The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-12-09
THE LEGISLATURE.

THE LEGISLATURE.
For two weeks ] have w'tched the
processes of legislation in South Caro-
lima. So far I have not missed a
single session of the upper branch
of the General Assembly. In this
end of the capitol there has been
little outside Of routine work Lieut..
Governor Gary presides with ease
and the work glides smoothly along
under his direction. He impresses me
as being fair and impartial in his rul-
incs. 1 have received the utmost cour-
tesy at the hands ofthe presiding officer
and the Senators. Yet have not felt
any special longing or desire to occupy
the position Of Senator.
Half of this legislative session Is over.
Two weeks more Of work and an ad-
iournment will be had. The reader,
no doubt, is anxious to know what has
been done and what is likely to be done.
That is the question about which l
want to write.
Before going to that point however,
I want to say one thing, Of which 1
have long been convinced, but which
has been more forcibly brought to my
mind during the past two weeks than
ever before. We have entirely too much
legislation of a local nature and all OF
our legislation is entirely too hastily
done. Of the great raft" of bills that
have been introduced up to this time,
{ at least two-thirds are of g local nature.
Up to this time literally nothing has
been done, and yet within the next
two weeks a volume of five or six hum
dred pages will be filed with new laws.
I believe it would be better to have
biennial sessions and sit for two or
three months. It takes new member
at least the first two weeks to get the
chang" of things, IS it were, and some
do not get it in that time.
The reader must bear in mind that
these are ''strange times and strange
@~proceedings are in order" Aud fur
theS that tie present administration
went into power Oh the plea that this
State had been ruled by an oligarchy,
and that now the people want to try
their hands, and that we, the admins
tration, are the people. And further,
that there was need and room for great
and miraculous reforms in the conduct
of public affairs. Aud further, that
one session of the present Legislature
has been held and its actions are part
of history. Ifany great reforms have
taken place, I have been unable to
find them, and now we will search for
them in the work of the present ses-
sion, True some new men have come
to the front and now occrpy high
places who might never have risen
from obseurity but for their mounting
the wave of popular discomfort, but the
question recurs to the ordinary voter,
rthe toiling masses and alt those who
helped to bring about this great revolu-
ton. How have we been benefited?
What have we gotten out of all this?
The last Legislature retired to private
life, that greatest of Carolinians, who
stood by his State when she needed
true manhood, and who never sought
public ofhce-WaGe Hampton-and
put a new man in his place. What
benefit have the masses reaped from
this? Just the other day William 4.
Wallace was defeated for place on the
Supreme bench. Than whom az abler
jurist, purer man never wore the
ermine nor adorned the bench Of South
Carolina. Against whose character
there has never rested even shadow
of a suspicion. But these are strange
times. Some men are grander in de-
feat than others are in victory. In
these times, experience, past services
to the State in times of trial and trouble
count for nothing. Service to faction
is the slogan now. do not wish to
be misunderstood. I have naught to
say against either of the gentlemen
who have been successful in the two
cases cited.
But what has been doGe and what
is likely to be done at the present ses-
sion? What reforms have been wrought
and what are proposed to be wrought?
Wherein have taxes been reduced and
the expenses of government curtailed?
No doubt many readers will remember
that candidate Tillman in his speech
at Newberry, when talking about the
reduction of salaries, said he would save
the people 100000 annually if he was
elected Gavernor. Well, he has been
Governor for one year, and is starting
upon his second term.
The biggest thing done so far is the
election of Judges to the Supreme
bench. AS telegraphed you last week
Associate Justice McIver was elected
Chief Justice in place of the late Chief