The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-07-04
XXI.---NEW SERIES,
CENSUS LEGISLATION.
A REVIEW OF THE ACTION OF THE
STATE SENATE.

Inc senators From Charleston Give n ii
tory OF the Proceedings I'm That Body "a,
In the House "f Representatives.
TO the Ed cur of the News an
Courier: Caps. Tillman has on Sc
cfal occasions seen fit to denoun(
those members of the State Sonat
who voted against the census an
reapportionment bills. We hay
waited to see whether any one. otbe
than ourselves, would give thercason
Tor such action. We are unwillin
longer to have such reasons unstatcd
especially III view of the recent nj
49, tack on that upright soldier ant
gentleman, Judge Izlar, whose 10
sitlon necessarily forces him to kee,
silence. oi
THE FACTS HIRE AS FOLLOWS
Ihe General Statutes of the State
contained and now contain the gen
cral provisions for taking the census.
ABOUT two or three days before the
close OF the session of 1884 a bill
came over from the House to the
senate, amending in certain particu-
Hfs the general law, on the subject
or tho census--principally as to the
rate per capita to be paid and in
other minor points. While, however.
~ left the duty on the Governor of
havmg an enumeration made, neither
tins bill nor the general law appro-
Prlatcdany money to enable him TO
have the work done The bill, there
lore, rs 1T passed the House, was in
complete, and would have effectcdn no
result. liz
on inquiry it was ascertained TINT
~" " i>"''t"Hle eApeIIse Of II State cen
S2s would amount to some $50. 900
cfSeD,0O9. This was the estimate
lhade by careful men, who were
supposed to be in position to |
know. 'i ~
Inc majority of the Senators. nearly
ail or whose counties were unaffected.
ny the result, did not feel justified in
putting upon the people this heavy
expense. And as the House, which
was the body whose membership wos
III question:, had not deemed it pron,
er TO take the responsibility of max
~ ing the appropriation necessary for {
the work, these Senator's, acting on
inc Dlli sent them by the House, re-.
Inc counties whose presentation ,
would be affected by the crnsms q
were about equally divided Tho l
very lar"" majority of the Senators I
not Hot affect Their countries III any way; i:
A majority of these disintcrestcd
Senators voted against the bill, and t
by their votes it was defeated. I
In 1885 the amendment OF the &
was proposed allowing {
on the basis of the t
United States census of 1890 and ,
thereafter. This was adopted by the
vote of every Senator present except !
one, MIR. Reynolds, of Beaufort. 1t
was proposed and passed us fulfil
mcnt of the requirement OF the Con
stitution providing for rcapportlon..
ment, but as saving the taxpayers OF
the State the heavy expenses OF tax
ing the census by the State.
At the same session, 1850, the
House again sent over bill for tax
ing the census by the State authorl-
ties. But as the amendment to the
to the Constitution had been passed
providing the other method Tor re.
apportionment, rs measure OF
economy ts' the State, the Senate
did not f& called on to pass this
bill.
There was another serious objcc-
ton, to wit: Whether an extra scs-
sion of tho Legislature could legally
be called to reappOrtion III time Tor
the election in the fall of 1886. This
had due consideration. But that
which determined the matter was that
another method of rcapportionment
hud<tee provided, by which the
taxpayers were saved some S5O,OOO on
$6O,000.
The matter then came before the
Doople of the State at the general
election in 1886, when this amend
ment was submitted for their decls
ion. 1t was adopted by an over
whclming popular vote. The people
of the State thereby ratified and ap-
proved the action of the Legislature
i'm substituting this means of reap
portionmcnt, and saving them the
heavy tax and expense of taking the
census by the State. And the pco-
plc themselves having thus acted
on the question, it was settled fin
ally.
During the session of 1886 the bill
to- rniify this constitutional amend
mcnt came before the Senate. 1t was
- passed by the vote of every Senator
except one.
In 1887 and again in 1888 bills were
introduced into the Senate to reap
portion on the basis of the census O
1880. These were opposed rs no
being within the scope of the amend
luut. which provided that the iirs
lcapportionmcnt should be made un
der tho. census Of 1890 There were
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