The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1885-12-02
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Both Erauches of our Legislative Depart
mont Get Promptly to Work--Some Meas
ures to be considered.

ures to DO considered.
(Condenscd from tie Ne1os and C0u,IcrD
Pursuant 10 law, the General Assem-
bly, of South Carolina met in Colum-
bia OH Tuesday the oath ult. The
Senate was called 10 order by Licutcn-
ant Governor Sheppard and the House
by Speaker Simons.
The annual message of The Governor
was received, read, and referred to
appropriate committees.
Owing TO the intervening Of Thanks
giving Day there were, last week, but
four working days for the General AS
sembv. These were well spent i'm the
introduction or consideration of var-
Gus measures of public importance.
a brief statement of these will prove
Of general interest.
The House passed to its third read
ing introduced at the last session, by
Mr.. Bricc, of FairflcldD the joint reso-
luton proposing an amendment to the
Constitution, touching the distribution
of the two-mll school-tax. After
some debate the joint resolution was
ordered to be cngrosscd for third
reading in about the following shape:
"SECTIoN ). The boards OF. county
commissioners of the several counties
shall levy an annual tax OF not less
than mills OH tho dollar, NC, for the
support of the public schools in their
respective counties, which tax, &c,
shall be held i'll the county trcasurics Of
the respective coultics and paid out
exclusively for the support Of the pub
lie schools as provided by law. There
shall be assessed on all taxable polls
in the State the annual tax of one dol
lar on each poll, &C., for educational
purposes. The school tax shall be
distributed among the several town
ships of the counties, and in counties
where there arc no townships among
the tax districts, in proportion to the
amount of taxes pail by said town
ships or tax districts"
In the Senate, the House bill to pro-
vide stcnographcrs for the fifth and
sixth circuits caused some debate.
Various minor amendments were
adopted. Senator Black tried to have
the section referring to the sixth cir
"nit stricken out, and was seconded by
Senator Clyburm. The agricultural
Senators generally supported the mo-
ton, but it was defeated by a vote Of
IL to II, and the bill was passed.
There will be another fight ON the
third reading.
A message was raccivcd from the
Governor announcing his veto of the
bill passed last session 'to make
School District No. |, Sumter county,
separate and distinct school district,
and to require the school tax and fund
collected and received in the same to
be applied exclusively TO school pur-
poses in said district" The appiica-
ton Of the fund expressed in the title,
the Governor says, is in conflict with
Article Y, Section 5, of the Constitu-
ton, as amended, which declares that
"thc school tax shall be distributed
among the several school districts of
the counties in proportion to the re-
spcctive number of pupils attending
the public schools"
Among the new measures introduc-
ed are the following:
BY Senator Smythc, to amend the
law as to the sale of real estate adjudgcd
to be sold
BY Senator Woodward, relating to
the time of holding Circuit Courts in
the sixth circuit.
BY Senator Bobo, to provide fees for
certain officers in cases offorcible entry
and detaincr; to amend Section 1,743,
Chapter 40, of the General Statutes,
relating to licenses.
BY Senator Maxwell, Joint resolution
to amend the Constitution respecting
the number of comfy commissioners.
(Rcdncing the number to one, and
making him salaricd and bonded Off
ccr)
The Senate has considered good
portion of the very voluminous bill for
the revision and Improvement of the
laws for the assessment and collection
oftaXcs.
Among the new bills introduced in
the House are:
a bill to amend Section 4S1 of the
General Statutes in reference to the
salary OF Lieutenant Governor. TThis
bill abolishcs the salary attached to
the office and allows the Lieutcnant-
Governor $40 per diem and mileage
during the session of the General AS
scmbly.]
Bill to amend the law i'm relation to
the examination of teachers. TThis
bill was SO loaded down with amend
mcnts that it is somewhat difficult to
follow them. It's object, however, it
may be stated, is to give to graduates
Of any chartered college or university
in the State permission to receive q
teachers certificate from either the
State or county board of examiners
without undergoing an examination,
provided, however, he or she has
good mora; character
Mr.. IIcmphIl introduced bill to
abolish the office of supervisor Of reg
istration, impose the duties Of said
office upon the auditors of the several
counties and to provide for their COM.
pensation. Mr.. Hcmphill says that
the pay of the supervisors is altogether
oul of proportion to the services which
they are called upon to perform; that
the work OF preparing the registration
lists was heavy In the beginning, but
that it is now very light and not more
than the auditors can attend to for
slight additional compensation.
Mr.. Il. ID. Lee, of Sumter, gave
notice of a bill to enable the Governor
to provide for the enumeration of the
inhabitants of the State; 5000 is the
amount appropriated for the work in
tho bill which however, has MT yot