The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-12-09

oil ,,iree or four for the bill 1t
was finally defeated by vote of 81 to
81. This vote, however, is not a correct
test as to the strength Of the prohibition
vote on submitting these questions to
county elections. We know of one dele.
CATION which has four votes that went
against this bill that will vote for county
option. We understand that some of our
citizens imagine that the Anderson
County bill is lost because the Judiciary
Committee of theSenate reported against
it. This is far from the case. The bill
is on the calendar of the Senate, and is
made the special order for Wednesday,
the sth inst, at which time we expect to
see it pass the Senate. If so, we believe
that it will also pass the House. Mr..
Murrays bill to regulate the public
printing has passed the Senate, and will
doubtless also pass the House. Under
its operations the State will save perhaps
ten thousand dollars year in the matter
of printing. Mr.. Murray has also intro.
duced bili to provide for the collection
of taxes due on forfeited lands, which
bids fair to pass the Senate, and we hope
to become a law, for under its operation
the State will collect these taxes by a
suit which will give judgment and a
sale under execution by which good
title will be conveyed, and NO one would
hesitate to purchase. The collection OF
these taxes will give to the State a sum
of several hundred thousand dollars to
apply to paying the State debt, which
would save tbs interest on that sum every
year, and would give also additional
property amounting to from one and one
half million to two million dollars on
the tax books which are now paying no
taxes. This would bring to the State
and counties in which these lands are
situated, ffteen or twenty thousand dol
lars a year upon property that now pays
nothing. il will thus be seen that this
is one of the most important measures
before the Legislature. The annual
fight on the
COLUMBIA CANAL
is again pending 10 the Legislature. A
Joint investigating committee, consisting
of Messrs. Sigh, Patterson and McMas.
ter, from the Senate, and Messrs Pope,
Earle, Miller, Parker and Brooker from
the House, was appointed to look into
the matter fully and report to the Lagis-
lature. The committee will doubtless
submit, as usual, majority and minority
reports, and the work will go on.
The election for
JUDGE OF THE EIGHT, CIRCUIT
is the most absorbing election before the
Legislature. The candidates have, until
last Saturday, been in Columbia the
greater portion of the time, and most Of
them all Of the time, since the Legisla-
ture met. The friends of Col. Norton
claim that be is considerably in the lead,
while the friends of Maj. Whitner and
Col. Parker do not concede this claim.
The fact is, We think that each Of these
gentlemen have number Of strong
friends, ant; the contest is close and un'
certain encagh to make it decidedly in
teresting. We think Maj. Whitoer has
gained steadily on the Legislature, and
would as room, or perhaps sooner, take
his chances than that of any other can
didate. Mr.. Graydon, of Abbeville, will
also make very creditable race for a
young man, and Col. Donaldson will get
some votes. Judge Cothrau will not re-
sign before the fifteenth or twentieth OF
this month, and hence the election is at
least ten days of. In that period very
many char; les may occur, and hence the
friends of each candidate will be required
to give no little time to keeping up their
fences as we'll as to securing acquisitions.
On last Friday the Senate took recess
until Tuesday at seven O'Clock p. m., to
enable Senators to be at home during
sale day. The Senate is up with its
work, and during the first part
of the session its work is light.
The discussion of the phosphate ques-
ton bids fair 10 form all important part
of the discussions in the present General
Assembly. A resolution has been passed
appointing a committee Of eight 10 inves-
tigate tie phosphate interests, with power
to send Tor persons and papers, and taking
testimony under oath. The price of
phosphate rock is lower now than it has
ever been, and, therefore, while we would
like very much to raise the royalty so as
to increase the States revenueSit will be
necessary 70 await this investigation, for
if the prics is put too high it will stop
the business, and the State would get
nothing until another Legislature meets
to change the law. We think it would
be a good and safe plan to lease the
privilege ct digging in all streams that
are under !he control of the State for a
term of Eve or ten years to the highest
bidders, with a proyiso that no bid shall
be received at lower sum than one
dollar per ton. In this way, if one dol.
lar is all that the industry will permit
the State will still receive that sum, but
if, as many, claim it is worth .aore, then
the competitive bids will develop it's full
value. To our mind this is the only way
in which the royalty can be raised with
out danger of great loss to the State.
The advocates of the farmers movement
have no settled plan as to the best way to
found
THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE,
and for this reason it is uncertain as 10
what shape the legislation on the question
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