Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-12-22
Correspondence of the YorkyiIle Enquirer.
OUR COLUMBIA LETTER.


COLUMBIA, December 2O.-The Trial JUS
tice bill has passed both housesa and IS ready
for ratification. There is to be one trial
Justice to each township, who must be
resident thereof. The salary of the trial
Justice for York and Catawba townships is
seventy-five dollars; for Cherokee, sixty
dollars, and the others fifty dollars. The
trial justices each get fund for their con-
stables of sixty dollars each.
The bill to prohibit county commission
ers of York county from giving aid to out
side poor has aready passed.. This does not
apply to eX-Confederate soldiers, who by
reason of wounds or disease contracted dur
ing the late war, are unable to earn
living.
The bill to provide for the further prose-
cution of work on the canal was signally
defeated in the House by q majority of two
to one. The friends of the canal are MAX
ing an effort to get the project up again In
q different but not less Objectionable shape.
I hope the State will never consent to put
any more money into such investments.
tits already in a condition to supply SUI
ficiency of water power for penitentlary
purposes, and this is probably all the use
to which it would ever be put If finished.
The State House is fast approaching COM
pletion. The architects estimate is that 1t
will require only sixty-one thousand dol
lars to complete it-that is, the main build
ing. The arrangements for the present year,
i'm consequence of the condition OF the State
House, for the accommodation of the Leg
islature are very inconvenient and entirely
inadequate for the proper performance OF
their duties. Especially is this the case
in the hall used by the House of Represen-
tatives.
The bill to abolish the Office of county
hn It1fia Of
fees on the county treasurer was defeated.
The friends of the bill proposed to give
extra clerk hire to the treasurer. This be-
ing the case there was very little difference
in the cost of the proposed plan and the
present one, and must necessarily have
been very much less efficient and safe. The
books of the auditor are check upon the
treasurer, and is a necessary expense as
long as you have an ad Talorem system OF
taxation.
A bill has passed the Senate and similar
bill has been reported upon favorably in
the House, to refund to the farmers the
amount of taxes paid by our people on cot
ton returned for taxation at last January's
assessment. Returns of cotton for taxation
last January were made only in three coun-
ties in the State-York, Lexington and
Greenville. Hence we claimed that our
farmers ought to have this tax refunded, as
it is unequal. There will be, I think, no
doubt of its passage.
Cotton being personal property and not
coming under the head of provisions or
any other of the classes of property exemp-
ted by the Constitution from taxation, it is
beyond the power of the Legislature to ex-
empt cotton from taxation by an Act: There
can be no blame attached to our Auditor for
recurring cotton to be returned for taxation
as he was simply doing plain duty and
complying with the law and Constitution OF
hisState, as he is sworn to do. But in view
of the fact that the farmers throughout the
State did not return their cotton last year,
and probably will not do so again, it is an
open question whether our people ought to-
do it.
The bill provides that the county auditor
of our county shall send up complete list
of the farmers who paid taxes on their cot
ton, and the amount 50 paid, to the Comp
troller General, who will then give war
rant for the money.
A bill has passed the House, and has
been ordered to third reading in the Sem
ate, to abolish the publication of the county
commissioners and the school commission
er's reports in the county newspapers, but
continues the publication of the county
treasurer's report, as embracing the lnfor-
IndIlSu LII lllC OIucI lWO.
TIC bill to reduce the pay of county
school commissioner has been defeated, as
also bill to require the county board OF
eXamiEGrs to adopt series OF school BOOKS
for use in the public schools.
A bill has passed both Houses reducing
the fees for dieting prisoners from thirty
five to thirty cents.
The bill providing for the call Of con-
stitutional convention has failed to secure
the necessary two-thirds vote and goes over
to the next session.
The bill to make appropriations for the
next year has passed the House, and been
read the first time in the Senate. MesstS
Wilson and Stewart both made speechesIn
favor of striking out the appropriation for
the militia, but the appropriation for that
purpose was continued in the bill. The
State levy for all purposes will probably
not exceed 49 mills, which will he reduc-
ton of mill over last year. 1t is to be
hoped that no more money will be taken
from the people in the way of taxes this
year than is positively necessary. The re-
ports from all over the State show our peo-
pie to be in distressed condition as to pro-
visions and supplies with which to make
next years crop, and / do not see how we
are to escape great suffering among large
class of our people.
A Dill III relatlOu W loIielteu l1'aiu9, cho
also bill to define the mode of selling
delinquent lands, have passed the Senate,
but as they are long and complicated bills,
l cannot now give you the details of their
provisions. They are designed to restore
to the tax-books much land that is now de-
clared forfeited and pays no tax, and to
provide method of procedure that Will
give good titles to land sold for taxes, so as
to prevent people from allowing their lands
to become delinquent.
The Legislature will adjourn on the 9th
of December. JOHN u. BLACK.