The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-02-03
WHAT TIE "DRIFrwooD" DID.
Y euresenfative Buist, of Greenvil!e' Iuoer-
takes to Point Out What the he-
foru Legislature Did Do
TGreenville News. |

done for the people Of South Carolina
s,er the boasts Of their leader, b. H.
Tilhuan, and have not seen correct
reo.y to the query. Therefore some
well meaning rcformers may be mlsieo
nv not seeing clear and correct answer
The following statement of facts may
open the eyes of those who desire to
see and know, but l can not hope TO
open the eyes Of those born blind with
hate and disappointment. This can
only be done by time. That wears
away the lofty and-high and casts N, m
into the slough of dtspond.
The first session of the reform Legs
lature, December, 1890, reduced the
State levy half mill. That left in
the pockets of the people eighty esq.,
000) thousand dollars in cash. repre-
senting, in the hands Of the producers
eighty thousand bushels Of wheat or
one hundred and six thousand bushels
of corn. or three thousand Oales OF cot
ton.
They cut of the appropriation OF
TWO thousand five hundred dollars
from the State Agricultural society
that former Legislatures had been CIV
ing to them for six or eight years, but
now as it had become strong and able
to take care Of itself it was deemed
time to stop this drain upon the people
of the State and it took the reform
Legislature to find it out.
There are many otheritems saved the
people of the State that cannot now
recall, but sufficient has been cited to
show that the first session of the reform
Les. lature saved or left in the pockets
of the people eighty two thousand i've
hundred dollars more than the Legis-
lature that preceded it. The session OF
1891 of the reform Legislature again
reduced the State levy fourth Of a
mill more, thereby again leaving IN
the pockets of the people $4,000, re-
fused to give $500 to the State Agri-
cultural Society, when it was admitted
the society had over and above all en-
penses $1,000 in bark to its credit; re-
duced the expenses of the State Asy-
lum $4,000 and put it under a more
efficient management.
Thus you will see the first reform
Legislature, with many difficulties to-
overcome, ana opposed by shrewd
and willy minority, did save or leave
in The pockets OF The people Si45, ,0G1
without crippling the efficiency Of the
State government one particle.
The House also passed bill reduc-
ing the salaries of all State officers,
clerks, &C., at its first session, but the
Senate refused to agree to this bill aud
it stands at the head of the Senate CAL
endar to day as special order and stood
there through most Of the past session
unacted upon, thereby requiring the
people to pay thousands Of dollars to
office holders that should be in the
pockets of the people. The Senate
alone is responsible to the people for
this as the writer called the attention
Of Senators time and again during the
past session to this matter, urging ac-
tion upon it.
1t was the pleasure and privilege of
the reform Legislature to inaugurate
md make possible the establishment
of the Industrial and Winthrop Nor
NAL college of South Carolina for the
training and education of the white
women of our State, an act that will
live in the heart Of every woman OF
South Carolina to Bless the reform that
seeks to place them in high and a
no5ler sphere of independence ard
happiness.
What man is there in Carolina with
spark of true manhood in his breast
who would not admit that an Act tc
establish an institution to enable the
weak by nature to become strong, the
timid brave and independent, is glory
enough for the reform movement il
they had not saved the people of the
State d10}ess2
You will see the refofsn- movement
not only saved tie people of Soutt
Carolina Thousands of dollars, but have
also done for the women-the bette!
half'' of the people-what n other ad
ministration ever attempted to do.
I have made a clear statement O.
facts for the enlightenment of the peo
ple and if have erred it has been thai
I have not told all that was done.
Respectfully, H. B. BUST.
EDITOR WILLIAMS REPLIES TO MR
BUST AND SHOWS WHERE MORE
TRIBUTE IS TAKEN FROM THE
PEOPLE Now THAN
FORMERLY.
Representative II. B. Buist of thi
county usually thinks with Governo
Tillman, but evidently does not accep
the opinion ofthe Legislature expressed
by the Governor in his speech at Lau
rens. He does not seem TO think tn.
"driftwood' obstructed reforms, for ht
tells us to-day of the important reform:
the reform Legislature achieved.
The first session of the reform legis
lature, he tells Us, reduced the Stat
tax levy half mill. Did it?
AS we remember the facts, the oni,
important cutting down of expense
made in 1886 was by the suspension O
work on the State house, previous Leg
islatures having appropriated from
$4,000 to $4,000 year for that pur
pose. We are not sure, but our recoI
lection is that the suspension of thi