legislators—the laws relative to finance, the
building of penal and charitable institutions and,
greatest of all, the establishment of the public
school system. Starting as infants in legislation
in 1869, many wise measures were not thought
of, many injudicious acts were passed. But in the
administration of affairs for the next four years,
having learned by experience the result of bad
acts, we immediately passed reformatory laws
touching every department of state, county, municipal and town governments. These enactments
are today upon the statute books of South Carolina.
They stand as living witnesses of the Negro’s fitness to vote and legislate upon the rights of mankind.
“When we came into power, town governments could lend the credit of their respective towns to secure funds at any rate of interest that the council saw fit to pay. Some of the towns paid as high as twenty percent. We passed an act prohibiting town governments from pledging the credit of their hamlets for money bearing a greater rate of interest than five percent.
“Up to 1874, inclusive, the State Treasurer had the power to pay out State funds as he pleased. He could elect whether he would pay out the funds on appropriations that would place the money in the hands of the speculators, or
