Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-20
ROUGH ON OLD CAROLINA
HER LEGISLATURES SAID TO BE
DETERIORATING.

The Mental Calibre of the Membe rship
Said to be Growing Poorer Every
Yesr-Farmer Tiiiman's Followers De-
clared Not of the Glass to Mend Mat
tiers Much.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Dec. ID he General
Assembly of South Carolina has been In
session nearly one month and has but
four days more to sit. In the words OF
member of the House OF Representatives
yesterday, during the discussion OF JOINT
resolution to provide for the calling OF
constitutional convention, the State is TO
be congratulated more upon what its
Legislature has left uudone than upon
what it has done. And yet the result has
not been as disastrous as was expected.
The supply bill and appropriation bills
have been passed, and in the four days
that are to follow it is not possible to do
anything mischievous.
MENTALLY DETERIORATED.
There is no getting around the fact
that in mental calibre the composition OF
the General Assemblies OF the Palmetto
State has deteriorated annually for the
past five or six years. A stranger who
should stroll into the popular branch
during a debate would not get favorable
impression of the culture OF the State.
In lS70-75 when the negroes had control
of the State government one would not be
shocked TO hear representative of the
people say that he LINED with the gem
bleman in gOin' agin de BILL" because the
complexion of the House would not lead
him to expect anything else, but 1t rath"
staggers one to hear such remarks on the
floor of House of Representatives in
1886.
The election of 1886 which gave birth
to this General Assembly was rather
peculiar.
TILLMAN's FOLLOWERS.
The farmers movement, under the
leadership of Ben Tillman, better known
as the Horticultural Noses" brought the
agricultural element prominently to the
front. When the movement was started
in April last it seemed 10 be directed
against the educational institutions of the
State, but the men who led it soon aban-
doned this platform and substituted the
cry tor lower taxation and farmers COL
lege. Under this banner very peculiar
Legislature was elected.
The denOminational colleges in the
State have for the last five years been
waging an unsuccessful war upon the
State University, and this faction taking
advantage of the farmers movement sue
ceeded in Strengthening the number ofits
adherents in the Legislature of 1886 81.
THE STATES COLLEGES.
1t should be mentioned that the State
University, which includes the college
at the capital, the Citadel Academy in
Charleston and Clatfiin College at Or
angeburg, for colored students, is con-
Quoted on the free tuition plan. In the
State there are seven UNCONVENTIONAL COL
leges, VIZ: Toe Theological Seminary
Presbyterian and the Female College
(MethOdist) at Columbia, Newber-
ry College (Lutheran) at New
berry, Adger College (Lutheran) at
Walhallah, Furman University (Bap-
tist) at Greenville, Erskine College Pres
byterian) at Abbevile, and WOfford Col
lege Methodist at Spartanburg. When
it is remembered that this country was
settled by people who were driven from
the Old World by religious persecution,
1t is difficult to realize That in this cOun-
try and in this century the church Is wag
ing war on the State. Such, however, is
the case-at least in South Carolina.
FRAUD OF THE OPPOSITION.
For the past four years there has been
the greatest difficulty to get the appro-
priatiOns for the support OF the State Uni
versity through the General Assembly.
The grounds on which thevAyere opposed
were tnRt the university, Dy us Tree Jul-
ton, operated against the UNCONVENTIONAL
colleges, and that it was unfair to these
colleges for the State to give it's youths
free education.
Tue churches gained a partial victory
this year, mainly through the instrument
taity of the farmers movement, and one of
the first acts that passed the Senate was
one fixing a tuition fee for the students
at the State College at Columbia.
EXPERIMENTAL FARMS.
The farmers, in the meantime, have Sc
cured he passage by the House of bill
providing for the establishment oftwo ex-
perimental farms ana stations, with a
view 10 the establishment in the future of
an agricultural college on the Mississippi
plan. This is about all that has been ac-
complished in the four weeks of the ses-
sion. The appropriation and supply bills
have been passed without violent reduc-
tions and two constitutional amendments
have been ratified. Thus far seven out of
r. er 700 bills introduced have passed into
the statute book. 1t is not improbable
that the number Will be increased before
adjournment to ten times seven, but the
Legislature of 1856 will net leave anything
on record by which it will be remembered.
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