SMET, PETER J. DE. 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



teemed associate of the great, geologists of 

 Kii'.'land. In 1858 he was elected a corre- 

 sponding member of the French Instil uto. 



>MKT, Rev. PKTKB J. DB, a Jesuit missionary 

 among the Indians in Oregon, born at Dender- 

 monde, in Belgium, in 1801 ; died at tl. 

 Louis University, St. Louis, May 25, 1878. 

 He was educated for the priesthood in the 

 Jesuit seminary at Mechlin, and was ordained 

 a deacon in 1820. He was induced to come to 

 America by Father Nerinckx, a Belgian mis- 

 sionary, and landed in Baltimore, in October, 

 1821. After two years of preparation in a 

 seminary in Maryland he went to St. Louis in 

 1823 to join the Jesuit mission there. At t hut 

 time St. Lonis had a population of only abont 

 5.000 people, and the country extending to the 

 Rooky Mountains was unexplored and inhabit- 

 ed by roaming Indian tribes. Father do Smet 

 entered with great zeal on his missionary la- 

 bors. He traversed vast tracts of country, 

 penetrated as far as Oregon, which he reached 

 by crossing the Rocky Mountains long before 

 the pathway had become comparatively known 

 by the influx of immigrants into California. 

 Ho lived among the Indians, learned their lan- 

 guage and customs, and submitted voluntarily 

 to the greatest privations. He wrote a work 

 entitled " Letters and Sketches, and Residence 

 in the Rocky Mountains," published in Phila- 

 delphia in 1843, which was followed in 1847 

 by another named "Oregon Missions and 

 Travels over the Rocky Mountains." In 1863 

 his " Western Missions and Missionaries " ap- 

 peared, and was followed in 1865 by a similar 

 work in German, printed in St. Louis. Rely- 

 ing solely upon religions influences, he suc- 

 ceeded in inducing large numbers to embrace 

 Christianity, and refrain from barbarous arts. 

 He visited his native land from time to time, 

 and succeeded in inducing many young clergy- 

 men to join his community at St. Lonis. Mur- 

 ing the civil war when it was important to re- 

 strain some Indian tribes, who evinced hostile 

 intentions, he was invited to Washington to 

 confer with the authorities. When there ho 

 was offered as many men and as much money 

 as he might require, but he declined both, mid 

 returning went among the dissatisfied, bear- 

 ing, as was his custom, a religions banner, and 

 succeeded in promoting peace. He made dur- 

 ing the past two years his last journey to H.'l- 

 gium, and was everywhere received with 

 marked attention. It was while returning 

 from this trip, which like several previous 

 ones ho had undertaken for charitable pur- 

 poses connected with his labors among the 

 Indians, that ho received injuries which un- 

 questionably hastened his death. 



SOtTM CAKOI.IVA. The most important 

 topic of public discussion in South Carolina, 

 luring the year, was the condition of the 

 finances of the State and its public credit. 

 The General Assembly, which adjourned in 

 the latter part of February, after a session 

 of three months, considered several measures 



looking to A solution of the financial difficul- 

 ties, but without accomplishing any sat 

 tory results. 



Quest i' in* atlVcting the finances were brought 

 before tlie courts in two important cases, 

 of these suits was instituted by curtain tax- 

 payers, to prevent the payment by the B 

 of what was known as certain "conversion 

 bonds," amounting to $7,191,700, which it was 

 alleged had been fraudulently issued, ami w, re 

 therefore void. It appears that in March, 

 1869, the General Assembly |i,i--. d " uu act 

 to provide for the conversion of State securi- 

 ties," by which the .State Treasurer was au- 

 thorized, on the application of any person hold- 

 ing stock of the State, to receive the same, and 

 issue in lieu thereof coupon bonds, sign- 

 the Governor and Treasurer, due in twenty 

 years, with six per cent, interest, payable semi- 

 annually; and also, in the same manner, to 

 issue stock of the State in exchange for coupon 

 bonds. The legality of this transaction, as 

 well as the validity of other State secur 

 having beeu subsequently questioned, the Lc- 

 gUlatiiro declared, by an act approved March, 

 13, 1872, that such obligations were valid and 

 binding upon the State. 



The plaintiffs in this action averred that, un- 

 der the constitution, the power of the Gen- 

 eral Assembly to construct public works is 

 limited to the purpose of defraying extraordi- 

 nary expenses; that such debts must be for 

 some single object, to bo distinctly specified ; 

 and that no such law shall take effect until it 

 shall have been passed by a two-thirds vote 

 of each branch of the Legislature, to be re- 

 corded by yeas and nays. It was further 

 claimed that neither of the laws above cited 

 had been passed in conformity with such con- 

 stitutional provisions. 



Under the authority.*/) given, securities to 

 lount of $7,191,700 had been issued. 



The plaintiffs further averred " that the 

 whole pretended issue of the said $7,191,700 

 of bonds was made without taking up, cancel- 

 lation, or extinguishment of other stock or 

 bonds previously issued in behalf of the State; 

 that such issue was fraudulently made, with 

 the intent to create a new debt of the State, 

 and was not issued in lieu of other stock or 

 bonds of the State previously issued; that all 

 the said bonds, amounting, as aforesaid, to 

 $7.191,700, are therefore Illegal, fraudulent, 

 and void, and have not created, and do not 

 now constitute, a valid obligation of the State 

 of South Carolina." Upon hearing the above 

 complaint, and upon motion, Judge Carpenter 

 issued a temporary injunction, restraining the 

 liscal officers of the State from levying or col- 

 lecting any tax for the payment of the interest 

 on any of the bonds referred to. The other 

 act i' MI was brought by Mortoii, Bliss &Co., who 

 applied for a mandamtu again*! t he ( 'ontroller, 

 requiring him to cause a tax levy to be made 

 in order to raise funds sufficient for the pay- 

 ment of the interest due, and to become due, 



