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voters of South Carolina, how ver. said they endorsed my course. I Hit , gentlemen, there has be 11 a great deal of hard work and worry in it all and there has been no pieasim: in it, except in seeing the poor fel- ; lows free?there is a wonderful pleasure in that. Many cases have been brought before me in which I had to refuse clemency, and. with all that has been said about me?if you will pardon a personal reference?some-. times I have gone to the window and turned my back to my office and looked up the street when the mother and little children were pleading, and when ** -? J 1? ? -3 + V? ^ i- T ! > o /I f a oo"\v 1 1 KlltW 111V UUIV, iiuu lilac x "au iu ou.' j "no." It is a serious duty and a grave j responsibility, and I am satisfied there will never be a true man governor for any length of time who would not wel- i come relief from some of the responsibility. Of this, however, I treat more fully in a message to the senate, transmitting my reasons for pardons, and I shall not enlarge upon it here. Hut I want to impress upon you that if you are going to have a pardon board, you should pay the members a sufficient salary that they may give their time and attention to it. The members j ~ * *1 f r\ TOV 1.* J"l A TV? i U1 Lilt* picacut uuaiu, UV/ ledge, 'have made personal and financial sacrifices to do the work I have placed in their hands within the last year; yet they, too, have been abused for recommending clemency in certain cases, when they were performing only a patriotic duty, for all men know they were certainly not performing a duty which paid them, financially or otherwise?the only hope of reward which they can expect is that which the God of Justice and of Mercy will give them for paying careful attention to r>rie<: of the widow and the ounress ed, and for listening to "the least of these." Trusts and Combinations. I desire, gentlemen, to call to your attention once again the cotton mill mergers of this State, and ask that you take some definite action in regard thereto, and 1 respectfully refer yon to my message upon this subject, House Journal, 1912, page 14S; Senate Journal, 1912- page 155. My predictions therein are already being fulfilled. In the recent primary election men were threatened and attempts were made by the heads of these mill ? ? ?-? T om mergers lu ijuuhiuucicc mem, emu 1 am reliably informed that, since the election, men have been dismissed froir, their jobs because they did not vote to suit the 'bosses." The matter is for you?to use a somewhat inelegant, but forcible expression, it is "up tc you." It is not impossible that some day, unless action is taken even some of you may be the sufferers and the^ no doubt you would wish that action had been taken. I desire to call your attention also to other trusts and combinations, particularly the Carolina Public Service Corporation, that is buying all the ice plants throughout this State. This is a violation of the law. These ice plants are being bought simply and solely for the purpose of creating a monopoly; shutting out all the independent plants; raising the price of ice to whatever figure they desire to put it, and saying to the people, sick or well,"Pay this or do without." I thought the attorney general would take some action in regard to these matters, under the law, but nothing has been done, and I now call upon you to take some steps before these corporations have so far stuck their fangs into the people that it will be ^ 1~ 1 - U.~Z 4 liupossiuie lui get mem uul. See Section 13, Article 9, Consti+,ition of South Carolina, 1895. Exclusive Franchises. I desire to call your attention to the evil of any town, city, county or State giving any exclusive rights, privileges, or franchises "to any corporation or individual. We see the pernicious effec!s of this now. When a town or city places her water system, light system, street car system, telephone or telegraph system in the hands of one corporation, under an exclusive franchise, the result often is, that if you are without water you can not force them to hurry repairs and you cannot get it elsewhere; if you are without light the same is true; if the telephone company or telegraph company gives you pojr service and you make com plaint you are ignored, because you have nowhere else to go, and'you are bound by their special privileges. When any town or city places herself under one system of public service, to the exclusion of others, after the experience of towns and cities all over the country, it deserves to have poor public service facilities. I respectfully recommend that you pass an act annulling all exclusive franchises heretofore granted in South Carolina, and forbidding any exclusive franchise in the future. The towns and cities belong to the State; the town government or the city government is but a subdivision of the general Stat? government; the people of the towns and f t iti. , are citizens of the Si;ti , ami ii'J i lit- tuw.i (oiincii or ejiy eoiitieil will ! not proi ct its citizens:, then it. is ;>our i ill!ty to si''|> in and prtoeei tiurm. If \o;i cio not think 1 am right on this matter. 