The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-12-06
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
Correspondence Grecnuiile Ne,os.
COLUMBIA. Dec. |.


Correspondence Grec.piilc Ne,us.
COLUMBIA, Dec. l.
The FIRST week of the legislative ses
sion closes with very little work to lis
credit. Meeting on Tuesday and count
ing out Thanksgiving Day, the Assembly
has had but four working days in the
week and the short sessions, beginning at
twelve o'clock and lasting for Two hours
or three at most have reduced the actual
time available for doing anything at all
to an Indifferent minimum. The Senate,
easily and quickly organized, and COM
posed solidly of men with more or less
experience in legislation, has piled up
creditable array of bills on its calendar
and Will have succeeded at the weeks end
in passing. several of those introduced the
first day.
The House numbers seventy new men
among its 124 members, only sixteen of
whom have been in any previous House.
It has been slowly passing through the
throes of organization, and now with the
committees appointed last night, may be
said to be ready to begin work.
Some of the new ruen, fresh from the
people and with the echo of the call for
retrenchment and reform in their ears,
have been restless under this apparent
extravaganza of time. But they are very
much in the position of the passenger
who feels acutely the need of increased
speed, but who. is not sufficiently inti-
mate with the locomotive to handle the
throttle effectively.
The bills introduced so far in the ses.
sion have been principally local in char
acter and such as will pass rapidly on to
approval. But enough measures of
general and strong public interest have
been started on the way to insure numer.
GUS and lively discussions the coming
week. The question of bringing primary
elections under the protection of the Law
will demand decision in the two bills
introduced by Senator Buist, "To protect
primary elections and conventions of
political parties and to punish offences
committed thereat." ITO authorize the
officers or representatives OF any political
party to qualify their agents or managers
of primary elections and to provide for
punishment of frauds and false returns
in regard to same"
One solution of the pension problem
has already been offered in Senator
Pope's bills to repeal the pension law
adopted by the last Legislature and
establish 8 @ Confederate home for disabled
soldiers and sailors of the Confederate
service in or near Columbia.
Railroad legisls ton is sure to play a
prominent part in the sessions work. a
lumber of bills looking to the remedying
of specific causes of complaint against
the railroads have already been intro.
duced, and half dozen more are in
soak. There is strong anti-railroad
tyranny sentiment in both Houses that
has been recently aggravated by the
Georgia Central gobble, and it is not at
all improbable that the Murray bill, pass.
ed by the senate last session and defeated
BY default in the House, will be .resur.
rected, revamped and rushed triumphant.
" through the present term. Senator
Murray has launched effective bolts at
two notorious evils in the present railroad
situation by his bills requiring companies
to keep certain of the leading officers in
this State and compelling settlements fol
freights with consignees according to the
bills of lading.
If the eight boz; law comes before the
Legislature it Y i'll have the advantage
of the fostering care of Gen. Edw. Nc.
Grady, its father, who is again familiar
figure on the House floor and who is
chairman of the Committee on Privileges
and Elections. Gen. McCrady is an
earnest supporter of schemes for facilita.
ting practical legislation. Having failed
to get through his plan for scattering the
county delegations on the floor of the
House, he is making strong fight for the
regulation of the introduction of private
measures.
There is no Indication at present tina;
there will be any appreciable reducing in
the quantity oflegislation that the present
House will propose. During the three
days Of the session upwards Of 100 bill.
have either been introduced or prefaced
with the usual notice. The list does no!
look we'll. a hasty glance over the
Journal shows the following classi6ca'
ton: OF general interest there are per.
haps eight; among them two to regulate
the rate of interest on money, one te
legalize primary elections, one 70 reduce
the salaries of the Circuit Judges to
s., 500, and one to provide for marriage
licenses.
There are fye negroes in the House.
but the Senate for the first time in very
many years is without black spot in its
personal make up. The colored repre-
sentatiyes are three Republicans. A.
Baxter, Georgetown j. /. Washington
Beaufort; a. O. Reynolds, Beaufort, and
two Democrats-George M. Mesres,
Charleston, and Aron Simmons, Orange
burg.