Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-12
TILLMAN PUT TO FLIGHT.
SOUTH CAROLISA'S FARMERS
BEATEN AT COLUMBIA.


BEATEN AT COLUMBIA.
A Horizontal sIash In the Salaries of
State Officers Warded Of-The Agri-
cultural Lien Law Repeal Proposition
Showed Under-P rob bitionists Very
Active But Not Successful.
CoLUMBIA,s. c., Dec. 12.-Comparative-
ty little progress mas been made during the
week in the work of the General Assem-
bly,. The farmers movement, 80 called,
has weakened considerably. A bill, in
stigated by the recent convention, TO
effect horizontal reduction in the sala-
ries OF the state officers, was ignomlnious-
~ defeated by decided majority. AS
matter of fact, the State officers of South
Carolina are poorly paid, the highest sal
airy, that of the Governor, being $4,000,
and the others ranging from $500 10
$500. The farmers reform bill sought
10 reduce these horizontally to about
1880, about the salary paid 10 a second
rate bookkeeper.
THE LIEN LAW.
Another plank in the platform came to
grief on Wednesday, bein.; a bill TO re-
peal the agTicultuT Il lien law. When the
farmers put this plank in their platform
they evidently overlooked the fact that
at the last session OF the Legislature
law known as the priority lien law was
passed. This law virtually repealed the
lien law as far as the merchant was con-
cerned, and gave TO landlords first lien
on the crops OF their renters or labOrers.
In effect it turned the labOrer and
renter over to the landlord, bound hand
and foot. 1t was designed 10 force labor
ers. white and black, TO work for wages,
and to prevent them from renting lands
and working for themselves or on shares.
The result is seen in the exodus of ne
groes from the State this year. AS has
been said. the Farmers Convention eYi.
IDENTIFY overlooked this law when they con-
structed their platform, and hence the
bill 10 repeal the lien law only received y
votes.
Nothing more has been beard Of Farmer
Tilman's Agricultural College, and it il
rumored that there will be important
notifications in the bill when it is
reached.
THE PROHIBITIONIsTS.
The Prohibitionists as usual are sg-
EIessive and belligerent. Thus far only
TWO bills have reached vote and in both
Instances the PrOhibitiouists have been
routed. The first fight occurred on bill
90 pronibit the option law on towns of less
than 1,000lnha bitants. The second was on
a Jill NutCu bOuEut W DltfcuJ tue 5dlc vi
alcoholic prescriptions by druggists. 1t
must be explained that in most OF the
"dry" towns in the State the favorits
tipple is called the IN edical Cocktail"
Its cOmpOnents are as tollOws-lt may
be utilized by Atlanta druggists If in
iced they are not yet up to the dodge:
Spiritus FrumenIi............2 OF.
Aqua Pura.. ......-......... OF.
Syr. Simp ...... ............. IS OF.
The English of this is cocktail. Most
Of the druggists have these prescriptions
printed and ready to be filed up--every-
body will understand what follows.
THE BILLS OBJECT.
The bill IN question sought to prevent
this by providing that one druggist in
zach dry town should be designated by
the Town Council TO sell prescriptions in
which liquors entered. There are a half
dozen political parsons in the Legisla-
ture, and each one of these during the dis
eussiou of the bill read a written sermon
on lntemperance, but the bill was 80 obvi-
uusly absurd aud impracticable that il
was killed without division. The Pro-
hibitionists, however, have resorted TO
Dther tactics, which have been successful
heretofore. This is the Introduction of
bills TO recharter many OF the principal
towns. In each one OF the bills. 1t has
been discovered, is a clause carefully con-
eealed prohi biting the Town Council
from issuing licenses for the sale OF
liquors.
LONG DRAWN OUT.
The bills are generally long, and as
they have To be read by the CLERK, "a Pro
bibitlonist," very few OF the members re-
main in their seats during the reading.
Those who remain pay no attention, as
II Is supposed TO be purely local bill
and framed in accordance with the gen.
eral statutes, and the trick has been sue
cesslully performed in several instances,
and towns in which elections have been
held and wet tickets elected have sud
denly awoke TO find themselves dry" 1T
b neat and sharp, il somewhat shady
trick.
Bills are pending to allow the licensing
Df liquor selling in Beaufort and Berkely
counties. 1t was proven before the Ju-
dietary Committee that in these two cuun-
lies where the negro population is very
large, three times rs much liquor has
been retailed since the passage OF the pro-
bibItiOn act as was retailed before its
passage. The proof was furnished by the
Internal Revenue Collector, whose books
showed that the number OF retail United
States licenses issued within the past
three years was over three times the num-
Der issued when the county exacted a
license.