1 simply refer you to some town or city where one corporation j or o e individual controls the lighting! plant or the water plant, or both; or j when one system controls the tele-j phone or telegraph lines, or both; or where one system controls the street car lines or otb r quasi public enterprises or public service system; or! 'where one corporation or individual j has an exclusive franchise of all these things. ] noted a mo t ridiculous occurrence before the Railroad Commission recently jn a tel phone hearing. The people's sine of the ca-e was represented, or supposed to be represented, by an aftorny who is a leading conn set tor tie Western l nion leiegrapn Company, when ev- rybody knows that the Western Union Telegraph company "and the Southern Hell Telephone and Telegraph company are one and the same corporation, or o. e controlled and owned by the other, operating as such, interdependently. Still the Railroad Commission, 1 prelum , knew what it was doing. 1 leave it to the people of that particular town as to whether they got aiy relief or not. Thy on Wilier I'iuvpn. I respectfully r commend that you pass an act requiring all corporations in this State that are using the water power of the State to pay a tax or license therefor. Dams have been built and are being .built across nearly all of the streams of South Carolina that have any water power that can be profitably utilized. This water power belongs to the people of the State. It is being harnessed, so to rpeak, and used to run machinery for a few corporations which are making millions of collars out of it, and the people of the State?the taxpayersare not receiving one dollar's benefit therefrom. Oth r countries tax companies or individuals for the use of their water powers, and there is no s.ood reason why South Carolina should not do so, and every reason why she should. It would be a source of much revenue to us; it would not hurt those who are using this power; and it would be but fairness and jus tice to an concerned. I, thererore, most earnestly urge you to place this tax or license upon eacli and every one of the individuals or corporations' that are using these water powers in generating electricity, running machinery, or otherwise?not to be harsh upon them, but to be fair to the general taxpayers. These corporations are ruining our rivers?absolutely destroying them forever, so far as navigation is concerned; injuring the lands below the dams by almost actually drying up the rivers in some places; receiving large returns therefrom, and not paying one cent for the use of tTiQt wo+or 7->/~kTirol' T\+ not T?io-Vif ind ULV/i pv " VA . jL L AO "VI- 1 IQHIJ O.JL1U it is your duty to correct it. I am reliably informed that the powerful, gigantic dam, which is now beirg constructed across Broad river at Parr Shoals, is not to be provided with a draw. This should be required, because the United States Government is now spending money to m-ike Broad River navigable, and a great fight is being carried on to complete the Co lumbia Canal, and if these things I should be accomplished, this Parr Shoals dam would forever stand as at menace and hindrance' to the use of J this river. Now, while the dam is in j its infancy, the parties controlling its construction should be made to change their plans so as to provide such draw. I am also informed that there is no provision made by which the fish from the low-country streams, or even from the ocean, can go north of this dam, thus depriving the people north of the dam, in the upper part of Carolina, from the benefits of fishing in the stream which they otherwise would have as a result of the migration of fish from the ocean and low-country j waters. I can but call these matters to your attention, gentlemen. It is for you the mighty corporations to control. j Kate of Interest. M I respectfully recommend that you | pass an act reducing the legal rate of! interest in this State to 6 per cent, i There would be a sood deal of com-! plaint about this, possibly. But when ! you place your money in a savings; bank you only receive 4 per cent. Bauk-, ers boast of the fact that they can bor-! row monev in the Xorth at 2 1-2 and 3 1 i per cent. If they can borrow it at; 2 1-2 and 3 per cent., most assuredly < they can make money lending it at G. per cent. Look at the magnificent buildings the banks are erecting?their! great skyscrapers. Look at the immense dividends th*v are declaring.' They vie with each other in displaying in large letters in (he newspapers the t amount of dividends they are paying, and herald to the world that they are making money and prospering. We are all glad to note this prosperity, i b it, :r i