The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-06-15
Some o. the Work o, the legislature.

portance accomplished Dy the Legislature, We
think it due to the members Of ,:hat body first
to state, Us we have before stated, that in con.
sequence of the extreme character Of the Radi-
cal majority in the Senate, who did all in their
power to delay the work and prevent the ac-
complishment of any reforms in the administra-
ton of the State affairs which would either dis
close the corruption of the past government or
interfere with the present interests Of their par
ty, the democratic majority in the House had to
move cautiously and slowly in their determine
tion to fulfil every pledge made to tho people
during the campaign. With oil the badgering,
delays and tactics Of the radical opposition, tine
Legislature has done on extraordinary amount
of good wholesome work for retrenchment and
reform, as the passage Of the following acts wifi
prove:
An act to repeal an act to protect the inter
est of the State, whereon payment OF interest
now due remains unpaid on bonds issued by
any Railroad Company, and whereon the guar.
anty of the State is endorsed.
An act to repeal an act, entitled an act, for
the relief of the widows and orphans OF persons
killed because Of their political opinions.
An act to abolish the pay Of Commissioners
and Managers Of elections and of their clerks.
The repeal of the provisions Of the two last acts
alone saves to the people Of this County S2,6OO.
An act to reduce the pay of County Commits
sioners and their clerks.
Here again is another save to the people.
An act to require all school claims and claims
of teachers to be sworn to.
No more fraudulent School claims to be al
lowed.
An act to abolish the office of official steno.
grapher.
Here's another save to the people, and q use
less Office abolished.
An act to provide stationery and fuel for the
| General Assembly. 4"
This act allows So to each member for sta
tonery, instead of Jumping bill, by which Mem
! bers took home $40 worth after q six months
session, and the clerks Of tho two houses made
| pile of money out Of tho contract.
An act to repeal an act to establish certain
| State scholarships in the South Carolina Univer-
| sity and State Normal School.
An act authorizing the appointment of the
regents of the Lunatic Asylum from Richland.
| The first Of these acts does away with the
radical electioneering scheme of providing tut
tion and $500 in cash for a number Of colored
students to the University, and Normal School
big save out of the State Treasury.
The second saves the State large amount of
money, which was paid to regents living in all
parts of the State, for per diem and mileage.
An act to regulate the Public Printing.
| This act reduces the annual expenses for
printing from $4,000 to about $4,000 or $l2,
900.
An act to utilize convict labor in the State.
Properly managed this act will make the Peni
tentiary self-sustaining and not quite SO desirable
place for the resort of lazy thieves and house
- burners. suoi,.caaara.t-rs dou't like 10 work.
A save Of $50, 900.
An act to amend section Is, chapter 80, of
the General Statutes in reference to the leyying
of taxes i'll school districts.
This act does away with the tax in school dis
tricts, making it u necessity before any of the
school fund can be received. Another save.
An act to prohibit the unauthorized digging of
phosphates.
This act will give the State many thousand dol
lars, in royalty, which has heretofore never been
paid or was stolen by the officials.
An act TO repeal the charter of the town Of
Hamburg.
This will break up one Of the foulcst nests Of
scoundrels that ever disgraced civilization, and
prevent any recurrence of the Hamburg Riot.
An act to prohibit the sale of seed cotton be-
| tween the hours Of sunset and sunrise
An Act repeating the Lien law an Act to re-
duce the pay for dieting prisoners an Act to
reduce the pay Of Jurors and witnesses sssalso
| to educe the pay OF members Of tho Legislature
to So day.
All of these acts are beneficial and tend to
greatly reduce tho taxes.
We dol BIT much if the same amount of good
work has ever been accomplished by any lsgis-
lature in the country, at one session. We have
no data upon which to base estimate of the
amount saved annually to the people, by the
above acts +; but An evidence that we ore at
once TO reap the benefits from them, it will be
seen that the tax for County purposes in Union
is reduced to two mills, which, it is supposed,
will bc sufficient to defray all expenses and per-
haps, leave balance in the treasury at the end
of the year. 1t is also hoped that further re-
duction next year. for State and County purposes,
will yield sufficient revenue to all de-
mands. The reforms already adopted are tan
giblc and sound assurances that economy and
honesty are the watchwords of our officials.
0SS" young colored man was brought to
this place last Saturday, supposed to be the man
who murdered white man, named johnson,
on the Airline Railroad, last April. We pub
lishcd description of the murderer the week
after the crime was committed, and in every