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VOLUME II—NUMBER 30.
®he llcfuffie fowual,
IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY
—A T—
THOMSON'. GA.,
—B Y—
RONEY & SULLIVAN,
HATES OF ADVERTISING ,
Transient advertisements will be charged one
dollar per square for the first insertion, and seventy
five cents for each subsequent insertion.
BUSINESS GARBS.
~~E. S. HARRISON,
I’ll vsicimi ;uul Sui'freon
Offers hia services to tho public. Office with Dr.
J. S. Jones, over McCord ec llurd;iwav*s.
■prlom3 Thomson, G»:
/. m W&PMJP 4* €@.
Wholesale and Retail Dealers in
EIELISH WHITE GRASITI & C. E, WARE
—ALSO—
Mcmi-l'li itis* I'reiich C liinrt«
Glassware, <Vc.
244 Broad Street, Augusta, Ga
aprlO Iv.
H. C. RONEY,
A ttoiii uj at full),
mo.ns ft v, u.i.
Will practice in the Augusta, Northern and
Middle Circuits,
no 1 y
JAMES A. GRAY & CO.,
Have Removed to their
jVow E l-oii Front SStoi*e,
BROAD STREET, AUGUST , GA
aprlOtf
'globe hotel.
s. W. CORNER BROAD & JACKSON STS.,
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.
JACKSON & JULIAN, Proprit’rs.
k Wo beg leave to call the attention of t.hc trnvcl-
Ming public to tills well known Hotel, which ve
l have recently leased and placed on a tooting
■second to none in Hie South. No expense will he
fcntvved p. render it a first. class House m ew n
■espoot. and every attention is paiu to the comfort
land convenience of guests.
Hlfi. T. h. LILUtSTKIIt
OFFKHS IIIK
PROFESSIONAL services
To the Citizens ol Tliomsoa and Vicinity.
Ho can he found al the I!" e.i over Costello's, when
not professionally absent. ,
REFERS TO
ran. J Eve, Pbo. Wir. 11. Douohtv, Dit
John 8. Coleman, Db. S. C. Eve.
O IST 'rilVLlU.
TILL THE FIRST OF NOVEMBER.
J WILL furnish planter.; and others in want of
s es <> s: s
on City Acceptance, till Ist November next, at
cnsli prices. Id- COIIKN.
apr 3 13m3 Augusta, Ga.
CHARLES S DuBOSE,
V/r/v./ W*
AVni-i-***** on, Oa.
Will practice in ail the Courts of the Northern,
Augusta & Middle Circuits.
~ar. uve.
Wholesale and retail dealer in
©US7 S'2AD3ll] 1
LAMPS AND LAMP FIXTURES,
Manufacturer and in all kinds of
TIN AN) StEET IRON WARE!
guttering, roofing,
And all kinds of Jobhina done promptly and neatly.
GmG 158 A Broad St., Augusta, Ga.
Established in 1543.
T. 11. MANLEY,
—WITH —
CrjEO . Moi-lson' d> So.y.
NURSERYMEN,
have pon Bale a lauge assoumest of
ORNAMENTAL TREES, EVERGREENS, &
ROSES,'
Cirape Vines and Small Fruits,
DWARF AND STANDARD FRUIT TRUES,
Rochester, N. Y.
JAMES H. HE IVEY’S
Steam Dyeing and Scouring
I*2:* liroad St., Augusta, <>ia.
Near Lower Market Bridge Bank Building for the
Dyeing and Craning
of dresses, shawls, cloaks, ribbons, &c. Also gen
tlemen's coats, vests and pants cleaned and dyed
in the best manner. Fieee dry goods, cloths, me,
rinoes, delanc, alpaca, rep goops and jeans dyed
and finished equal to those done in New York.
«3T Orders by Express promptly attended to.
Augusta, Ga. apr.3m3
Svapnia —is Opium purified of its
siknening and poisenous properties, It is a perfect
anodyne, not producing headache or constipation
of the bowels, as is the case w ith other prepara
tions of opium. -John Farr, Chemist New York.
Cxovernor’s Message.
Executive Department,
Atlanta, July 17, 1872. $
To the Senate and House, oj Representatives:
It is made my duty by the Constitu
tion to give to the General Assembly
information of the state of the Com
monwealth, and to recommend to their
consideration such measures as may be
deemed necessary and expedient for the
public good. I approach the discharge
of this duty with a feeling of diffidence,
produced by a consciousness that the
subjects me will require a more
extended notice than I shall be able to
bestow upon them.