me?;. iiivy ,-hould shar- some it with their customers, and not i\ < [> it ail \viL11111 ih?:jr own poekvts, for, aft< r all, it is tlieir customers' luoney which is the foundation oi tit ir ; ! (;; perity; aii(l i won'd ill upon you ;he wisdom of reducing iIi<* legal rate i-!' iv. ( -1 in this State from T to <! nrr Exchange ("lu cks. I also recommend that you pass an act prohibiting any bank from charging its regular customers exchange on any draft or check passing through the bank. My reason for this, gentlemen, is simple and plain. A man comes to Columbia from som. other point in the State; he does some trading and gives a perfectly good checl; on his home bunk; the merchant who accepts that check, or the hotel proprietor, or other per.-on, carries it to his regular bank and deposits it, and the bank charges him for sending that check to the home bank a.:d getting the money on it, when it doesn't cost the bank a cent to do so, and when that bank is getting the benefit of the deposit. They say, "Oh, but we are in the clearing house, and have to do it." Then, gentlemen, if the clearing house is a merger of banks it is in violation of our law, and the attorney general should take steps to break it up. But you should pass an act stopping the banks from taking money from the pockets of the people 021 every little pretense and pretext. And I hope that those of you who own stock in banks, or are attorneys for banks, will let that fact be known when you argue against this proposition, so that your fellow-members may know why you are opposing it. iuTurn .uoney on i . u. v. riicKatres. I also respectfully recommend that you pass an act prohil Uing express companies from charging for returning money collected on 0. 0. \). packages. Any of you can see t.lie injustic ot such charge by an express compnnv. A package comes to you (\ 0. D.; you could send your check :.i ot it; you could give the company ihf money for it; but they require you to pay an exorbitant price for t>:n, to return your money, or they will refuse to give you your package. It is simply a "hold-un," and you sho.iH not allow it. Flat Tvro-Cents Passenger Hate. I respectfully recommeirl, :ia I have done in my messages heretofore, and as I advocated 011 the floor of the house of representatives when a m'ruber of that body, and on the f.^or of the sen ate when a member of the senate. and on the public rostrum as a candidate, that you pass an act making a -la* rate of 2 cents per mile for passengers on all railroads in this Stats Nc doubt some who have not heretofore favored this position, who now think that it is popular, will be very vigorous in their support of it?possibly wanting to'be elected to some other office, or re-eleced to what they have, and. having reached the conclusion that it is a popular platform, they are now ready to jump on it and say they did it, as a matter of fact, many of us have oeen worKmg on it for years, and it has simply come to the point now where it is thought that it'will wjn. Whether the credit for it, be properly placed or not, the main consideration is what is best for the people of the State. The railroads are making money; they are prospering. Of that T am glad. T "would lipt, under any circumstances or conditions, wish to injure a railroad. Manv nf tl-fp pn gineer?, conductors, flagmen, and other employees of the railroads are my best friends, and I fully realize that if you cripple the railroads financially it will injure these men; but such an act would not cripple the railroads. I fully realize also that it will be urged that the railroads will say to these men, "Oh, yes, your legislature did thus and so, Mr. Engineer; we have to reduce your salary." "Mr. Conductor, Mr. Flagman, we have to reduce your salary." We do not want to do anything that will injure these people. Rut they are protected by their labor unions, and, unlike us, they can make the railroad come to their terms, because the railroads have got. to have them. Now, gentlemen, this is no unfair proposition. If the railroads can sell me- a mileage book for twenty dollars because I have the money to pay ^or it, there is absolutely no reason on earth why they should not sell any citizen a ticket for two cents per mile. I do not believe in your mileage books; I do not believe they ought to be torn on trains; I do not believe thfy ought to be accepted for tickets; I do not believe you ought to have any; and 1 hope you will not pass any law relat ins* to that abominable and foolish system. But reach all the people. Say to the poorest man, who is only going a mile, "You can go for two conts;" or, if he has to go f?0 miles, "You can go for a dollar;" and sny to the rich man. "You can't have any privileges that the poor man can't have." That is Democ vary, and we claim to be Democrats. Tlii- railroads say, "Oh, we have to inn on ticket collectors." For what? Cientleinen, it is the merest subterfuge. Here