Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-05-17
THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE.

Oel0G $Z,UUU; CLERK OF Lne CnarIesLou LTeds-
urer, salary $500. Fees and costs for making
distress and sale of real or personal property
are still allowed. Salaries are allowed coun-
ty auditors as follows: $4,000 in Charleston,
500 in Richland, and all others proportion
ed to the taxable value of the property in
each county, as, for instance, Williams burg
$780, In addition to salaries, the auditors are
allowed certain fixed sums, likewise proper.
toned, to defray the expenses Of the assess:
ment Of property. County commissioners shall
not act as assistant assessors. County school
commissioners receive salaries: Charleston
81 900, Ricbland and others, $500, Williams
burg and others $400. ......... .....,
In THE HOUSE, resolution to meet at II
o'clock and adjourn at o'clock, was agreed
to. .7..... .'... .,' ..-. ''.'.@.i' ''''t
The committee on the judiciary, to whom
was referred resolution concerning the con-
of the election of circuit judges,
the adoption of the following !:
Resolved, by the House Of Representatives, the
Senate concurriug, That it be referred to the ju-
dietary committees of the two houses Of the
the constitutionality of the election by the Cen
eral Assembly for circuit judges, held on the
10Th December, A. D., 1875, and to report to the
respective houses by resolution or otherwise.
The committee on education reported fa-
vorably on the bill to prohibit persons from
holding the Office of trustee and teacher of
the public schools at the same time; also on
a bill to repeal the act to establish certain
State scholarships in the University of South
Carolina also on Senate bill requiring all
school claims to be sworn to.
The bill to amend the criminal law was
taken up, and heated debate followed, par
in by Messrs. Orr, j. j. Hemphill,
Wells, Youmans, Humbert, Simpson, Miller,
Palmer, Keith and Reed. The bill, as pre-
sented was not favored by either Democrats
or Republicans, and was pronounced, in its
present shape, q monstrous measure. The
bill provides capital punishment for burglary,
arson and rape, and embraces under the head
of arson, any gin house or stable, and any
storehouse or workshop in which trade is car.
ried on. For the theft of live stock, the bill
provides imprisonment in the penitentiary
from one to FIVE years, and allows the owner
or guardian of the property to shoot down
the thief with impunity; also provides that
killing for adultery and seduction shall be
deemed excusabIe homicide, and for obtain.
ing money under false pretences, provides as
punishment fine of double the amount so
obtained, and imprisonment for as many days
as there are dollars in the fine and costs, until
paid. The DgmUUrars r00K the ground thut
rape should be punishable with death, but
held that burglary and arson should be peni'
tentiary offences. The Republicans, with the
exception of Keith, opposed the whole meas.
ure. Keith espoused the whole measure, with
the exception of hanging for rape. Pending
the discussion the House adjourned.
WEDNESDAY, May 9.
In THE SENATE, bill to reduce the pay
of jurors was rejected. -
The joint resolution relative to officers, &C.,
of the General Assembly, and to ratify the
school tax constitutional amendment, and the
bills to amend the charter of Yorkville, and
provide for filling vacant county Offices,
passed their third reading.
The consideration of all the above matters
occupied very little time, except ip the case
of the joint resolution. to ratify the school tax
amendment. The discussion on this lasted
for over an hour, and was quite animated at
times The fight was opened by Gen. Gary,
who moved to strike out the resolving clause.
He supported his motion in speech of some
length, and made the point that the Demo
crats of the State had not, as a general rule,
voted intelligently on the amendment when it
was submitted to them. In Edge6eld county
alone was its character fully appreciated, and
that county went almost solidly against it,
polling 1000 of the entire 5000 adverse vote
cast in the State. Maxwell, of Marlboro,
followed in reply. He accused the Democrats
of acting in bad faith. They had promised
during the campaign to support this measure,
and, having secured a large negro vote by
their promises, now proposed to break with
them. He thinks this State should be like
Massachusetts,, where intelligence goes right
along. His speech was too characteristic to
warrant reporting, and was nulliied by the
assurance of the Senator from Clarendon that
he was fighting the air, as the Democrats pro,
posed to support the measure. Nash followed
and advocated public.school education on gen.
eral and familiar principles. Mr.. Gary re-
piled that those who had undertaken to an
swer him, had missed the question" Itis not
whether Democrats will support colored
schools, but whether this amendment shall be
incorporated in the organic law Of the State.
1t is not in the platform of the Democratic
party. If any Democrat promised the party
to support the measure during the campaign,
he did it on his own responsibility. The cry
of the Democratic party is reform. By cut
ting down the salary of every officer in the
State, they have saved 100000. This amend
ment proposes to increase expenses over $780,
900, and make it part of the constitutional
law of the State. '.. '1.'. ' ,r ,
A vote was now taken on the motion to
strike out the resolving clause of the resolu-
ton, and was lost-yeas 4, nays "a, The vote
upon the passage of the resolution followed
resultin. in its adoPtion-yeas
"a, nays 4. ...... i.....5 10 49, L.. .gr ....
The concurrent resolution invoking Execu-
tive clemency for certain prisoners in the
United States Courts was taken up just pre-
vious to adjournment, Swails being in the
chair. On the question of agreeing to the
resolution, Whittemore called for the yeas and
nays. When Cochran's name was called he
declined to vote, and when the roll was COM
pleted, he said he would vote in the a6irma-
tive if Senators Butler, Gary and Counts,
would give an assurance that in case the reso-
luton was agreed to, the fifty or sixty negroes
who we're engaged in the Ellenton Swamp
affair should not be prosecuted. The assu'
rance was publicly given by these gentlemen,
and Cochran voted aye. Senator Living.
stone came in just before Cochran voted, and
requested that his vote be recorded. White!
more and Taft made simultaneous and loud
protest against his being permitted to do so,
on the ground that he was absent when the
roll was completed. Mr.. Swails, decided that
he had q right to vote, and he voted aye. The