When I entered upon the duties of
the Executive office, in January last,
great confusion existed in almost every
department of our public affairs. Gur
finances were in the utmost disorder,
and the stock boards of this country
and of Europe had been flooded with
bonds, purporting to have been issued
by this State, but yet regarded of
doubtful validity. The administration
of justice had been rendered ineffective
by the abuse of the pardoning power;
the confidence of the people in their
public servants had been impaired by
the faithless conduct of leading officials,
and a feeling of general distrust and
insecurity prevailed. The civil author
ities had so long been subordinated to
military power that many true men had
reached the melancholy conclusion that
civil liberty had already ceased to exist.
The earnest efforts of every depart
ment of the government have been di
rected to the correction of these
abuses, and if these efforts have not
yet proved entirely successful, it has
been because the evils sought to he
remedied were manifold and deeply
rooted. Evils, the result of years of
misrule, cannot be extirpated in a day.
Much patient labor yet remains to he
done, and in its performance 1 earnest
ly invoke the assistance of the represen
tatives of the people.
PUBLIC DEBT AND FINANCES.
By legislative act, entitled ‘an act to
protect the people, of the State of Geor
gia against the illegal and fraudulent is
sue of bonds and securities, and for
other purposes connected with the
same,’ passed December 9, 1871, it
was provided that a joint committee of
the Senate and House of Representa
tives should be appointed, whose duty
it should be to ascertain and report the
number of bonds and indorsements
which had been issued and put into cir
culation by Rufus B. Bulloc/r, fate
Governor ; the aggregate amount there
of, by whom the same were sold, the
amount of money paid therefor, the
times when, and the persons to whom
such payments were made, and all
other fact connected with the history
of said bonds.
The committee appointed by virtue
of this net will submit their report, I
learn, during the present session of the
Legislature. While it is proper that 1
postpone-any extended remarks upon
the clasesof claims and securities men
tioned in the act, until after the infor
mation collected by the committee shall
have been laid before you, yet I feel
constrained to say that, in my opinion,
the State is bound for the redemption of
only such obligations as have been issu
ed in conformity with law. If money
raised upon unauthorized securities has
come into the treasury, the State is
hound to account for the same. But
considerations of public policy forbid
that the State should recognize as valid
and binding, any contract entered into
by any person not authorized to make
the same. The Governor has no au
thority, by virtu© of his office alone,
to issue bonds of the State. To do this,
he must be specially authorized by a
legislative act, passed for that purpose.
When so empowered, he becomes a
special agent, and cannot transcend the
limits of the grant conferring his pow
ers. It is a well established princi
ple, that persons having dealings with
public agents, in matters Me this, are
strictly bound to look to the authority
of such agents.
The following is a consolidated state
ment of the existing debt of the State,
created before the fourth day of July,
1868, showing the amounts and dates
of the issue and maturity of the bonds :
When Issued. When due. Amount.
1812 and 1852 1872 $ 050,500 00
1812 and 1843 1873 127,000 00
1841 and 1848 1874 251,500 00
1858 1878 100,000 00
1859 1879 200,000 00
1800 1880 21X1,000 00
1861 , 1881 100,000 00
1860 1880 3,600,000 00
Grand Total $5,238,500 00
THOMSON, McDUFFIE COUNTY, OA., JULY 31, 1872.
From the foregoing tabular statement,
it will appear that the total amount of
our bonded debt, contracted prior to
July 4, IS6S, is $5,238,500 00.
To meet the bonds falling due this
summer, the Governor was authorized
to issue bonds to the amount $700,-
000 000, due in twenty years and hear
ing interest at a rate not exceeding
seven per cent, per annum, payable
semi-annually. As required by the
provisions of this act, I have caused
bonds to be prepared, and the same are
now being used in exchange and re
demption of the old bonds falling due
the present year. By the third section
of the act, a temporary loan was author
ized in a sum not exceeding $300,000,
for the purpose of paying the semi-an
nual interest, due the present summer,
upon the bonds of the State issued be
fore the first day of June, ISGS, which
loan, it is provided, shall he paid back
out of the moneys received from the
taxes paid into the treasury during the
year 1572.
Acting under the authority thus con
ferred, I borrowed from the National
Bank of Commerce, in New Yor/t, the
sum of $200,000 at seven per cent, per
annum, to be re-paid on the first day of
December next. This sum was placed
to the credit of the State on the 29th
day of June last, and is sufficient to pay
the interest falling due upon our old
debt in the months of June, July and
august.
