The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-14
TRAINERS OF ORGANIC LAW.
IMPORTANT MEASURES PROPOSED
IN THE COLUMBIA CONVENTION.

A WranEIe on the Question OF
Printing the Various Ordinances
and Resolutions a. soon as Pro-
posed settled by ma order 10 Print
Everything, the same 90 he Dis
tributed on the Desks of Members.
"Canary'' Miller, the COIored Dele
Eate-synOpsis of the Various Or
dinnnces and Plans Proposed.
Among Them an Able scheme OF
state Government offered by ex-
Congressman George JohnstOne.
Columbia, s. c.. Sept. is-To-day was
a'rather important one In the constitu-
tional convention.
The morning session opened with long
wrangle and rather spirited debate as to
whether the convention should 80 10 the
expense Of having each ordinance and
resolution printed as soon as offered and
laid on the desks Of the members or
whether the manuscript copies should be
handed into the committees withouS
printing, allowing the committees to re-
port recommending substitutes in the
shape Of clauses for the constitution IL
was claimed that this would stihe all
ordinances In committee rooms and no
one on the floor would ever know whas
was proposed. The members wanted to
have the ideas of one another and conse-
quently ordered the printing Of everythinA
The convention spent several hours dis.
ousslng this feature Of the rules. Then In
the last fifteen minutes Of the long ses-
sion, the wheels Of the resolution and
ordinance mill flew around with the ra-
pldity Of lightning, and some forty new
propositions were presented. some Of them
being Of vital Importance.
II Is now pretty thoroughly understood
that biennial sessions of the legislature
will be provided for instead OF annual ses-
sions: that the terms OF the state officers
will be made four years, instead OF two
years as heretofore; that smaller coun-
ties will be provided; that county courts
Will be established and that judges will
be elected by the people, instead OF by the
legislature.
When Rule Al In regard to the ratif-
cation Of the constitution was reached,
the colored member, Canary Miller, made
an effort to have II referred back to the
people. presenting the following amend
ment TO be added to the rule:
And the said constitution after 1t shall
have received the majority vote of the
delegates present shall be submitted to
the electors OF the state Of South Carolina
for ratification. The vote Of ratification
of the people shall be taken on the second
Tuesday In January A. D., 1895. The vote
shall be taken at the several precincts in
each county of the state. The form OF the
ballots to be voted shall be as follows:
favor the new constitution or I do not
favor the new constitution
Mr. Ehrd raised the point that this was
~ ha MIA 20 ant uaFnk
provision The proper way to present 1t
was In thes hape Of an ordinance later on.
Miller said that this appeared TO him TO
be the only proper place to bring this
matter up. A handful of the people had
no right to act for the whole people, ana
declare that the document after they had
completed drawing 1t up. was the consti-
tuition Of the whole people.
The president said THE chair will noa
entertain this ip the shape Of an amenda-
tory resolution TO the rule, but as a reg
ular resolution and refer It % the proper
committee. The resolution took the lat@
ter course. AIiner's efforts will be a fruirv
less one.
J. william Stokes introduced an ordin-
ance to abolish the state supreme courrs
and establish an appellate court. consists
ing Of the circuit judges
Senator Tillman introduced an ordiny
ance providing for smaller counties-of
400 square miles each. The present area
Is about 900 square miles each.
Mrs. Patton introduced suffrage ordinv
ance providing for an educational qualfA
fcation; a property qualification of $500
and for the disqualification of no confeders
ate soldier or son Of such
Several ordinances providing for a four
years term of all state officers were ina
troduced.
Mr.. Hodges asks for a 3-mill tax fox
educational purposes, giving the tax-payer
the right TO say to what school it shah
be devoted.
Mr.. Farrow of Charleston presents a
strong plan for the reorganization of the
judiciary.
Mr.. McCown has introduced an ordi-
nance, which is against the wishes oe
Tillman and Irby and the most ardent
dispensary advocates, providing that the
state shall never issue any licenses to
individuals or corporations to sell liquor.
but can provide for its sale under state
control.
The committee on municipal corpora-
tions will report tomorrow, recommending
the plural system Of voting in cities, cou-
pied with a female suffrage which al
lows women TO vote through agents
The legislative committee has decided
to allow Charleston county only one sem
ator The committee is tied on the mat
ter of biennial sessions of the general ass
sembly and favors the four years term Of
office scheme
Plans for regulating the suffrage are nu-
merous, but about the most reasonable
that has been proposed, and one that
seems to meet every requirement OF the
situation was proposed by Mr.. George
Johnstone of Newberry. Mr.. Johnstone
is an able lawyer, an ex-eongressman.
and his plan may be considered as free
from all legal objections as far as the con-
stitutlon Of the United States is con-
cerned
Col Johnstones proposition, which
was introduced to-day. is that citizens
who are Of sound mind and of age, and
who have resided a certain time in the
state and have not been convicted OF
crimes which he names. shall have the
right to vote, provided they can read and
write or who have a certain amount OF
taxable property in the county in which
they reside.