Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-06


the counties named, in several instances
passing such acts over the heads and
against the express wishes OF majority
OF the voters of the county.
W hen this General Assembly convened
the PrOhIbitionists. ii was thought, bad
GEAR majority in the Lower House. Inelr
nrst aggressive measure was the intro
duction OF bill to limit the local option
law concerning municipalities to towns
and villages of over 500 inhabitants, and
1t was on this bill that the great fight, the
nrst OF the season, occurred.
UNFAvoRABLY REPORTED.
The bin had been reported unfavorably
by the judiciary Committee, but never
theless in Difference to the ProhibtiOnists
mad been allowed to go upon the calendar.
W hen 1t was reached on Friday last there
was a slim house, good many members
Delng absent. The support OF the Dill,
strange to say, was mainly from Edge
neid county, the unsavory reputation OF
which extends all over the land.
lts author was a Lutheran
minister from that county and member
OF the Legislature. There was some slight
skirmishing first and finally vote was
reached on a motion to Kill the bill. This
was defeated by aJority of two only.
The author OF the bill who is doubtless
more familiar with the ethics or the Holy
scriptures and the etiquette OF the
pulpit jumped at once to the conclusion
that he had won the battle and actually
arose IN his seat and bestowed the bene-
dlctIon upon the members.
GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT.
His astonishment was great, however,
upon finding out that the victory was not
yet won. There are certain far-seeing
politicians in the House who had not yet
taken hand in the fight. Foreseeing the
danger with which this arbitrary meas
ure was fraught they at once entered the
list, and, in a half hour, the bill was per-
manenty and effectually killed by sub
stantial majority vote against it.
The farmers mOvement,wit which the
readers of the MORNING NEWS are fami-
liar, has crystallized. Two bills have
been introduced embodying the main
points of Farmer Tillman's scheme for the
agricultural edemption OF the State. One
OF these proposes to take from the state
the control and management OF the Agri-
cultural Bureau and vest 1t in the Farm
ers' Association, which as yet has no
legal existence. This bill has been re-
ported favorably by the Agricultural
Committee.
THE BUREAUS SUPPORT,
The Agricultural Bureau, it may be
as the fertilizer taxa tax OF 25c. on every
ton OF commerce fertilizer sold in the
State. The proceeds of the tax amount
to about $25, goo annually.
The other bill referred to is one to es-
tablish purely agricultural college.
Farmer Tillman's plan to establish the
college is to double the phosphate royalty
(nOw ST per ton and bill to efict this
has already been introduced. This idea
-. l. L. ~. =,
appropriate all the moneys received from
the phosphate royalty. over 100000 an
nually, to the establishment Ofthe college.
Last year the receipts from this source
were about $190,000 1t will be under,
stood that tRIs royalty is eXacted only
from phosphates mined in the rivers. The
miners oil land rock, of course, pay no
royalty.
A WARM FIGHT.
The bill to increase the royalty, there
fore. has induced a very warm fight. The
miners of land rock, il is needless to say,
are giving it their very cordial support.
Should the royalty be doubled the price Of
their product Will be Increased 81 per ton
without any additional cost in the pro-
ductiOn. The college bill has, however,
not yet meterialized, only the rough draft
OF it having been prepared. Farmer
Tillman has decided, however, to make
the fight for the increase of the phosphate
royalty as the only means of raising
money for his arcadian college.
The old Palmetto State seems 10 have
developed of late years some of the small
est of Insignificant statesmen. Il would
have been Thought that the recent fearful
calamity to Charleston, the metropolis of
the State, would at least have wiped out
the bitter feeling of animosity-slmOst OF
haf hao
the old city in certain OF the upper coun-
ties of the State.
EXPECTATIONS OF THE CITIZENS.
Overwhelmed as Charleston was with
the golden flood of sympathy that was
shOwered upon her by the people of every
section OF the Union, it was certainly
thought that in the breasts of South
Carolinians there could be nothing but
love and sympathy for the terribly
afflicted old city. With this impression,
the people OF Charleston determined to
ask nothing at the hands of the State save
a temporary relief from taxation for those
who had suffered by the earthquake, and
where losses, from the nature of things,
were not and could not be repaired out Of
the generous contributors sent them
by the people of the United States. With
this view, bill was introduced providing
simply for the reassessment of the pro-
perty and p0stponement OF the taxes
now due until March next.
BITTER OPPOSITION.
1t will scarcely be credited, but it is a
fact that this bill met serious and bitter
opposition in the Senate of South Caro-
lima, and that it was actually only passed,
after three-dsys' heated debate, by q
majority OF one vote. The argument
against it was that there had been, in the
language OF a distinguished up-country
Senator, "short craps" in the up country,
and that no relief mad been granted the
farmers. The dill has not yet been dis
cussed in the House.
1t is generally understood that the
Ways and Means Committee expect to
make reduction in the State levy for the
ensuing fiscal year Of one mill. The
economists will, however, make an effort
to reduce the levy two mills, by the use
of the reserve fund now in the Treasury,
held there for the purpose Of meeting the
interest on the public debt.