An arrangement has also been effect
ed with the National Bank of Com
merce to act as the agent of the State
in exchanging the old for the new bonds
falling due this year. This arrange
ment is as follows .• An oiler is made
to the holders of the old bonds to ex
change therefor the new seven per cent,
bonds authorized to be issued by said
act. In the event this offer shall not he
accepted, it is proposed that the semi
annual interest shall continue to be paid
upon the old bonds until the State shall
be able to redeem the same. This ar
rangement is the best that could be ef
fected in the present condition of the
public credit, and it is believed that it
will give satisfaction to our creditors.
There exists no law authorizing the
payment of interest upon the old bonds
after their maturity, hut being satislied
that the proposition to that effect, em
braced in the arrangement above refer
red to, if carried out, will he promo
tive of the public welfare, I respectful
ly recommend that the same he approv
ed by the Legislature.
In effecting these arrangements, I
have to acknowledge the obligations
under which 1 rest to the Hon. Charles
J. Jenkins, who, while refusing all pe
cuniary compensation therefor as the
agent of the State, brought to my aid
the benefit of his well-known wisdom
and experience.
By the wasteful expenditures of the
administration, the State was deprived
of the means of paying the semi-annual
installment of interest on the public
debt, and to supply such means, it be
came necessary to resort to the doubt
ful expedient of a short loan. The
necessary effect of this will he to place
three semi-annual installments of inter
est on the public debt upon the reve
nues of the present year. In December
next, we shall have to pay the tempora
ry loan contracted to meet the interest
falling due thiß summer. Then, fol
lowing closely in January and February
thereafter, another semi-annual install
ment will fall due. Fills we shall prob
ably be able to meet without difficulty.
Iu June, July and August of next year,
however, another like installment will
become due, and will he upon us before
the taxes of next year can be collected.
The temporary loan just negotiated
should be promptly paid at maturity,
and provision be made to meet future
installments of interest without re
course to temporary expedients.
It is of the highest importance that
the credit of the State be fully re-estab
lished, to the end that the heavy bur
dens now resting upon the people may
be removed as speedily as possible. The
present impoverished condition of the
country, produced by the late civil war,
the disorganization of our labor system,
and the wasteful extravagance which
characterized the acts of thosj lately in
authority, render the practice of the
most rigid economy indispensably nec
essary. Our resources should he hus
banded, our expenditures confined with
in the strictest limits of necessity, and
public officials held to rigid accountabili
ty. By a wise, honest and faithful ad
ministration of the government, the
public credit will soon be restored, and
the people be relieved of the weight of
taxation which now opposes them.
FLO-4 TING DEBT OF Wh STERN AND ATLAN
TIC RAILROAD.
Your attention is also respectfully
called to the propriety of making provis
ion for the payment of the floating debt
of the Western and Atlantic Railroad.
The annual report of the Comptroller
General, herewith transmitted, shows
that these was paid out of the public
treasury during the year 1871, to
claims belonging to the class just named,
the sum of $453,059 92. There is still
a largo number of such claims outstand
ing, a portion of which have been audit
ed by the commissioners appointed by
the Legislature, in the act approved
October 24, IS7O.
At rue late session of the General
Assembly, a committee was appointed
with power to investigate the conduct
of the said commissioners, and to in
quire whether any claims had been al
lowed them after being rejected by the
Legislature or by the courts, or wheth
er any claims had been allowed which
had been barred by the statute of
limitation, and whether any fraudulent
and illegal claims had been allowed,
and upon what evidence. No warrants
have been issued for tho payment of
these claimssimo my accession to office.
It is a matter ol doubt whether any ap
propriation exists for their payment,
and I deemed it proper and respectful
to await action on the part of the Leg
islature before directing further pay
ments to to he made.
I would also call your attention to
tho fact, that there is outstanding a large
amount of claims against the State, in
the foijn of change bills, and notes is
sued by the Western and Atlantic Rail
road. Most of these purport to have
been i .tied during the late war and
others near date as far back as tire tune
when .he road was being constructed.
I havtj been informed that it has been
held by the courts of Tennessee, that
the fu; amount specified on the face ol
the change bills issued during tho war,
is recoverable. In view of the fact that
much itigation may arise, and great
expen; a ho incurred in suits brought iu
t he courts of Tennessee lor the collection
of th"i*’ibi!!s f respectfully reecommend
that some provision lie made whereby
these evils may he avoided.
LEASE OF THE WESTERN AND ATLANTIC
RAILROAD.