is a railroad company that says 'o yon, "Here is our conductor; put your wife on this train with your c-hII Ire :, or, if you please, put your lt>- or ]S-ycar-old daughter on this train; I sin' is sale m the hands 01 our conj due-tor; he will take care of her; he ; will protect her;" and yet, in the same i breath, that railroad company says to ! you, "Pay your fare or give your ticket ! to a collector; we can't trust our con! ductor." Mind you. gentlemen?can't . I trust the conductor with their money | and yet saying to you, "Trust your wife and your children, or your daughter or ( your sister, with him; trust that which is dearer than all things else on this earth to you with this man"?when the railroad can't trust him with its money. Tf the railroad can't trust him with their money, what right have they to ask you to trust him with the safety of your family? I hold in my hand a book costing $5, good for two hundred and fifty miles over the Piedmont Traction company, in the upper part of this State. Thjs mileage is taken up on the train; upon it baggage is checked, and it can be used by any member of the holder's family, or by any person who has it when he gets on the train. Now, if we are going to hflve mileage book?, which I do not favor, then let us have a mileage book such as the one T have referred you to. If the interurban can have it, there is surely no reason why the railroads can not have it. But, gentlemen, give your people a flat two-cents rate; and those of you who favor it, when the bill is called up, if the author of the bill, who has it in charge, gets up and says, "Pass it over," you get up and ask why. It is usually considered courtesy to allow the author of the bill to handle it, and when he rises in his seat and says, "Mr. President," or "Mr. Speaker, pass this bill over," it is cutomary for others to say nothing. But I warn you to watch and see that when these bills ire reached in their regular places on the calendars, no matter who requests it, they are not put off until the last days of the session and then crowded out. But let some of your number favorable to them get up and force the fight; for not always are authors oi bills their best friends. Capital and Labor. Labor and capital have been working most harmoniously and pleasantly 4- A /vm lUgCLULCi I was called upon to take action with regard to a strike that was going on in Augusta, Georgia, which some people thought would be brought into this State because the corporation was operating cars in the county of Aiken. I took the matter up with some close a/nrl Valnofl norcnn a 1 fria-n/ip. i?< +V?n ? v*. I* * W VV* j^T-wx WWXXCfcX XX XV/UUO 1UL CULt "Horse Creek Valley," who kept me :l close touch with the situation. I was asked to order out the militia. This 1 flatly declined to do, and advised the railway men to put their cars in their sheds, and not run them from Georgia into South Carolina. The situation became tense. Letters and telegrams, and sometimes personal conferences, were brought to bear; b1 t I stood firm in my position, did not order out the militia, and pleaded with my friends and I am glad to say that I have many true ones in the "Horse Creek Valley'' ?not to violate any of the laws of t^e State, but to stand, in an orderly manner, to what they believed were their rights. Arbitration was had; peace was restored; all is well. I would not h;nt had a repetition in South Ca~>l;i!U of the Augusta soldiers shooting down innocent men for all the railroads in the American Union. Another strike in the city of Columbia came on. 1 asked the newspap*.* reporters to say to the head oL th? corporation that I had heard the corporation was going to bring strikebreakers into the city, and poiiidy but firmly requested that such cour.^ b^ not taken. I am glad to say it was not done. I had a conference with some1 of my friends?the conductors ami i motormen who work for the company, to the number of 112 out of 114, were my political friends; not one thing would I have done to injure them or to iniure their chances of receiving better pay; and if strike-breakers had been put upon the cars, I would have had every one of them arrested and put in the county jail or State penitentiary, under that section of the constitution i which says that such forces shall not be brought into our State. However, it was not done. The employees stood i I firm; went to church; wen : around atj tending to their matters of pleasure, i laughing and talking ^nd keeping m ! good humor; and they brought the | wealthy corporation to terms. Once | again arbitration came in; peace v is ; restored; all is well. Again, a strike threatened in the city of Charleston caused some parties there to get very much 'vorried and uneasy. I was called on for advice and assistance. I sent one of your i i \ members, the Hon. John T. Miliar -a I manly man, a true friend, to tli i.bor1 jmg mai., .iml an ho;>' st