Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-06-28
], ,C,,rd.frons Coz. fsivIi.ksto,1.

my card to disouss the question what would
have been fair and reasonable compensation
|.to, the mombers Of tho Gonefal Assembly,
during the regular session Of .'dark Deoeni :
ber." or the special session which hGs Just
closed, but simply to show that If tho action
of tho House wns, rs somo Of tho newspapers
had said (und would not be understood MS
,denying) honorable to that BODY" then tho
action of tho Senate had been too harshly
criticised and unfairly condemned. The iron
grip Of poverty is close around tho throats Of
our tax ridden people, and Il would be difficult
to prove to thcn that either body by its action
in the matter had tempered .'the wind to the
shorn lamb" If law, vestod rights and com
promise are to be Ignored, If the peculiar
circumstances by which we found ourselves
as new administration going into power
surrounded, nre not to be considered, then
indeed must not only ono but both branches of
the General Assembly fall together. If the
rule OF action which governed in this matter
is wrong, then will much Of the legislation
upon our financial matters be condemned.
MY statement was this, that tho law rs wo
found 1t gave to the mombers on unreasonable
compensation. and in order to avoid es-post
.facto legislation or small repudiation. the plan
OF ofcompromiso was adopted; thnt The cornpro-
mise agrce'l npon in tho Senate wns by our
construction bettor than TINT which came
from the lI'nae-if not bottor by no con-
struotion could tho difference have been 80
large rs tho amount expended in the prolonged
discussion Of the matter. or 80 largo rs to
warrant tho lnudihg Of ono body and con-
denning the other. The House bill. rs hayo
already stated. provided for two mileagcs n,
~ cents per milo. and tho amendment of the
Senate only one mileage ut 10 conts per milo.
Now, in order that your readers may SEQ
clearly tho difference, I will ad that the
milense Of member from Walhalla to CO.
lumbia would have been St2S by the House
bill, md only $50 by tho Senate amend.
ment. For the prolonged discussion which
ensucd up,n Disagreement between tho two
bodies the Senate ought not to bo held alone
responsible.
1t Is true, as you have stated, that wo had
finally Democratic majority in tho Senate
and wo could have carried any proposition, but
having made tho bost and as wc supposed nm
advantageous agreement, whilo wo were in
minority, in that body, were wo not right in
standing by itattor we had obtained n majority?
Ii 1t had been made to appear beyond doubt
that our amendment was taking little more
from the treasury of the State than tho House
bill, l still maintain that we wero RIGHT in
standing by our coApromiso. because in so
doing we were Fulfilling our promises and our
action IN tho premises was mt 6i,.lin2 upon
the Ilousc. md therefore not ,fnai. We know
thas 1t .onld shy to US, rs it afterwards did,
we rGfuso to concur, and then IN ,ther and
better compromise could DO made. which was
done and without violence to law or vested
rights, because it was ns compromise. The
matter was finally arranged, not by tho Senate
yielding to tho firm demands of tho House,
but by both bodies agreeing to tho report of
conference committee. which struck out one
of the m!oagcs proposed by tho House and
tho 500 asked for by tho Senate, which
reduced tho pay below the original propositions
of either body. j. w. LIVINGSTON.