The attention of the Legislature has
never been formally called to the lease
of the Western and Atlantic Railroad,
and 1 therefore transmit herewith cop
ies of all the papers of record and on
file in this department, refering to the
same.
From tlic3e papers it will appear that
on the 27th day of December, 1870, my
predecessor leased the road, its rolling
stock and other property, for the term
of twenty years, for the suin of $25,000
per month, or $300,000 per annum.
This rental has been regularly and punct
ually paid. The terms and conditions
of the lease are fully set forth in the
accompanying documents, and need not
to be recapitulated here.
The circumstances attending this
transaction from its inception to its con
summation, have excited great interest
in the public mind, and have been the
subject of much diverse criticism. In
consequence of this fact, the Legislature
at its late session, by a joint resolution,
provided for the appointment of a com
mittee, whose duty it was made to in
vestigate and report upon the lease,—
This committee I am informed, will
submit their report during your present
session. Any discussion of the lease
therefore, at this time, and in advance
of the official evidence, might justly be
deemed premature.
The magnitude of the interest involv
ed, and the concern which the transac
tion has excited in the public mind,
render it proper that I should invoke at
your hands, whenever you shall feel it
to be your duty to take up this impor
tant matter for consideration, the exer
cise of your highest wisdom and justice.
In the discussion which will doubtless
arise, I feel assured that you will lose
sight ol neither the true interests of the
people, the honor aud dignity of the
State, nor the rights of the lesseess.
roruL 111 EDUCATION.
I transmit herewith the report of the
School Commissioner upon the present
condition and wants of our common
school system, to which I respectfully
invite your attention.
The attempt to establish the common
school system in this State has not been
crowned with the success which was an
ticipated. It is not diflicult to underi
stand the causes which have led to this re
sult. In the impoverished condition of the
people, it has been found impracticable
to raise the means at once to carry into
successful operation a system so expen
sive, without too great an increase of
taxation. Even the scant means which
have come into the treasury, and which
by the Constitution were set apart and
devoted to common school purposes,
have been misapplied.
By order of the General Assembly, in j
the year IS7O, the sum of $242,027 62,
belonging to the school fund, was taken
from the treasury. Soon after this was
done the Legislature passed an act estab
lishing a common school system. The
grave wrong was committed of first
misappropriating the school fund, and
next of establishing a cumberous and ex
pensive system, requiring for its success
ful operation a heavy outlay of money.
No sufficient appropriation was made for
defraying the expenses of the system.
The necessary consequence of this un
wise procedure was that heavy debts
were contracted in the employment of
teachers, and for other purposes. The
present General Assembly at its lato ses
sion sought to correct existing evils by
remodeling the whole system. The
law as it now stands, although an im
provement upon previous legislation, is
still very defective. These defects are
pointed out in the report of the Com
missioner, and the necessary remedial
legislation suggested. I cannot too ur
gently recommend that provision be at
once made for paying the just claims of
teachers.
When the school fund was taken from
the Trensmy, certain bonds of the State
were deposited in lieu of the same.—
The Governor was authorized to sell
these bonds to raise money to pay the
teachers, hut the power to sell was ex
pressly made dependent upon the con
dition that such sale should he made
without injury to the public credit.
Upon inquiry made of the Treasurer, I
found that the bonds bore lithographed
coupons, and in his judgement were so
defectively executed as to be of little or
no value. As an evidence of this, it
was stated that they had been offered by
the late Governor, in the NevV York
market, but a sale of them had been
found impracticable, except at a ruin
ous sacrifice.
Being satisfied that the mere fact of
these bonds, thus executed, being placed
upon the market would greatly impair
the credit of the State, I deemed it to be
my duty to defer any attempt to sell
them, and to submit the matter to the
General Assembly.
AGRICULTURAL LAND SCRIPT.
By an act of Congress, passed in the
year 1862, donations of land were of
fered to the States for the purpose of es
tablishing agricultural and mechanical
colleges. The States accepting the do
nations were allowed until the second
day of July instant, to establish tiie
colleges. The script issued to the State
of Georgia, under the provisions of said
act of Congress, was sold by my prede
cessor, at ninety cents per acre, making
the sum of $243,000. Os this the sum
ol $50,400 has been received. The
remaining portion will not become due
until the third day of July, 1873.
Finding that the time in which the
college in this State must be establish
ed, it at all, would expire before the
meeting of the General Assembly, and
feeling unwilling to apply to Congress
to extend the time, for the reason that
such application in all probability
would have been used as a pretext for
attaching to the donation conditions
which would have rendered the same
odious to the people, I determined that
it was my duty to execise the power
conferred upon the Executive by the
Legislature, and to save this important
fund for our people. The qeustion
arose, how could this best he done.
