The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1886-04-29

great stress upon tho fact that the
committee Is composed exclu-
sively of lawyers, and we judge from
what he says that he contends that 1t
is the most important committee Of the
House. Upon this:we take issue with
him. We think and correctly contend
that in all legislative bodies the ways
and means committee is the most i'm
portant. That committee has tho ex-
elusive right of recommending appro-
fixing levies, supplies, etc.,
and these arc the questions which
mostly effect the general public. A
from that committee
is generally life or death to bill, sim
ply from the fact that 1t requires long
calculations and Investigations which
a majority Of the House are unwilling
to make. Not so with the judiciary. |
The judiciary committee from its
nature should DO composed Of lawyers
just as tho agricultural committee
should be composed of farmers. From
tho nature Of tho professions, lawyer
could bettcr.scrvo on tho Judiciary and
a farmer OIL the agriculture than COM
pose these committees of both classes.
In the last Legislature the judiciary
was composed exclusively of lawyers,
and on tho other hand the agricultural
committee was composed entirely Of
farmers. Upon the ways and means
committee there were soVen farmers
and six lawyers-a majority of ono for
the farmers. On privileges and cleo
tons the farmers had nine out of thir-
tecn---a majority of four.
Tho following committees were COM
posed exclusively of farmers: Agri-
culture, Roads, Bridges and Ferries,
Internal improvements, Penitentiary,
and Commerce and Manufactures.
Aud not to 60 further into separate
committees, out of the twcnty-six, the
farmers had majority OH all the work.
ing committees except five, viz, Judi
ciary, Kailraads, interpretations. Edu-
cation and Rules. Now do the fore
going facts and figures bear out tho
assertion that the State is ruled by an
"ligarchy of lawycrs-a few persons?
We think not. We nave shown that
in the Senate tho lawyers are in tho
minority, and that tho chairmcn of q
majority Of the House committees are
not lawyers. TO further disprovo his
| allegation we Gun say that of seven
>ta,c officers, not Including the Presi-
| dent of the Senate, there is only ono
lawyer. the Acknowledgement who
form the nature of the office must be q
lawyer. Where, then, is the oligarchy ?
AS to our friends suggestion that
all intcrprclions of the law by the
courts should be referred to the Legis
laturc, we must admit that wo did not
understand him in his first article, but
we think that tho explanation in his
second admits Of grave objections. llc
would have the law so plain that 10y
simply referring to the Statutes ono
could inform himself rs to tho law
~ ".o" ,lrgttu urIse' unuer a statute,
and the result would be that we would
have enough of business to keep q
Legislature sitting all the time, and
there w,uld be no end Of making
books. Under what seems to us a
modified stotcment of the case of
course the personnel Of the Lcgisla-
turc could have no c1fcc..
Finally, VIC can only say that Cap
tain McMcckin admits that we have a
good government, whether we have an
oligarchy or not, and wo leave it to an
Intelligent public to decide whether he
has proved his allegation that we have
an oligarchy.