Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-11-23
s1,.r1EarTess,
The Legislature.

Tho Legislature will meet on next Tuesday
and the opinion seems to prevail generally
that q short session is bnth wso aud pract
cablo. Wo know of but two measures which
require careful consderaton--the modfca-
tion of the fenco Inv. if decmed practicable,
and the creation Of a railroad commission.
Our former Legislature had many knotty
5 questions before it and it tackled them
without tear or favor If it erred in Gny
measure lot its errors be corrected aud give
it the raise it is justly due. We hardly
beiie' n, more progressive body ever as
sen ed in the State than our former Lcgis-
latpro and whilo its action on some measures
: is of doubtful wisdom and has received severe
criticism, still on tho whole it deserves
belief they were wise and generally the ro-
suit has verified their opinion, but if they
hnvo erred practically tho present body has
the power to correct their errors.
Have they erred on The fence law7 AS a
State measure, VIC think not, and even so
fur as our county is concerned, We believe
tho ultimate effect Of the present law will
prove beneficial to all sections. While this
is our opinion, We are willing to accord to
our mountain population their opinions and
to b1th allow and advocate such n modili,a-
tion OF the law MS will permit
stock to run at large above a line to be drawn
West of Walhalla. We do not say this will
be tho best in the cnd but it will pacify Il
good citizenship and unity our population.
The present year has been nnI arnlclsd in
natural productions We had summer of
berries and grass and fall of mast Of all
kinds never before known. This has caused
unusual dissatisfaction with the fence law
and to add to this stock has died out largely
from diseases. The scarcity of hogs is at
trbutcd to tho fence law, while in reality
you can find very few people who have lost
any hogs after they were put up. The
fence law has nothing to do with tho
scarcity Of stock or The plcnttudc Of nat lral
pasturagc. Whlo this is true, wo want 70
satisfy the people and will favor any measure
to- give what they call relief above Wulhalla
~Wo will oppose any fence line below Wal
halla and cannot say wo believe free pastur.
ngc is beneficial in any part Of the State
We know strong efforts will be made to
modify the fence law and hope somo scheme
can be adopted which will satisfy all scc,ions.
Petitions in this county are being circulated
{ to return to tho old line below Wnlhalla and
also to adopt new limo above. Wo want
oil sides heard and if general satisfaction
cannot DO obtained, then we hope the law
will be loft rs it stands.
The other question Of general interest is
the regulation of freight and passenger
tariffs on our railroads, which is proposed by
the creation Of railroad commission SINH.
lar to the one in Georgia. We have no
doubt of the wisdom Of some measure Of
this kind and hope it will DO adopted. but We
are in no wise influenced to this opinion by
Tho Interests cG Charleston. That city once
controlled these roads and gavo us higher
freights, slower travel and less secure passage
than tho present management 1t now COM
plains Of what it neither offered nor gave,
when to have given would hnvc rcdoundcd to
the interest of tho city and State. We
think, however, the people have an interest
in these thoroughfarcs which should be
respected and tha; it ia neither fair nor right
that tho rates Of travel in this State should
be higher than in Gcorgia, nor higher than
are reasonable. We would liku to see somo
practical legislation on the subject, looking
to the public interests, without regard to
Charleston or any other locality. If board
of three commissioners should be created we
want to sec men not Of family Importance
but Of pratical wisdom on it. We do not
want tho Offices created for men, but men
found to fill them when created, who both
know and will perform their duties.
Other matters may como before the lie gs.
lature which we will hereafter notice.
Look out for Winburn Bros, tho photogra-
piers.