In looking over the State, it was
fou,nd that we had several excellent in
stitutions of learning, and that the peo
ple in several localities desired to have
the coUege established in their midst.—
This was natural and praisewothy.—
But my duty was plainly pointed out
by law, and beyond this, I could not
go. The act of the Legislature, ap
proved December 12, IS6G, conferred
upon the Governor all the power nec
essary to save the fund to the Sthte.—
The act of Congress, however, making
the donation, required that the college
should be actually established by the
second day of July, 1872. There was
no such college in existence in this
State, and I, as the chief executive
officer under the government, had no
authority to create such an institution.
The Legislature had failed to organize a
college for this purpose, or to dispose
of the fund, and would not re-assemble
in time to take the necessary action.—
What then could he done V
By the terms of its charter, the trus-
TERMS-TWO DOLLARS IN ADVANCE
tees of the University of the State lo
cated at Athens, already in successful
operation, possessed ample powers to*
establish such a college as that describe
ed in the act of Congress making the
donation, and it was only by the
prompt exercise of these powers by
the trustees that the fund did not be
bome forfeit. The tustees held a meet
ing in this city on the thirtieth day of
March last, when they organized a col
lege in conformity to the law granting
the donation, made formal application l
for the use of the fund, and received an
Executive order bestowing the same
upon the University.
I herewith transmit copies of the
proceedings had at said meeting of the
trustees, and of the Executive order
referred to.
It may be remarked that the act of
Congress prescribed the eonditons upon
which the donation was made. One of
these conditions required that the
State, upon accepting the donation,
should become bound to preserve the
fund, and to see that no part of the
same was lost or misapplied. The ac
ceptance of the fund made the State a
trustee for the uses declared in the act
creating the trust. To enable the State
to perform its duty and to protect the
fund it was manifestly necessary that
the same should be kept within th#
contio! of the Legislature. The Uni
versity is a State institution, and the
action of the trustees may be reviewed
by the General Assembly. This is true
of no other institution of learning in
the State. In granting the use of the
fund to the University, therefore, I
was careful to place it where the Legi
slature would still retain the power to
interpose for its proper application and
preservation. No part of the principal
fund, or of the interest, could be ap
propriated to the purchase ot erection
of buildings for the college, but no de
lay was occasioned on this account,
since there were already suitable build
ings belonging to the University, which
could be used for that purpose.
Eot these and other reasons which
might be given, I deemed it to be my
duty to save the denatiou in the only
practicable way left open to me, and to
grant the fund to the University of the
States
It may be added that the college went
into operation on the first day of May,
i under the most promising auspicies, and
that there are already about one hun
dred students receiving instruction in
the same free of charge. The propectis
that this number will be largely increas
ed, and that the State, so far at least as
her agricultural and mechanical inter
ests are involved, will soon enter upon
anew and more prosperous Career.—
What we most need is thorough and
practical education, and this the new
college promises to secure to all classes
ot the people—to the poor as well as
to the rich and more fortunate,
PENITENTIARY,
By authority of the act approved
December 14, 1871, authorizing the
Governor to farm out the convicts in
the Penitentiary, I proceeded, after
due notice given, to lease the same for
the term of two years, to Messrs,
Grant, Alexander & Cos., at the sum of
fifty dollars per capita per annum.—
The number of convicts in the Peniten
tiary on the day the lease was executed,
was 432. The number on the first of
this month had increased to 475.
Thirty two have been discharged in the
meantime, their terms having expired.
This mar/red increase in the number
of convicts is not due to any augmenta
tion of crime in the State, but is be
lieved to be the result entirely of a more
rigid and proper enforcement of the
laws. This institution heretofore has
been a source of expense to the State.
Under the present arrangement, how
ever, it is not probable that any appro
priations will become necessary for its
support and maintainance, On the
contrary, it will probably be productive
of considerable revenue.
PARDONING POWER.
It may be here remarked that in the
present state of society, I have felt it
to be my duty to confine the exercise of
the pardoning power within very strict
limits. Courts and juries constitute
the proper tribunal for the trial of
criminal offenses, and it is no part of
the duty of the Executive to intervene
to screen the guilty from punishment.
The theory of the law upon this sub
ject is, that when guilt has been ascer
tained in the manner prescribed by the
supreme authority, the interest of socie
ty demands that the offender be punish
ed. The most painful duty wdiich de
volves upon the Chief Magistrate of tbe
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