Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1878-01-24

law which would operate equally. Mr.. Dlb-
BILE replied that We must be guided by the
light of experience that the law had been
introduced in Virginia and had worked ben
e6cialy to the State !; that in Richmond more
than $4,000 was collected last month by
means of the Moffett punch; that the best
way to raise taxes was to tax luxuries; that
if we should introduce this system of liquor
tax in our State, the other taxes would de-
crease and the law would work benehclally
for our people. Mr. Callison called the pre-,
vious question to strike out the enactlng
clause. Lost. After further discussion, Mr..
Ferriter moved to postpone further consider.
alton of the bill until Friday, 6rst day OF
February, which was agreed to by vote OF
55 to 40.
SATURDAY, January 19, 1878.
In THE SENATE, there was sent to the
House, a bill to extend the provisions OF an
act entitled Gan Act to authorize the county
commissioners to submit to the qualified elec-
tors of their counties proposition to alter
the fence laws" and to provide for e6ectua.
ting the same, to the plantations of certain
persons named therein.
A message from the Governor, transmitting,
q petition of the graduates and ex.cadets of
the South Carolina Military Academy, pray
ing the General Assembly to memoriallze
Congress for the restitution of the aca DENY
and for the payment for its use by the Unlted
States army, was received as information and
ordered for consideration on Monday.
The report (favorable) of committee on ed
ucaton on report of the special commission
'composed of the Board of Trustees of the
South Carolina University and the chairmen
of the Committees on Education of the SEN
ate and House, who were instructed by the
Joint resolution of the General Assembly to
inquire into and devise plans for the organl-
cation and maintenance of one university or
college for the white, and one for the colored
Youths of the State" accompanied by bill to
provide for the organization Of the State
University, was made the special order tor
Thursday at l P. NJ, and ordered to be
printed.
In THE House, Mr.. Shand introduced
bill to amend an act to incorporate the Ches-
ter and Union Railroad Company.
The judiciary committee reported unfavor-
ably on bill to disfranchise persons convict
ed of arson, murder and robbery, and the
bill was rejected.
The Joint committee, appointed at the last
session of the General Assembly, to inquire
and report upon the condition of the penal
aud charitable institutions of he State, made
a report, accompanied with volume OF evl.
dence. The report is a repetition of the old,
old story IF the corrupt Republican admins
tration in South Carolina, with all the details
of the special populations of Dennis, Stol-
brand, Neagle, Nash and others, who at one
time or another were associated with the Pc
nal and charitable institutions of the State.
After some little discussion, the report was
ordered to be printed, and the testimony was
referred to the attorney. general for action.
A Joint resolution to amend the constitu.
ton so as to provide for a biennial session of
the General Assembly, was killed after some
little debate.
A bill to change the names of Benjamin
F. and Lula Massey, and to make them the
legal heirs of BENJAMIN F. Briggs was read
second time and ordered for third reading.
The first special order for the day being
the bill to amend the Criminal law, was next
taken up, and its consideration occupied the
House until adjournment. This bill, it will be
remembered, was introduced by Mr. Aldrich
at the last session of the Legislature, and
provides for capital punishment for the crimes
of arson, burglary and rape. The colored
element in the House we're opposed to the
bill to man, and many speeches were made
against it, the most notable of which were
Wells, Humbert of Darlington, Echard and
Reed.
The Democrats we're divided in their view
of the bill. Mr. Samuel Dibble was in favor
of amending the bill so as to make capital
punishment take effect only after the second
conviction. Mr. Aldrich favored an amend-
ment reducing the punishment from death to
Imprisonment for life. Mr.. Bradley was
straight out in his ideas and urged the hang
ing of every man who was convicted of either
of the crimes above mentioned. Mr.. Henry
Gaillard made a very fine speech, in which
he opposed the bill as being too extreme
measure, holding that in cases of rape the
proper mode was lynching without resort to
the courts at all. Pending the discussion of
this life and death matter, the House ad-
journed.