Caioiiuiau? las !ii.. .. peeictl i jpre: t ve, to the ! c-il> oi Charleston. lie woiled and eonj lerred with tile ollieials of the street i raii\v,i\ company and the ollieials oi I the labor imioi.s, and, by his ci a I n.wi^r J UU^UKJiil, UlUU^lll ilUs/Ut clli U1IUC1* . standing; an amicable agreement was 1 i\ ached, and the sound oi' the gong was not stilled. Again, with cool 1 heads, good judgment, and tile spirit ; of "live and let live," prevailing, peace . was restored, and ail is well. 1 do not wiih to be egotistical, and . you will pardon me tor saying that in all three of these instances 1 believe ' that the confidence the laboring men had in me as their friend had very 1 much to do with averting trouble and bringing about adjustments fair and ; .easonable to all parties. I am proud that tht laboring men feel that 1 am their friend. I am their friend, and 1 prize their friendship and their confidence. .. f o Oil C ?? XVII V?S liUUU JJSIVIH. I have not had the opportunity to give this question that serious and careful consideration which it deserves, and, therefore, I am not in position to give you any information ; in regard to it or to make a recommendation as to it. During the campagn ! the past summer, when my opponent was loudly proclaiming from stump to stump that he favored the Torrens Land System, I kept quiet upon the subject. I was elected. But there is a matter which I desire | ro cau to your attention; and that is the ownership of land. The fearfully high price that is now being paid for , farming lands can not, in my opinion, last, but if it should, it is going absolutely to deprive the poor man of owning land, and in a few years will create in this country a system of landlordship akin to feudalism, anC , which will be oppressive to the irreat masses of the people, putting the poor man at great disadvantage. i Another matter which our white i people ought to give their serious consideration to is that of selling so much i of our real estate to the negro race. : This is a menace which can now be . easily averted; but I fear, if the practice is kept up, that in a few years we ( are going to find ourselves facing a ' very serious situation in dealjng with the negro landowner. What remedy should be applied is a matter which I can not discuss too freelv fnr fpar riio . timid-hearted will say, "He i* stirring up strife and race prejudice." But I call it to your attention, and ask, you to give it your very earnest consideration. Belief of Storm Sufferers. I I respectfully recommend that you exempt from taxation all the personal property and real estate of the citizens of that part of York county who suf?<? ? " - - " ierea irom a terrible storm which visited that community during the past summer. These people were left almost destitute; their crops were completely destroyed, and their condition was very grave. I think it would be but fair to give them this small relief, and I most respectfully and earnestly ask that you do so. Enforcement of Law. I have been very much hampered in my efforts in enforcement of la^v and Order hv snmp fhrteo nrV>r> inofoo/J A ^ J vv^v \J S. HIV/UV "UU, iUOLCaU . of "being a hindrance, should have , joined hands with me and been a strong legal and moral force in helping me. , The county supervisors and county commissioners of the various counties are directed, under Section 840, Vol. II, > of the Code of Laws of South Carolina,, to pay for the services of constables when appointed to enforce the whiskey laws in their counties. But, by the obstinacy of these officials in some of . the counties, and their absolute refneol trv nVvotr +>io low T havo Vmnn vu\/j l/UV> 1U.II, x uurv UVX/M unable to appoint men to serve as constables in those counties in order to : assist the sheriffs in keeping dowi. the illicit sale of liquor. As a consequence : T am free to isay to you that I do not believe there is a county in the State i which has no blind tigers in it?white , men selling whskey, negroes selling ) whiskey, and, in many instances, white ; men backing the negroes and having the negroes acting as retailers for ; thorn I have be^s helpless because ; county officials would not pay coni j stables appointed by me to do this i work. My hands have been tied, to a ! lortra livfont j vv.--w But I have had, if possible, an even | : greater hindrance. Under the law ap- j , propriating $5,000 for the enforcement] of law, I appointed as detectives thej Rev. C. W. Creighton and Col. Leon M.# , j Green, two men who would never have , berii suspected of doing detective work They were doing a great deal of good, * J-?- T. ! -.1. 