The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-12-20
Editorial Correspondence.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Dec. IS, 1877


Dear Sentinel: Tho usury bill, after
scvon successive days of debate,
passd on Tuesday last by an over>
whelming majority, tho vote stand
ing, for tho bill, 73, against tho bill,
16. The majority for the bill is much |
larger than its most sanguine friends
expected. To day it camo up for the
third reading, and upon it's final pas
sage, tho vote stood, "a for, to 30
against it. 1t now only wants the
signature of tho Governor to become
q law, and I think there is no doubt
but what he will sign it. With tho
repeal Of the lien law, tho rc-enact-
ment of tho old usury law, and De-
mocratic administration Of tho State
Government, South Carolina will be-
gin to rise once moro from her pros
tration, clothed in tho habilimcnts of
peace and prosperity.
Several bills Of somo Importance
have passed q second reading in the
House, among them bill to provide
for the hiring out Of able bodied male
prisoners confined in the County jails,
to work on the streets of incorpora>
ted towns and cities and on tho pub~
lie highways in the State; bill, TO
allow the Greenwood and Augusta
Railroad Company TO pay the State in
stock of the Company for hire of the
convict labor; q bill, to establish the
new County of Palmetto, by dividing
tho County Of Beaufort, and bill to
establish a department of Agriculture
in this State I presume all these bills
will pass the Legislature without
much alterations or modification.
Tho most important bill yet intro
duced, is what is known rs the "Maf-
tct Register Law" Of Virginia, and
from conversation with mombers of
both Houses, upon tho subject, I an
quite convinced that it will pass
without much opposition. If this bill
becomes law, every man who inn
bibcs the ardent, will be required to
pay for every drink of wine, ardent
spirits and mixtures thoreof, tho sum
of23 cents; for every drink cf malt
liquors and mixture thereof, ] cont,
and SO on, ranging up TO 40 cents on
the gallon Of wines, &C., and to 80
cents on tho gallon of malt liquors,
&c. Tho bill is very lengthy, and
goes into minute details Of tho work
ings of the machine, which would re-
quiro too much space to describe in n
letter. If the bill should pass, will
send you q copy, so that you may
publish it for tho information of our
readers.
Pickens has been very we'll repre-
sented in Columbia this week. Capts.
Berry and Hollingsworth have been
down, in attendance on the United
States Court. Messrs. w. IT. McFall,
T. J. Bowen and L. M. Berry went
down to Charleston, to the meeting of
the Grand Lodge, and gave us the
benefit Of their genial countcnances on
:hoir way homo.
Both houses have agreed to take
recess from the Goth instant to the
10th ct January. This. is made nos
cessary from the fact that the public
printer will not bo able to get tho re-
ports of tho investigating and bond
committees printed before that time,
and tho Legislature cannot do much
until these reports are in, and, as
mombers do not draw any pay during
tho recess, it will not cost the State
any moro, for we havo so much work
necessary to be dono, and we can finish
it up when we return.
... 10 D. F. b.