The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-03-13
From Columbia.

LETTES FROM HON. r. A. CON-
NER.
4. Plcthory Of Bils-A New Departure
in the LcSislature-Senslbie Views
on the Bond acknowledgements
Pledges - The Compromise - Ad-
.journment.
Editors Press and Bdnncr:
We have remained here 80 much longer
than I expected or desired, that l Will
trouble your readers with another letter.
The business before us during this seq
sion has been so complicated, and OF
such varied and important interests, that
it has necessarily been Il prolonged one.
We were so long waiting for the impor-
ta,t report Of the 'Bond Colnmission'
that the luli gave opportunity to mem
hcgS to introduce many u~ninipOrtant, ana
some absurd bills. Many members seem
to think that they
MUST INTRODUCE a BILL,
and the more the better, not that the pub
lie interest demands it, but to let their
constituents know they arc doing some
thing. This sort of thing costs the State
II great deal, and wins but Il poor rcputa-
ton to the members for the people ut
home often know more about what they
are doing than they know themselves.
Five hundred and ninety bills, joint and
concurrent resolutions have been intro
durcu this session, and not more than LOU
have been ratified. Then there seems to
be no understanding between. the two
Houses as to the course of business, and
consequently, bills in relation to pre-
ciSelv the same subject, are introduced in
both Houses, read three times and passed
and in several instances both bills have
been cngrosscd; Il sort of
DoUHLED-BARRELED LEGISLATION:
The trouble is how to get rid of one OF
them, and the suggestion is to allow both
to be ratified, and let the Governor veto
one. L suppose this must be 4 new de-
narturc in legislation. There is Il great
deal to be learned in this thing Of lcgis-
lating, and some of us are vet in the
Freshman class, and it Is questionable
whether we will ever graduate. / don't
know simple measure. that has passed
the House in the last ten days that would
interest your readers. 1t seems to me,
almost every church In the State is incor-
poratcd. ferries across all the rivers char
tered. and every schOolhouse haSan act OF
incorporation forbidding the sale OF Ii
uuor within three miles, or as the Senator
from Charleston calls them i%ncorpora-
lions to ~"encourage Professionalism" ~
most all of this sort of business should he
done bv the clerks Of County Courts.
The great bone of contention since last
Tuesday night week has been the
BONDED DERT QUESTION.
This has been discussed every day,
though the nights have been devoted tc
general and official orders. You have
had nv views upon this subject, though
not in full. / have all the time intended
when the vote was taken. to vote to TX.
cludc the Owens and other clipped cOu'
pons because the commission say ''theS
were not authorized to be funded under
the act;' but in reference to the Other
bonds they do not say this, but only tha
they were not valid claims. The fact j:
all the other bonds were principally au'
thOrizcd by the act to be consolidated
they were consolidated in strict conform
itv to the terms Of the act; they had TIT
signatures of the Governor, the Comp
trOller General, and the Secretary o
State, and according to humorous de
cisions of the Supreme Court of the Unit
ed States the purchasers or them, with.
out notice before maturity, are not re
uuircd to 90 behind that. l heard care
fully all the legal arguments, all the au
! thorities quoted on both sides and in my
humble judgment, the State will he re
CURED to fulfill its contract. l admit they
were fraudulent, but the fraud was know
1T the time of the passage of the act, TIT
act was voted for blythe Democratic mem
bcrs of both houses, and would not have
been carried but for their votes. l heart
the present Senator from Union, who wa:
senator at that time, and II of the pur
est men in South Carolina, say that
was the very best settlement that w
could get and ii he had ever been o
any service to the State during thQs'
clark days." it was when he east his vnt'
for the consolidation act. The Rcpuhil
can then III power, were holding hlSI
carnival over the property of the Stale
wasting the taxes of the people, and leaV
ing the debt ~ullprovidcd for, ana whcl
they proposed by that act-it matters no
what their motives wcre-to rcpudlat'
six millions Of their own debt, and scale
the balance to fifty cents on the dollar, |
was q godscnd to the taxpayers OF TN
State. The holders of the old bonds ac
copied the compromise because the.
thought it Il 1inali1y. l did not wish |
nut the State in the %unenviable position
Of attempting to cvadc this contract, ultl
matcly beingcompcllcd by the u to re
cognize it. Those are my
HONEST VIEWS,
and I do not fear to give u%tterance to IN.
convictions. 1 suppose my people sen
me here as an honest man, and an indie
pendent thinker to do what | though
was best for them. / claim to have don
it, and to have voted for one mcasur
against my own personal interest, be
cause 1 believed it for the public good.
do not represent Il people who expect m
to write home to them to ask them how {
vote on any public measure. l have
better opinion of their intelligence. l al
here to work tor them and think for then
and talk for them, rs l have better OPP
portunities of getting information ant
understanding the situation hero on tn
spot than they can have.
I do not propose to sit still, and indulg
i'm "eloquent bursts of silence" when
! question of vital importance ONE up
for fear of being on the unpopular 81 q
the question. :.
I am not in favor ~ "whOlesalc repudi
ation,'' ,nor even Of trying to repudiat'
] a. tpIllTtCl "llICll We dlillo Y 09ANS5 vi
to which, moreover, the
DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS PLEDGED
| by its Executive Committee, to whose &C
ton no objection was ever made before
the clcction,-by the resolutions passed
by ourselves in the Wallace House, anc
by the pledges of iii Governor. 1t was
authoritatively stated on the floor of the
House that he had declared himself i'll
favor Of standing by the Consolidation
Act, in an answer to Il letter from Senator
Robertson during the canvass, asking his
opinion on that subject. Gov. Hampton
was right, and l am glad to be on tho
right side with him. We could not afford
to antagonize him, for lie is worth to the
people of South Carolina in heapproach-
ing canvass all of the doubtful debt.
Some would-be statesmen havo endeav-
ored to show the Inconsistency of Gov.
Hampton in recommending in his
message last year, a Thorough scrutiny
Of the debt, and at the same time favor
ing the Consolidation Act as a finality.
His reason for it was known ut that time,
or o,,rI,t tn boyn bnnD and that reason