SOUTH CAROLINA. 



799 



Joubert near Kroonstad, having an immense train 

 of wagons to protect, with which they made 

 their way round by the Basutoland border and 

 the Drakensberg before the arrival of Gen. 

 French's cavalry, which sought to intercept them. 

 Commandant Olivier 's force from Colesberg joined 

 the commands of Botha and De Wet in the at- 

 tempt to re-enforce Cronje. After Cronje's sur- 

 render and the occupation of Bloemfontein Presi- 

 dent Kruger, after a conference with President 

 Steyn, in a circular note to the United States and 

 of the European powers, asked their mediation to 

 secure peace on the basis of the preservation of 

 the independence of the republics. The United 

 States Government, which had undertaken at the 

 beginning of the war to care for the interests of 

 British subjects in the Transvaal through its con- 

 sul in Pretoria, was the only one that addressed 

 a communication to the British Government on 

 the subject. Lord Salisbury replied that no pro- 

 posals of mediation by a foreign power would be 

 considered. 



SOUTH CAROLINA, a Southern State, one 

 of the original thirteen, ratified the Constitution 

 May 23, 1788; area, 3,750 square miles. The 

 population, according to each decennial census, 

 was 249,073 in 1790; 345,591 in 1800; 415,115 in 

 1810; 502,741 in 1820; 581,185 in 1830; 594,398 in 

 1840; 668,507 in 1850; 703,708 in 1860; 705,606 in 

 1870; 995,577 in 1880; and 1,151,149 in 1890. 

 Capital, Columbia. 



Government. The Governor, William H. El- 

 lerbe, died June 2. The Lieutenant Governor, 

 Miles B. McSweeney, succeeded, and the President 

 pro tern, of the Senate, R. B. Scarborough, became 

 Lieutenant Governor. The other State officers in 

 1899 were the following: Secretary of State, 

 Marion R. Cooper; Treasurer, W. H. Ti in merman ; 

 Comptroller, John P. Derham; Attorney-General, 

 G. D. Bellinger; Superintendent of Education, 

 John J. McMahan; Adjutant General, J. W. 

 Floyd; Railroad Commissioners, Messrs. Evans, 

 Wilborn, and Garris; Phosphate Inspector, S. W. 

 Vance; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 

 Henry Mclver; Associate Justices, Eugene B. 

 Gary, Ira B. Jones, and Y. J. Pope; Clerk, U. R. 

 Brooks all Democrats. 



Finances. The receipts for 1899 were $3,253,- 

 020.79; this included the cash balance of $450,- 

 077.06 left from 1898. The general taxes of 1898 

 (paid this year) amounted to $586,982.57, and 

 those of 1899 (paid) to $243,213.85. The privilege 

 fertilizer tax brought $62,123.88, and the phos- 

 phate royalty $39,279.28. The disbursements were 

 $2,744,145.14, leaving a balance of $508,875.65. 

 The larger items of expense were: Salaries, 

 $145,082.56; legislative expenses, $43.589.94; edu- 

 cational, charitable, and penal institutions, $227,- 

 359; pensions, $101,145.55. The treasury received 

 from dispensary sales $1,593,240, paid on the 

 account proper of the dispensary $1,428,098.79, 

 and transferred to the school fund from dispen- 

 sary $75,000. 



The State entered a claim against the Govern- 

 ment for reimbursement of expenses incurred in 

 organizing and equipping troops for the war with 

 Spain; and the treasurer was notified that the 

 Government holds bonds of the State amounting 

 with interest to $248,750. On the other hand, 

 again, the State has Revolutionary War claims 

 amounting to about $550,000; and of this about 

 $350,000 is said to be principal and interest of a 

 debt acknowledged by the Government in 1831, 

 as proved by official documents. 



The taxable property as assessed for 1899 was 

 $176,422,288, an increase of $3,185,183 over the 

 amount in 1898. 



M. B. MCSWEENEY, 

 GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA. 



The income tax law is not enforced. More 

 than 20 counties made no returns, and less than 

 $10,000 was collected in 1898. 



Education. The total enrollment in the pub- 

 lic schools is more than 270,000. The majority 

 of pupils are colored. 



The Winthrop Normal and Industrial School 

 for Girls, at Rock 

 Hill, has 348 stu- w . 

 dents in the college | 

 classes. The Legis- 

 lature this year in- 

 creased the num- 

 ber of scholarships 

 to 124. 



The Citadel Mili- 

 tary Academy, at 

 Orangeburg, gradu- 

 ated only 9 this 

 year a small 

 class, owing to the 

 expulsion of 64 ca- 

 dets last year. 



Clemson College 

 graduated 16 and 

 had 325 students. 

 Newberry College 

 gave diplomas to 

 15, and Wofford 

 College to 10. 



The summer school for teachers at Rock Hill 

 was the largest gathering of educators ever held 

 in the State, about 300 having been present. 



The Southern Chautauqua was chartered in 

 May, with a capital of $25,000, in 5,000 shares. 

 The Isle of Palms, Charleston, is chosen for the 

 location of the institution. Its objects as given 

 are " to establish and maintain schools and lec- 

 ture halls and to forward in every way literary, 

 scientific, moral, and aesthetic culture." 



There were 607 students at the State college for 

 colored students, including those in the model 

 school and the preparatory department; in the 

 college classes, 69. 



Charities and Corrections. There was an 

 average this year of 996 inmates at the State 

 Hospital for the Insane; 1,399 were under treat- 

 ment at some time during the year. The number 

 of recoveries was 102, or about 25 per cent, of 

 the admissions. The cost of maintenance was 

 $102,342.43. 



The Institution for the Deaf and the Blind en- 

 rolled 186 pupils, who were taken care of at an 

 average cost of $132. 



There were 801 convicts remaining in the Peni- 

 tentiary Dec. 31. The receipts, including a bal- 

 ance of $4,804.44, were $68,322.67, and the dis- 

 bursements $58,436. 



The Legislature ordered an investigation of 

 charges against the management of the Peniten- 

 tiary, and a committee was appointed. The re- 

 tiring superintendent, W. A. Neal, was alleged 

 to be short in his accounts; this was found to be 

 true, and careless and dishonest management was 

 also proved. The State property had been given 

 away, and convicts had been employed to work 

 for the superintendent's friends. Several men in 

 public life were involved in this scandal. The 

 convicts were found to have been treated well, 

 and the State farms were well managed. The 

 receipts of the institution were $11,104.41 short, 

 but the bondsmen could be held for only $2,812.41, 

 which they promptly paid. Three indictments 

 were found against Col. Neal one for failing to 

 turn over moneys to his successor and two for 

 breach of trust" with fraudulent intent, upon 

 which he is to be tried in 1900. 



