upon~ the Company surrendered three dollars of demand for one dollar of bond. I would respectfully call your attention to the remarks in my. last Message in. reference to the organization of the militia, and renew my recommendations on the subject. The Adjutant Gen eral's office cannot be organized enti1 some action is taken by the Legislature. ; 1Would respectfully recommend as worthy of your -consideration the propriety of devoting the mu nificent donation of the Federal Government to the establishment of an educational institute in Charleston for instruction in agri culture, mechanic arts, and the higher branches of scientific and classical studies. The buildings and grounds connected with the Citadel Academy. are admirably adapted to the purpose. Under the head ofviolations of law, the message goes over the killing of Martin and - Randolph, the particulars of whieh are fa miliar enough to be omitted, and continues, large rewards have teen offered for the apprehension of these murderers, soms of whom aie known 16 be'refugees and out laws from adjacent States, who availed themselves. of the political excitement as a cloak for their schemes of rapine and murder ; but such is the condition of socie ty in their immediate neighbor hoods that neither the. promised rewards nor the strenuous efforts of civil offeers, have accomplished their arrest. They are fully armed and mounted, and boast of the ex tent and power of their organiza tion. And a somewhat prominent individual, who is himself .uuder heavy bonds to answer the char.ge of complicity in the murder of the lamented Randolph, has had the hardihood to publish an address to the Executive, threatenirng still further outrages and additional victims. As a discouraging et~i dece of the deterioration of jour nalastic morals, it may be men tioned that this covert threat of assassination has been published and -republished without a word of censure or dissent. The turbulent condition of af fairs in the localities to which I have called your attention cannot and must not be longer tolerated. A Government unable to enforce its laws and protect its citizens is a mockery and a sham, meriting the scorn, and contempt of its op. ponents and unworthy the coni. dece and support of its friends. It cannot administer justice through its Courts, or collect its revenue by taxation. A remedy for these evils, which strike at the very foundation of the State, should be promptly applied. Th law must be made supreme. The most arrogant must be taught te obey its behests ; the humblest as sured of its protection. The general election having passed, and the political issues in volved, which so fiercely agitated the contr, having been deter. mined for a considerable period, it is devoutly to be hoped that the community may be indulged in a' much needed respite from the pas sions and excitements to which it has so long been subjected, and that our people may be enabled to turn their attention to the devel opment and improvement of their material resources, which have been so sadly impaired and -neg lected. It gives me much pleas ure to state that assurances have been received, both previous and subsequent to the. election, from many of the most prominent men of the State, heretofore in active opposition to the Government, of their regret at the occurrence of these outrages, and their detesta tion for their authors, as well as of their determination to yield a willing obedience to the Constitu tion and laws, relying upon the peaceful exercise of their rights at the ballot box to remedy ti hat ever they may deem objectionable in them. This determination has exerted, and cannot but continue to exert, a favorable influence upon the prosperity of the State, tranquilizing its people, stimula ting its industry, and giving char acter and credit to its enterprises. Recognizing with pleasure these evidences of returning good feel ing, and wishing. to reciprocate every indication of an approach to friendly relations,. I would reit erate the recommendations of my last Message in favor of a liberal policy on the part of the Legisla ture in referene.eto the removal of political disabilities. While upon the subject 'of- our past differences, I would take oc casion to express the hope that national politics will occupy here after a much less prominent posi tion in the affairs of the State and in the minds of the people than heretofore. Political issues hav ing been determ'ned for years to come, at least, there is but l ittle propriety in keeping up political agitation. And especially do I regret secret political organizations detrimental to the community, if not entirely out of place in a free Government. With every facility and advantage of free discussion, carried frequently to the very ex treme of license, the shrinking from the light of day to meet in midnight conventicles would seem discreditable to a people prou& of their intellectual energy. .An