The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-06-26
- Pope Explains His Position on the Cen
suS Bills

- Pope Explains His Position on the Cen
suS Bills.
TO the Editor of The Herald and
News: I have read Mr.. Caldwell's
article published in The Herald and
News of last week. We have no OBJ
lection to his managing the campaign
on his side, but when he attempts to
manage that Of his opponents he reck-
ons without his host. Our reply to
him in plain vernacular is "shinny on
your own side.' He says that he sees
nothing on Mr.. Tillnan's side but "a
compound Of plat!tudes and persona1-
tiles with nothing Of substantial inl-
portance to the people" ltseems that
the people see very differently from
him. They are not looking through
his glasses they are for the first time
doing a little seeing and thinking for
themselves they see that this is Il
campaign which looks to a more eco
nomical government a campaign that
teaches them that they are the masters
and the ottice-holders are the servants !;
that teaches them that change in the
ot1ice-hoIders will do good, if no other
good will teach the otfice-holder that
be must step down and out without
saying harsh things about the repre-
rentatives Of the people in this can-
paign or without getting up TO such 4
pitch of fury as to rend his garments.
The "lawyer lieutenants" seen j be
doing effective work for the causc, and
this attempt Oh Mr.. C.'s part to array
the masses against them because they
are lawyers is to do the very thing
that Mr.. G.. has claimed that Mr.. Till
man has done. These gentlemen are
upon the ticket as citizens working for
the common good. Mr.. Caldwell ought
to be convinced that the county is
strongly Tillman, and the people have
made up their minds and cannot be
changed.
Mr.. Caldwell alludes to Mr.. Sigh
and myself in connection with the vote
on the census and reapportionment.
He places Mr.. Sigh on the wrong side,
as he voted all the way through for
a census and reapportionment. AS for
myself I voted in 1884 for census
based on the L. $. Census of lSSD. J
thought then that the Constitution
would admit of it. think so yet. The
Constitution then read as follows:
"Section i. The House of Represen-
tatives shall consist of one hundred
and twenty-four members to be APP
portioned among the several counties
according to the number of Inhabitants
contained. An enumeration of the in
habitants, for this purpose, shall be
made in eighteen hundred and sixty
nine, and again in eighteen hundred
and seventy-tive, and shall be made
in course OF every tenth year thereafter,
in such manner as shalt be 6y (uO
directed < Z ="
The italics are mine. [ took the
position in 1854, when bill was intro
duced to have the enumeration made
and the apportionment had from it on
a basis of the i. S. Census of 1880, that
it was proper to make it in this way,
and that the Legislature was made by
the Constitution the judge Of the mat
ter, and thereby the cost of census
would be avoided. We've defeated in
the House. In 1885 (December), the
census bill came before the House and
1 opposed it for two reasons-one was
it's cost, the other was that the Con-
stitution directed the Legislature to
provide for the taking of the census at
the session 1854, and this not having
been done, that under section 5 OF the
Constitution the right to take 1t had
passed from the Legislature to the
Governor.
Section 5 reads as follows: "If the
enumeration herein directed shall not
be made in the course OF the year APP
pointed for the purpose, it shall be the
duty of the Governor to have 1t effected
as soon thereafteras shall be practical"
That the Legislature could only he
called upon by the Governor to appro-
pirate the money necessary, and that
the Legislature having failed to pass a
law taking the census, it was in
the power of the Governor to do what
the Legislature might have done, SIM
plv have Il tabulation made from the
census of 1850, which, when transmit
ted by him to the Legislature would
become the basis upon which to reap
portion the House, or falling IN this
he could have q census taken d6 mtft0,
and call upon the Legislature for an
appropriation sufficient to detTay the
expensc. therefore voted against the
bill. 1t passed the House, but was
killed in the Senate. Then the Consti-
tuition was amended so as to allow the
census to be taken in 1881 from the
United States census of 1890, and as |
take it, sooner if the Legislature saw
proper to do it. Under this change OF
the Constitution another attempt was
made to use the census of 1880 as the
basis of apportionment. The bill passed
the House by a small majority, tut was
killed in the Senate. | supported 1t.
When the census bill passed the House
in 1855 it had but six opponents, two
of whom, Mr. Schumpert and myself,
were from New wberry.
SAMPSON POPE.
June 10, 1880.