The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-05
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
BOTH HOUSES ORGANIZE AND PRO-
cEED TO BUSINESS.

Electing Officers and Drawing for Seats.
Speaker Jones sRe-electsd-Dr. Pope Pre-
sents a Petition--A Number of Bills
Introduced.
COLUMBIA, S. c., Nov. 2S.-Both
Houses of the General Assembly met
in annual session yesterday at noon
and proceeded to organize. In the
Senate, after prayer, the organization
of the body was. begun by calling the
roll of the old members. The new
members were then called up, ranged
in a semi-circle in front of the Presi-
dents desk and sworn in. Senator
John R. Harrison, of Greenville, was
elected as president pro tenn.
The election of clerk of the Senate
to succeed DR.. Sampson Pope was
then in order. Senator Mayfeld
nominated Gen. r. R. Hemphill, SEN
ator Byrd Mr.. R. NJ. McCown, and
Senator Efrd Mr.. J. A. Sigh. The
vote on the first ballot was as follows:
For Hemphill-Barnwell, Barton,
Brice, Buist, Dennis, Fuller, Mayfeld,
Miller, McCalla, Mcdaniel, Norris, Ra-
gin, Sanders, Turner, Wilson-15.
For McCown-Brown, Byrd, Der
ham, Finley. Harrison, Kirkland.
Stacihouse, Verdier, Willams-e.
ForSligh-Douglass, DuBose, Efird,
Jordan, Mauldin, Moses. Mower,
O'Dell, Sloan, Stribling, Watson-11:
On the second ballot these changed
from McCown to Hemphill: Brown,
Finley, Verdier and Williams, which
with the vote of Senator Walker, who
came in after the first ballot, gave
him 20 votes. These changed from
McCown to Sigh; Byrd, Derham,
Harrison, Kirkland and Stackhousee,
giving him 16. The distinguished ed
itor of the Abbeville Medium was ac-
cordingly declared elected clerk, and
came forward to take the oath of office.
For the position of sergeant-at arms,
J. G, Elliot, incumbent; and j. 4.
Smith were nominated. The vote was
Elliot. 20; Smith, 8.
For reading clerk, w. 81. Stewart,
R. L. Gunter and N. K. Perry were
nominated. 1t was proposed that
each candidate be given trial at
reading. This was done and after
wards vote taken, which resulted in
Stewart receiving % and Gunter and
Perry 4 each. The body showed a
proper discrimination.
The President of the Senate was au-
thorized to make the same number and
character of appointments as at the
sessions of 1892 and 1898.
The same rules which governed the
Senate at the last session were adopt
ed. ,
President Zimmerman announced
the following appointments:
Journal clerk, Jesse T. CAN'T; door
keeper, Thomas Whittle; assistant, j.
r. Boyles; bill clerk, E. A. Perry,
door keeper in gallery, Marion Dorm /;
assistant, s. NJ. Scott; pages, Ed l..
Mcdaniel and Caldwell Smith; postal
clerk, E. o. Jenkins.
The committee which waited on
Governor Tillman returned and in
formed the Senate that the Governor
would communicate with the Senate
to-day.
& The Senate was ready to adjourn un-
til today, but Senator Mower had
something to say before it quit bust
ness. He arose and introduced petit
ton signed by DR.. Sampson Pope.
This petition sets forth that the re-
cent election for Governor was an lille
gal and fraudulent one and IN viola
ton of the Constitutions of this State
and of the United States.
The petition next charges managers
of the election with all kinds of frauds,
even to taking Pope ballots out Of
boxes and substituting Evans ballots
in their places. Supervisors OF regis
tration are also charged with fraud,
and the indictment includes mighty
near everybody in the. State. except
those who voted for Pope.
John L. NJ. Irby, GovernorTillman,
Senator John Gary Evans and the
County Democratic Executive Com
mittees, are charged with being parties
to frauds. Governor Tillman is
charged with backing up the alleged
frauds by the use of officers OF the
Z law.
DR.. Pope most solemnly declares
that had it not been for these frauds
: he would have gotten there Like Eli
and would have been the next Cover
nor. DIR. Pope says he stands ready
: to prove these frauds.
Accompanying the petition was a
concurrent resolution that DR.. Pope
be heard before each body of the Gen
eral Assembly and that he have power
to summon witnesses to prove his allie
cations; that pending said contests the
returns for Governor shall not be
opened and tabluated.
The petition and the concurrent
resolution will 60 to the Committee on
Privileges and Elections when it is ap-
pointed.
THE HOUSE ORGANIZED.
The first business in the House after
the members had been sworn in and
had signed the roll was the election OF
Speaker. Hon. IraB B. Jones of Lam
caster was nominated for reelection.
No one else was nominated and Mr..
Jones received every vote cast. In &C
cepting the position Mr.. Jones made a
graceful and appropriate speech to the
House. He thanked the body for the
honor and said that the gratitude he
felt was intensified by the fact that the
election was so unanimous and hearty.
He thought from what he could see OF
the body over which he was to preside
that the State was in honorable and
patriotic hands.
1.-THE first business before the House, -