armedforganization, styling them selves the Ku-Klux-Klan, uniform ed and masked, by ~their secret meetings and inidnight atrocities upon peaceable and unoffen ding citizens, and obstructing the laws, have inaugurated a reign of terror in manry neighborhoodr. Imita tion of the secret societies of Eu rope during the Middle Ages, they are without thir excuse of justi. fication. In those days theirpower and their vengeance were directed against the turbulent nobiles and barons who defied the lawvs and oppressed the people. Their ob ject- was the attainment of justice, not the acquisition of political power. Their victims were not the law-abiding' and lowly, but the bold bad men who trampled on right and outraged humanity. Their symbols were the dagger and the cord, fit emblems of their terrible authority and their mode of exercising it. But even in those days of rapine and murder, the re sponsibility of this da'ngerous power was deemed so questionable and hazardous as to lead to its suppression. In the present condition of our State the existence or formation of secret political societies is great. ly to b3 deplored. They will be objects of misgiving and distrust, and centres of irritation and ex citement.. Secrecy is but too fre quently the covert for crime, and irresponsibility an incentive to its perpetration. Organizations will beget counter organizations, and dissentions and disturbances will be fomented andpernpetuated tothe interruption or tne peace ana pros perity of the whole neighborboqd I trust that every well-wisher of peace and progress will discoun4e. nance the further continuation of these secret political cliques, Trusting in the beneficent, pro, tection'of the Almighty Ruler-of the Universe, in whose hands -re the destinies of nations,. and who has vouchsafed us such abundaut evidences of His loving kindness, let us invoke His blessing on all our deliberations and proceedings, and to this end that they may be guided and governed by that WISDOM, WHOSE WAYS ARE WAYS OF PLEASANTNESS, AND ALL HER PATHa ARE PEACE. ROBERT K. SCOTT, Governor, Columbia, November 27, 1888. The Preacher and the Card Players. A divine in a Far-Western State visited a distant town for the pur pose of preaching the dedicatory sermon in a new church. fourt was in session, and on Saturday the judges and lawyers congregatd in a room, and amused themselves by card-playing and story-telliag. The divine, at the request of 4 lawyer, visited the room... HecaWe into the room so suddenly that they were unable to hide their ewds and whisky. The divine lohke'd on -awhile, and then politely in vited the gentlemen present to a$. tend church next day and bear him preach. This they agroed V do, and Sunday found them, judge and lawyers, seated in the "aman corner." The sermon over, the minister announced:' "Friends, the citizens of this town have bilt a fine church. There is still fife,ep hundred dollars due. We propote to raise the money by subsciptio to-day, and" (eyeing the judge) "I go one hundred" (imitating the style of the gamblers of last night.) The judge, glancing at the lawyers, slowly responded; "I see your hundred." "Thank you, brother." said the divine, "will any one raise it?" looking at the sime time at attorney number one. Thelawyer saw he was in for it, and quietly replied, "I go a hundred blind,' and so. on through the list. The divine raked down both the bar and their money, until the scone closed by a sharp, shrill voice a:m: nouncing, "I see the last hnndred, and call you." The astonished mnent of the congregation can be imagined. I venture, however, to think that these lawyets wili not soon invite the divine to wit ness another social game of euchrg, when men "see" each other, "gph blind," and "call" the hand. I can v-ouch myself' for the exact truth <>f that story ; the next I[ tell from hearsay, and don't answer for, but as 1 have seen somethin,g very like it, I believe it may b true. AN ACCOMMODATING JUDGE. At a Far Western Court, the case of Smith Jones was called oB, "Who'se for the plaintiff?' it quired the judge, impatieantly.. "May it please the court," seid a rising member of the legal fra ternity, "Pilkins is for the plaintiff, but I left him just now over in the tavern playing a game,o poker. He's got a sucker there, and he is sure to skin him, right smart, if he has only time, Re's got everything all set to ring a 'cord deck' in which case he'll deal for himself four aees and his oppo-, nent four queens, so that your honor must perceive that he must 'rake the persimnons.'" "Dear me I" said the judge, with a sigh, "that's too bad ! It happens. at a very unfortunate time ! I am very anxious to get on with this case." A brown study followed, and at length a happy idea struck the "Bll," said he, addressing the friend of the absent Pilkins who had just spoken "you understand poker about as well as Pilkins. S uppose you go over and play his hand !" A nd Bill did so.