The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-12-11
4 DULL DAY IN TIE ASSEMBLY:

A DULL DAY IN THE ASSEMBLY.
Legislative Lull before the Senate
rial storm-The Doings OF the General
Assembly Last Monday.
(rRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE
COLUMBIA, 8. G., December 9.
The proceedings in the General Assembly
to-day have been exceedingly 'stale, fiat and
Improbable" and even the debate which
was expected In the House upon the proposed
tax levy was postponed until Wednesday.
In the Senate this morning the following
business was transacted;
Senator Gaillard, colored, of Charleston,
gave notice OF a bill to incorporate the Dray-
/ mems Benevolent Association OF Charleston.
Senator DlxoD, of Clarendon, gave notice Of
| a bill to amend the act to provide for the as
| sessment and taxation of real estate.
Senator Keith, Conservative, gave notice
! OF a bill to regulate the pay of county trea-
surers.
Senator Jeter. Conservative, Of Union, gave
notice of a bill to charter the Spartanburg and
Asheville Railroad Company.
Senator Smalls, colored, Of Beaufort, into
duccd a concurrent resolution that q commit
tee Of two on the part of the Senate, and -
on the part OF the House Of Representatives,
be appointed to make a complete examination
into all outstanding pay certificates, and re-
port the amounts OF the same to the Senate,
to examine as to what portion are fraudulent,
and what portion good, and with power to
send for persons and papers, and to employ
an expert. This resolution was laid over for
consideration "to-morrow."
A resolution was adopted authorizing the
encouragement to employ TWO solicitors, two
attorneys n two clerks during the session
of the Legislature, at a salary of six dollars
per diem each, to draft bllls for the General
Assembly.
The following bill by Senator Whittemore.
of Darlugton, entitled "a bill to authorize
the Supreme Court TO frame issues for trial
In the Circuit Courts" was introduced:
SECTION l. Be Il enacted, &C., That, when.
ever In the clnse OF any suit, action or pro-
ceeding In the Supreme Court, arising 10 the
exercise of the original Jurisdiction conferred
uDUHg l0 COukG UJ II ~e~ WV
of the State, an lssne of fact shall arise upon
the pleadinge, or whenever an Issue of TACT
shall srise upon q traverse to q return 10 man.
damus, prohibition or certiorarl, or whenever
the determination Of any gu" stlon OF fact
shall be necessary 10 the full exercise OF the
Jurisdiction conferred upon the Supreme
Court, the said court shall have power 10
frame an iesue thereon, aud certify the same
to the Circuit Court for the county wherein
the cause shall have originated. or In case oil
original Jurisdiction, ID The Circuit Court Of
the county In which the cause OF action shall
have arisen.
SEC. 2. That upon receiving the certificate
of such Issue framed from the Supreme Court,
the said Circuit Court shall forthwith cause
the same to be placed ct the head OF inc ap,
proprlate calendar or docket of said court, and
proceed to try and determine the said Issue In
its due order, and shall certify the determine
ton thereof to the Supreme Court Immediate.
ly after the trial thereof, and when required
shall settle aud sign a case containing excap-
lions according TO the practice In other causes
tried In the Circuit Court.
SEC. 3. That the Supreme Court shall also
have the same powers for the appointment of
referees to take testimony and report thereon
under such instructions as may be prescribed
by the said court In any causes arising In the
Supreme Court, wherein Issues of TACT shall
arise, as are now possessed by the Circuit
Court Of the State.
In the House OF Representatives, this morn
ing, Representative Cain, colored, Aboeville,
Introduced a Joint resolution, authorizing the
county commissioners OF Abbeville County to
levy and collect q special tax OF TWO mills
on the dollar.
Representative Wilson, Conservative, An
derson, introduced a bill to regulate the pay
of county treasurers, which provides that
those officers shall receive, as their compensa.
ton, q commission OF four per cent. on the
gross amount of taxes collected; provided, that
counties shall exceed twenty thousand dollars,
they shall be allowed only one per cent. on
such increase.
Representative Reid, cclored, gave
notice of q bill to charter the Airline Kali
road from Charleston, 8. O., to Savannah,
Georgia.
of q bill to incorporate the Bowen Rlfsmen,
OF Charleston.
Representative Jones introduced q bill to
give the offices OF county treasurer and county
auditor to the lowest bidder, who will give the
required bond.
The remainder OF the proceedings of the
House have been fully reported by telegraph,
with the exception of the following state.
ment by the clerks Of the W houses In re-
ply to q resolution Of Inquiry as to the pub.
iication of the acts of the General Assembly In
the newspapers of the State:
TO the Honorable the Senate and House OF
Representatives:
GENTLEMEN-In reply to the resolution of
YOUR honorable bodies calling Tor Information
relative to all contracts existing between the
clerks and the different newspapers Of the
! state, we beg leave to submit the following:
Hrst. That the number of newspapers with
which contracts for the publication of the
| laws were made, is thlrty-nlne.
Second. The average price agreed to De
| paid Is ten cents per line.
Third, The clerks did not require q state
|! ment of the circulation of each newspaper, as
such Information was considered BY the pro
prletors of the newspapers to be strictly
| private and confidential, and only made knoWn
by its voluntary publication.
Fourth. The entire cost for the publication
of the laws of each session has been aoou'
100000.
In addition we beg leave to state that IL
making the contracts the clerks have beer
governed by the expressed wishes and judg
ment of the Senators and Representatives o
the county.in which such papers were pub
llshed. Many Of the papers have not beer
paid since the passage OF the act, and tht
outstanding claims for this service performed
1t ls estimated, amounts to about $751; 00.