The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-12-16
from ten to thirty days in

jail.
The measures providing for commits
sion to examine the proposed amend
ments to the Constitution, and report to
the General Assembly at it's nextsession,
all came up together as special orders.
These matters, including concurrent
resolution from the Senate, were all
tabled in order that "bill to provide for
the appointment of commission to con-
slider and suggest amendments to the
Constitution OF the State" might be taken
up. The bill passed its second reading
without debate. AS the matter is of
supreme importance it may be interest,
ing to publish the bill as amended and
passed by the House:
A BILL to provide for the appointment of
Commission to consider and suggest
Amendments to the Constitution OF the
State.
Whereas, complaint is made of the un-
equality and injustice of many of the
provisions of the Constitution of this
State, and it is deemed expedient to alter
the same; and whereas, it is important
that any amendments to the Constitution
should not be contradictory Of other l,nr-
tons thereof. but should conform there
to now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives Of the State OF South
Carolina, now met and sitting in General
Assembly, and by the authority Of the
same:
SECTION |. That commission consist
ing of five members on the part of the
House Of Representatives and = on the
part of the Senate be appointed by the
Speaker of tie House Of Representatives
and tho President of the Senate respec..
lively, during this sitting Of the General
Assembly, to whom shall be referred all
proposed amcndmentst to the Constitution
of this State.
SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty OF such
commission to consider all such proposed
amendments, and to frame them in
proper form to be submitted t8 this Gen
erai Assembly at its next regular session.
SEC. 8. That it shall further be the duty
Of said commission to prepare in proper
form such additional amendments to the
Constitution of the State as they may
deem fit and proper, and submit them in
proper form to this General Assembly at
its next regular session.
SEC. 4. That said commission shall be
at liberty to sit during the recess, and
shall be paid the same per diem as o
member of the Legislature: Provided,
| That said commission shall not receive
such per diem for more than twenty days.
SEC. 5. That said commission shall re-
port by bill or otherwise.
The House at the night session was
mostly engaged in the discussion of the
bill to charter the Savannah Valley Rail-
! road, which was pending when the recess
was taken. The bill asks to change the
charter granted in 1878 so as to divert the
original route from Augusta to Aiken
and Charleston. The bill also asks for
seventy-five convicts from the State.
The latter provision aroused considera-
BILE opposition. The cruelty to convicts
| in the past was cited by several members,
| and used as an argument against leasing
out any more convicts to railroad corpo-
rations.
Mr.. Haskell, the Chairman of the Rail
road Committee, opposed leasing convicts
To anybody, corporate or individual, out
side of the walls of the Penitentiary.
He said it would be violation of the
laws of humanity to subject the convicts
to the brutal treatment that they had suf-
fered. He was willing to grant any aid
| within the means of the State, but he
would never by his vote suffer the coll
victs to leave the Penitentiary walls
again.
Mr.. Murray, of Anderson, replied to
Col. Haskell very sharply, charging him
with being willing enough to stretch his
humanity to have $50 convicts work on
the Columbia canal, but wasn't willing
to have rs convicts to work on railroad
that he was not particularly interested in.
Col. Haskell replied briefly and warm
ly, stating that he scorned to notice the
imputations which had been cast, and
which were as groundless as malicious.
DR.. Gary took the ground that If proper
health rules we're observed convicts could
be kept as healthy in working on rail-
roads as in the Pelitentiary..
BY vote of So to so the bill finally
passed, with an amendment offered by
Simonton, that if cruelty or neglect of
any kind to any of tho convicts be
brought to the attention of the Governor,
he shall instruct the Directors of the Pen
itentiary to recall all the convicts so
granted to the railroad. Also, that a
physician from the Penitentiary shall in
spect the convicts monthly and report
their condition to the Superintendent of
the Penitentiary, who shall forward the
same to the Governor. The convicts arc
to be under the supervision of the Board
of Penitentiary Directors, and are to be
leased for sum to be agreed upon, not
to exceed ten dollars month in scrip of
the company.