Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-06-07

by statute at $500, and the payifor, this session
was regulated by the Constitution to be at the
same rate per diem as the last regular session.
They could not reduce the pay Of the members
of the Gerlera Assem- bly, sfor these two. sessions,
judges. The law guaranteed them 81 200 and the
members had, as a fair compromise agreed 70
take $500 for both sessions. He would, he said,
vote for the $500, and would vote, under protest,
that the law should compel them to take that
Mr.. Witherspoon was unalterably opposed to
placing the amount at eight hundred dollars, and,
while he would not be: understood as lmpntlng
unworthy motives to any who differed with hun,
yet he felt that he would be doing an injustice TO
the people to ask any more than five hundred
dollars. 1t had been said that the laws and the
Constitution had fixed the amounts, &c. The
Constitution said that the members could not IN
crease their salaries; but he could find no pro-
vision which forbade them from reducing their
salaries, if they were so disposed. The approprl-
alton bill was the charter by which they received
their money, and, if they didn't appropriate
more than five hundred dollars, all the laws in
tie land could not compel them to take any more.
Every man was entitled to his own convictions.
however. He did not mean to impugn the mo-
tives of any one.
Mr.. Gary said that he heartily concurred with
the Senator from Greenville (Crittenden) in hold
ing that they were entitled, under the law, to
twelve hundred dollars. They proposed, howev-
er, to be moderate and cut down their pay thirty.
three per cent, and reduce their salaries one-haf
in all future Legislatures. They had reduced
their own salaries lower than all the other State
officers. If their constituents were not satisfied,
we'll let them be dissatisfied. He WAS thankful
that he did not represent any picayune constltu-
ency and he thought it came with poor grace
from those who sought to fasten upon the taxi pay
ers of South Carolina $270,000 tax to pay the
bloated bondholders Of Wall street. You who
want reform must not do 1t in such plcayune
style; we want reform that means reform, ana
not the mere sham of reduction for the purpose
of manufacturing little cheap notorlety. Inc
other side had talked, loudly of sustaining the
credit of the State and the stain OF Reputation,
&C., and then turned right round and asked their
own officers to repudiate half their salaries. he
was not to be scared by any newspaper talk. 1t
must be recollected that several Of the Senators
had received their $500, and had parted with their
certificates, and it was more than could be e%-
pected of poor frail human nature to give pack
what they had already got out of the treasury.
have he said always been willing to draw 81 200
and am willing to do so this morning. ana II
saw fit would give S4Oo of it to the executive
committee of my county to carry the next cleo.
ton with. Those who only wanted $500 could
accommodate themselves by only taking that
amount. ....-. ,....
Mr. Meetze, (Dem.) was in favor Of the $500,
and thought that it was not discretionary mat
ter with them. It was a matter of law, and they
had thought it best to compromise the matter and
evidence OF their desire to retrench and reform by
passing bill reducing their pay one half for the
next session. and he thought no more could be
expected. ','H. ~" .s
Green, (Rep.) and Nash, (Rep.) were of course
in favor Of all they could get, and so expressed
themselves. 49, B..
Mr.. Witherspoon in reply to the suggestion
from the other side that those who only wanted
$500 need not take any more. said that he dld not
intend to take any more. He had taken the po-
sition that the State was too poor to meet her
debts, and he was not going to be inconsistent
enough to vote for any more than he thought she
could afford. nj, #'
Mr.. Bowen, jDem.) concurred with the senator
from York, (Witherspoon) and took the ground
that the assertion that they were compelled by
law to take so much was ridiculous, and that 1t
was matter which remained solely with them.
A vote was then reached, the question being on
ton to place the pay for the two sessions at $780,
The vote stood II to 10 in favor of indefinite post
ponement; the seventeen immortal names being
Bird, (Rep.); Duncan (Rep); Gaillard, lRep.l ;;
Green, (Rep.) Johnson, (Rep.) MEErzE, penn !;
Swails, (Rep.); Marley, (Rep.); Carter, (Rep.) ;
CRITTENDEN, (Dem.); EVANS, [Dem:l; GARY.
(Dem.); LIVINGSTON, (Dem.); H. j. Maxwell,
(Rep.); Nash, (Rep.); Taft, (Rep.); Williams
(Rep.)
salary S4OO for last session and $500 for this ses-
sion, which was voted down by the same vote as
the above.
Mr.. Gary then said that if the other side were
so anxious to be economical, he would go as 1ar
as any of them, and moved to strike out the sec
ton entirely and have no pay at all for either ses-
sion. The vote was taken on this extreme reform
movement, which was lost by vote of Is to L.
Those voting for no pay were: MeSsrs. Bowen,
(Dem.) Crittenden, (Dem.) Jeter, Dem Living
ston, (Dem.) Meetze, CDem.l Nash, (Rep.) Taft,
(Rep.) Todd, (Dem.) and Witherspoon, (Dem.)
The vote was then taken on the adoption OF the
$500, which was agreed to by a vote OF II 70 ~
Those voting for the $500 were; Senators Bird,
CRIrTENDEN, (Dem) Duncan, EVANS (Dem.)
Green, L1vISGsToN (Dem.) Johnson, II. ]. Max
well, MEErzE, (Oem.) Nash, Swails, TAFT, War
lev, Williams and Carter. The appropriation was
then raised from $4,000 To S94 800 to meet the in
crease of pay just adopted, and the bill was then
passed to a third reading.
The following Senate bills have been ap-
proved by the Governor: To provide for fill
ing vacancies in county Offices, &C.; to regn-
late the appointment of county officers; to
reduce the pay of county commissioners. &c. !;
to render officers of corporations responsible
to require school claims, &C., to be sworn to ;
to carry into effect Section IA, Article " of
the Constitution relative to the judiciary.
At the evening session, the supply bill was
taken up Cochran moved to amend Section
| by reducing the tax from u to 81 mills.
Taft thought this too little; but Cochran's
amendment was adopted by vote of l6 to
II.
In section 2, which provides for county
taxes, the tax was left at three mills, there
being special taxes added in the counties OF
Union, Greenville, Charleston, Marion, Will
liamsburg and Clarendon, Of one mill each,
and in Orangeburg of half a mill, devoted to
past Indebtedness.
In section 4, which makes it penal offence
to levy any other tax than is prescribed in
the bill, an attempt was made by Taft to
strike out the penalty, but it was lost. The
section, as it stands, prohibits the levying OF
a tax for the Bonanza claims.
Cochran moved to amend Section 6 so as
to make members certificates for 1876 re-
ceivable for taxes. Adopted.
In Section 7, Bowen moved to amend by
changing the time at which the first install
ment is to be paid (from the 1st Of June to
the 1st of July) to the 10Th of June to the
18th of July. Adopted.
In the same section Gary moved to amend
the interest to be charged on non.payment OF
first instalment from per cent. month to
per cent. per annum. Adopted.
The bill then passed its second reading,
without further amendment.
In THE HOUSE, the appropriation bill was
received from the Senate with sundry amend
ments, one or two of which we're read The
House refused to concur in any one, and ap'
pointed as committee of conference Messrs.
J. J. Hemphill, Blue and Simpson.
A message was read from the Governor
announcing that he had approved the follow
ing acts: To empower the Governor to ap.
pointa trial justice for Blackstocks to amend