7 '; giving me quietly miormauon \mucu i conveyed to the proper officials, and in | ; this way doing much to stop the illicit sale of whiskey in many places. The comptroller general, however, stepped i," ..'tween me and th* enforcement of : law and refused to pay the claims for) their services; it was mkde public1 I throughout tin- entire Slate that they v.t; o Stiti?1 (I tectives. :u. I their usefulness was very much impaired?so much so that both hav- tendered their resignations and quit rhe service. Of course, when it became generally ^ known that these two men were in this ^ business the violators of the law were ; then on the watch for them. I thought flu>n mul think now that I was excep- ^ tionally fortunate in getting two such ^ men ro do this work. But the comptroller general set his judgment up against mine, whose duty it was to extrcise judgment in these matters, A and in open, bold defiance 01 the law ,*eft:sed to pay the claims of these men, and refused to pay other claims for similar' service, which claims should have been paid in his office. Why the comptroller general should have taken such course I am at a loss to understand; for I certainly feel that it was his duty to help me enforce the ^ law, instead of standing between the # violators of the law and myself, when I was trying to do my duty. I say that 1 am at a los/s to account for his course VH ? I should have modified this l?y say- * I ing, except upon the theory that he r.as allowed the politic^ 1 differences between us to influence the discharge of his public duties, knowing that he had at his back a partisan attorney general, who was my pronounced and bitter personal and political enemy (and who, by the way, the people of South Carolina have repudiated and ; retired to private life). Setting him- J self up as a constitutional lawyer, y backed by the State's attorney general, j whose assistance also I should have had, the comptroller general refused to pay these just claims incurred in the effort to enforce the law. Of course, I have been charged with and blamed for non-enforcement of the law. But I want you to understand . the situation, so that you may know 1 if the county supervisors and commis- * sicmers had paid my constables, and fl the comptroller general had paid my^ detectives, I would have ^^TTiTS^ters in very much better shape. f These differences and clashes, gen tiemen, nave been very unpleasant to me, for I tave tried to t'o my duty, and I regret that so rnucji illegal sale of whiskey is being carried on throughout our State. I am glad to . say, however, that when I explained these matters to the people upon, the A rostrum they did not blame me, but endorsed me by re-el3 me ^o^er nor, while some of those who have opposed me were defeated, and others would have been if good men had piaced themselves in the race and given the people an opportunity to retire to private life those who have stood between blind tigens and the enforcement of the law. If you will pass a law giving nie I the right to appoint five men, scattered A j in different parts of the State, who ! shall receive the $5,000 now appropriated for enforcement of law, I oan use these men by sending them wherever comnlaints are made and main tain a much more rigid enforcement of the law than we have today. However, I want to ask* y&u, if you make 1 any provision for the appointment of ' A constables or State detectives, or if you provide any appropriation, as ^ ' you have been doing, for payment of the expense incurred in enforcement l of the law, that you insert a proviso making it clearly mandatory that the comptroller general shall issue his warrant payable to such parties and upon such claims as the governor shall approve, letting him understand that he has neither the right L.or the discretion to turn down claims which are approved by me along this line, nnd thus annoy and hinder me, as he \ has done during the past 12 months. Concealed Weapon Law. I 'respectfully recommend that you repeal the law against carrying weapons, or that you amend it by authorizing the clerk of court of each county to licence persons making application to him, and upon payment of a fee of $5, to carry a pistol for such length of time as the said ci?rk may fix, not ^ to exceed thirty days under any one license. My reason for this is that the present law is a farce. Yru know this; it is common knowledge Xegroes and some others habitually car ry pistols, and then when they gee into a difficulty they shoot down the lawabiding citizen, who is unarmed a^d not in position to take care of himself against the coward. It would be a good idea also, in my judgment, to require the clerk of court to publish the names of the licensees, ^nd to increase the punishment for violation of the law, providing that a person con- t victed of carrying a concealed weapon without a licence be imnrisoned for 12 months at hard labor, without a fine, j and applying the receipts from license fees to the special enforcement of this law, in addition to the regular machinery of the law-which we now Have. I further recommend that you make the * same punishment of imprisonment without the alternative of a. fine apply ^ to those convicted of selling pistols. 1