The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-01-14
TILLMAN,S TWELVE PER CENT.
a Small Minority OF hissuggcatlons adcr-
ted.
NsmlcrrY Observer.

more and accomplished less than any of
its predecessors. The majority of the
members went into Office on the popular
wave by holding on to Tillman's coat
tail Most of them had never had any
in public life and there was
q woeful ignorance on the part Of many
concerning public affairs. Lawyers who
had scarcely ever been entrusted with
hundred dollar case; farmers who could
not run successfully one horse farm
there were many such as these sent to
legislate for million people and over
one hundred and fifty millions OF prop
erty. They call themselves "reformers," !"
though what there was to reform they
could never be induced to say; and now
that their term is ended, after two years
of unrestricted sway and unlimited pow
er, if they have reformed anything, what
ever, there is no evidence of it.
1t would not be difficult to sum up
all the Legislature did that was of any
consequence to the people at large. 1t
passed forty six joint resolutions and 2S7
acts-more than nine tenths of them
being of locel or private character. OF
the acts of general public interest we re-
call now the establishment of the girls
industrial school, or rather the prelimi'
nary steps for its establishment; the
anti-free pass bill, which affects very
few people except iu so far as it tends
to keep public officers free from obiga-
ton to railroads and therefore not s. Ii
able to be "tamed" by them or subje cted
to their influence 20 the detriment of
the people; the establishment of the
phosphate commission; the aboitiom OF
the department of agriculture; perhaps
one or two other acts, that we DO not now
recall.
To tell what it did not do would re-
ouile more space A majority WAS sent
to Columbis to do what Tilmau wanted
them to do. At the legislative sessions OF
1890 the reform" legislators were 'ite
subservient to the wishes of theit chief,
for he vas popular then; but they were
mostly raw recruits and inexperienced
in public affairs. They tried to do some
thing, but left mos, of the important
work of the session incomplete, and it
came over to the session of 1891 for final
disposition.
Between tue sessions of 1890 and 1891
there was decided change in popular
feeling. Governor Tillmau, for scme
reason, had lost much of his popularity
when the second session of the "refarm"
Legislature opened. Herce it is that
many of his pet measures were entirely
ignored We are not now sr Gu
la.ing about causes, but only rsci ling
facts
1t is interesting, if not signi6cau TO
recali the recommendations contained in
the Governors Inaugural in 1890 and
his Message in 1891, and see how many
OF these recommendations were ''sat
upon" by the Legislsture-most nf them
at the second term
Here is little list of recommends
tions:
|. To- have the counties divided into
square school districts not more than
thirty six nor less than sixteen square
miles, with ore white and one co!ored
school in each. This failed
2 To have the school trustees ell led
by residents of the school district. Fsii.
ed.
8. To make the poll tax So Fail
ed.
4. To provide for having the State
publish the school BOOKS Failed
S. To provide an industrial school
for girls, and IS preliminary step to
adopt the Winthrop Training School.
Adop cd; bat the practical details remain
to be carried CIT by another Legisla.
ture.
6. 10 require each county to support
its own patients in the Lunatic Asylum
Failed.
7. To call p constitutional convention.
Failed.
s, To raapportion representa- \ n
the House of Representatives. Adop-
ted.
8. To rearrange Charleston ard B.rke-
ley counties, so as to give the frrmer
more area, as the cutting off of the lat.
ter gave it less area than the constitution
requires. Failed.
10. The enactment OF new railroad
law similar to that of Georgia A
new law vas passed at the sess of
1890, but the Governor was not alt seth
or pleased with it and therefore v-toed
it. At the session of 1891 a BIZ for
this purpose passed the House, but was
killed in the closing hours of the Senate
for want of quorum. So this recon'men-
dstion also failed.
IL. In his Inaugural the Governor
made the remarkable declaration that
"self government by counties is and has
always been failure" In accordance
with his recommendations, three of bis
ardent suppporters-Mr. W. D. Evans
of the Senate, and Messrs John Gary
Evans and J. L. McLaurin of the
House-formed bill in which nearly all
the power was taken from the people
and given to the Governor. The bill
S9v31ypo)E