The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-12-05
LegisIaalye Lct,er.
coLuMBIx. Dec. ?

II you 1 IL better that way will grace
the bench hereafter in addition to
Judge Gary who was the output OF the
Magazine last year. Two other judges
iticS Is a matter of doubt and that is
night.
Yes, the week has been devoted to
the log rolling, stop-in-the-passage-for-
chat and nose counting business. The
vacant judgeships made up one of the
richest pies yet set before the dominant
element and OF course they made much
ADO In slicing 1T out. 1t was MOI a hard
and the ermine was in arms reach of
almost any man who had been admitted
to n bar and the inner circles of the
T1llman series OF concentric rings-for
several rings surround the Governor
now of which that made ofthe Garya and
Evans strain OF patriots is the nearest
and closest.
At tho opening of the week it looked
as If Col. Watts must succeed Judge
Hudson; there has been any
doubt OF that: but there appeared q
living chance for Wallace and Izlar as
we'll as Witherspoon. 1t was supposed
until shortly before tho election that
the Gary-Evans people were friendly to
both the last named but it is said that
they were frightened into abandoning
them by a threat made by the Benet
and Jordan hackers to knife Eugene
Gary unless they specified. So they
specified.
The enthusiastic DR.. Samps Pope
insists that Judge Withcrspoon could
not by any leans have been elected
had 1T not been circulated generally
that he supported the Reform county
ticket in York last year as well as Con-
gresham Strait. Senator Finley, of
York, a consistent Reformer, who is an
absolutely free man by the way and
who nominated Judge Witherspoon
denies this positively. Senator Fin
ley speaks unless he knows what
he is talking about. So it is Judge W.
G.. Benet in the LIST (Charleston) cir
cult instead Of Judge .Izlar: Judge
Richard G.. Watts in the fourth instead
OF Judge Josh Hudson and Judge Town
sen in the seventh instead of the
speaker of the "Wallace"h house. Judge
James Aldrich was unanimously elected
in the second which tends to prove
what nobody knows-that he is a Re-
former; and Judge Witherspoon is Sc
cure in his berth for four more solar
revolutions.
at the close of the last session of the
General Assembly "Associate Justice"
Ira Is. Jones was a tolerably distinct
figure in the Gamer Of future events
but the vision did not materialize. The
impression is that the Reformers
formers regarded Mr.. Jones as slightly
too shrewd a lawyer to make q good
judge as well as that he was an actual
necessity to the financial protection of
certain townships in Lancaster county.
SO 1t is Associate Justice Gary and the
gallant old chieftain of "McGowan's
Brigade" is retired to the lasting but
peculiar glory that pertains to the po-
litical methods that "go" in these
times,
There was a lively fight over the Of
flee of register Of mesne
for Charleston which yields stipends to
the amount of about $4,000 a year. j.
f.. Cogswell, q T~illmanite, Of course,
but one not SO in an offensive sense"
was elected over Graham, Langley,
Metortens, Therrell and others. The
Conservatives voted for Metortens but
changed to Cogswell and accomplished
the defeat of Graham and Therrell,
either of whom would have been dis
tasteful to Charleston.
What else has the General Assembly
done ? What else will it do?
1t has made progress in the direc-
tion of salary reduction and the bill
was passed on second reading in the
House. Last year there were numer-
Il such bills introduced in the House
and this one is the composite one from
thcm all constructed by the House
Judiciary committee, the product of
incubation, as Dan Sullivan, the Irish
member from Charleston puts it.
One thing to keep in mind the salary
reduction bill has not been passed yet,
correspondent has heard leading Re-
formers predict that it would never
go on the Statute books.
In accordance with the Governors
recommendation, a new Dispentary
law will be enacted. 1t will preserve
all the essential features of the old
scheme n an effort will be made to
render it a more finished and system
NAUTICAL measure. The Governors sug-
gestion for the opening of licened beer
and wine shops will meet with intense
opposition and it is said that not even
Mr.. John Gary Evans will consent to
its adoption.
matt Stanyarnre Wilson of Spar
tanburg. has introduced a bill to COM
pei certain corporations, railroads tel
egraph and express companies excepted
to pay their employees weekly in cash.
The design of the bill is to break up
the system by which manufacturing
companies pay their operatives in
ohSSho, gnu oHly dU SOIlptly' STORES.
The measure stands a fair chance to
pass. Senator Wilson thinks that the
factories will strongly oppose it.
Representative Blease of Newberry,
has a bin to exempt dwellings on farms
from taxation for a period OF five years,
and another with like exemptions as to
hogs, sheep, cattle and horses. 1t is
doubtful If Mr.. Blease has the slightest
expectation that they will go through.
The bill for the repeal of the charter
of corporations refusing to pay their
taxes is now pending in the Senate and
only awaitsits third reading to pass.
This is the most radical measure of the
session. Under it's provision the At
torney General will be instructed to
commenced suit for the winding up OF
the business Of all rebellious railroad
companies whose charters are annulled.
The Governor recommended the pas
sage OF the bill and that amounted to it's
enactment.
The county government bills of
Senator jenkins and John Gary Evans
have been made special orders for next
Tuesday. Senator Evans bill will pos
sibly be accepted this year although it
will be vigorously fought. 1t has been
on the Reform program for three or
four years already. Its passage is not
| Hy any means n pprtaiptv