The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-12-16
LEGISLATIVE CORRESPONDENTS

the House, and is now before the Senate.
ms measure completely changes the man.
ntr of selling liquor in this State. and Ia
iookei upon as Revolutionary and Radical.
In Us effects. 1t provides for the sale of ali
liquor thrOu.;sse, State officer, with a salary
Of $500, wit! kkeeper and other helps
as they may be He'd. a County Agent is
aso previdsd for. AL liquors are TO be ana
yzed, and none sold except for Medicinal.
Mechanical, and SESramsntal purposes All
revenue to 60 TO the STATE and County.
This Bill was fought to the finish" by
It's opponents. Its friends .eemoi to look
upon 1t with suspicion, and while it does
not meet the wishes of oil advocates of Pro-
hibition, 1t. in measure, answers the re-
quirements made upon the General Assembly
by the vote cast last August Some of the
best Refprmcrs are fearful that this measure
Viii cause division in our State. politically.
two years from now, which may result in
waking up sleeping power in our State
u Factor which, if il could be organized and
properly utilized, might bring scenes which
were enacted in our State bsfore 1876. That
power which has gradually gnne out of poli.
tics, and we had hoped, forever, as n factor
in shaping legislation, may he brought back
into mi'chievous play, and if ihoroupbly
awakened might hol the balance of power,
and, rs q matter Of course, would be arrsysd
against everything looking to exnuneipg
this great evl from our land. What the
Senate will do remains to be seen.
l have just teen told by Senator that
this Bill Will be laid on the table, and sub
stitu'e offered; the substitute to carry the
plan suggested by the Governor in his
annual message; plan that is in operation
in Athens, Ga, known ~ the dispsnsary
Man That Hlan yirinol~
barrooms, and establishes placsa for The sale
of good liquors in packages Of frsm one pint
to five GALLONS, sealed, TO bs carried away
and used; thus doing away with the associa-
tiGns Of tarrosms, billiard rooms, etc., etc.
In other words, making the drinking Of
liquor respectable (D All the revenue ac-
crueing to go into the State Treasury, thus
raising enough TO meet ordinary expenses,
and surplus with which to liauidate the
State debt. ItI friends say the State debt
can be paid off iu twenty years, by this
plan. If the use and traffic of whiskey can
be rcs.sicc cd and made to do something to-
wards lowering taxation, and its dele,erious
effects on the rising generation, be dimin
ished, We will have accomplished something
Of vuue to our people.
The salary reduction Bill has, rs usual,
como in far its full share of discussion. Tho
has t'eu WITH buO IL
will now come up before the House. The
reduction proposed does not seem to be equi,
table, as some of the officers and the mem
bers of the General Assembly are scaled 20
per cent while others are not scaled in the
samo proportion. a strong feeling Is gain
ing ground raise committee to take into
cons dsration this perplexing question. and
report at next session.
The napsrs arc urging the Legislature to
take n recess until after Christmas. then
come back and finish up; but do not think
it meets with much favor.
The Railroai and County Government bills
will occupy our time for the next few days.
A large number of candidates are await.
ing the enactment Of these measures into
laws, in order TO get the office Of Railroad
Commissioner. Among them Union has tmo
aspirants--Col. d. T.. Duncan and g. W.
Whitman.
Our fsllow-citizc,, G. b. Fowler, is here
in the interest of the Jonesville township
bonds to the Lrckhart Shoals Railway
Company, and having su extensive acqusint-
ance in the House, has industriously c,n-
vassed the members in order 10 get their
support in trying TO relieve these people
from the unjust burden imposed upon them
by this Act. Petitions have been sent, for
and against the validating Of these bonds,
and bills were introduced, in the House by
Col. Il. c. Duncan nnd the Seuate by Col
Peake, asking Us to validste these bonds.
Mr.. i. l.. Ilames, one Of tho Trustees, came
down on the same husinCs IS, and all arrange
ment was entered into TO withira these
bills, which has been done, in order to allow
these differences to 10 adjusted between the
stockholders and the Company.
1t appears that the charter obtained does
not fix tho time when the road is to be 6n-
ishea, but requires the County Commission
ers to execute the bonds, on the townships
voting $50, 900 each, to the capital stock Of
said company, and turn them over to tho
President. This WAS done and now O por-
ton Of tho citizens Of the two TOW nships
oppose the le1yiHg Of special tax, to meet
the interest on these bonds.
The County Commissioners ask for 10
mills on Jonssvillc, and n on Pi4cknsy.
Your Representatives examined the law very
closely, and consulted with Maj. Townsend,
Attorney General, in order to get around
recommending this enormous levy, but our
duty was plan. and a precedent in the
Pickens county case, in which the County
Commissioners refused to make tbs levy,
and were put in Jail for refusing to compl ly
with lain statute, required us to recon-
mend the levy asked for hy the Company
Commissioners.
1t is to be regretted that those townships
did not look closer into the charter aud the
requirements OF the Act requiring the
County Csmmiss ousrs to call on electi on for
the purpose of making the sppropri alton,
and have a time fixed when these bon DIS
should be valid, or invalid, provided certain
things were done or not done by the County
The condition IS it now exists, requires
the payment of these bonds, whether the
road is ever built or not, aud may run 40
years. We hope tho stockholders, citizens
and officers of the company will como to-
selher and make an arT Tangement, whereof y
this enormous tax may bs lowe-, the time
fixed for the completion of the road, and
the points to which it shall run, be agreed
upon, and thus prevent an extended law
suit.
An important bi / looking 10 the funding
of the State debt is before the House now,
which when passed will put our aiminisira-
tion in good shape as to completing the re-
funding Of the State bonds.
1t looks now rs if we would be here until
9th inst. Yours truly,
JOHN II. JEFF ERIEs.