The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-09-25

also to lay a capitation tax of 81. so
and special tax on vehicles-the pro-
ceeds thereof to be applied exclusively
to the maintenance of the public roads.
By Mr.. McKagen: To prohibit
members of the Legislature from
holding any other office of trust or
profit.
By Mr.. OTIS of Union: To author
ize the Legislature to license the carry
ing of concealed weapons; also, to ex-
empt minors from road duty.
By Mr.. J. o. A. Moore: To fix the
liability of common carriers for the
acts of their servants and employees,
in cases of personal injury; also to
prohibit the giving of free passes to
public officials, including members of
the Legislature.
By. Mr.. Nicholson of Union: To
authorize the Governor to appoint an
inspector of Illuminating oils, and of
all accounts of public officials; also
of all State banks and banking houses
By Mr.. T. E. johnson of Spartan
burg: To organize the school system
of the State-providing the officers
now existing, and also the two-mill
tax for the support of the schools. It
provides for separate schools for the
two races. Itrequires the Legislature
to support the higher institutions, but
limits the annual appropriation to one
sixth of the taxes collected, in the pre-
vious year, for the support of the
schools.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
Mr.. Harrison, of Hampton, offered
the following:
1. That each county form an election
district.
2. That the officers of each county
shall be clerk of the courts of Com
mon Pleas and General Sessions, a
register, sheriff, coroner, a probate
judge for term of four years, and an
assessor and treasurer.
3. The clerk of the court shall dis
charge the duties of master.
4. Three or five directors to take the
place of township commissioners. to
have general supervision of the public
works.
S. The chairmen of the township d.
rectors shall compose board of coun
ty commissioners.
6. The township boards or three of
them shall compose board of equali-
zation of property.
7. Each township shall be a school
district and the township directors
shall act as trustees thereof.
s. There shall be elected in each
township a trial justice, who shall have
jurisdiction in civil cases to the amount
of 800, and in criminal cases such as
misdemeanors, assault and battery and
concealed weapons.
THE AGE OF CONSENT.
Mr.. J. O. A. Moore presented the
following for reference to the proper
committee:
To the Delegates in Constitutional Con-
vention assembled:
Gentlemen: The increasing and
alarming frequency of assaults upon
women and the frightful indignities to
which even little girls are subject have
become the shame of our boasted civil
ization.
A study of the statutes of our State
has revealed to us their utter failure
to meet the demands of newly awak-
ened public sentiment, which requires
better legal protection for girlhood
and womanhood.
Therefore, we, the members of the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
of South Carolina, do most heartily ap-
peal to you, through Mrs. Chapin, our
president, to enact such statutes as
shall provide for the adequate punish
ment of crimes against women and
girls.
We call attention to the disgraceful
fact that protection of the person of
our women is not placed upon so high
plane as protection of their purse.
We would therefore entreat your hon
orable body to raise the $50 called)
'age of consent" to eighteen, the legal
age which permits women to contract
valid marriage or make lawful sale
Of any of her personal property.
North and South Carolina are now
the only States, as far as we can find
out, where the low age of ten. fouls
the escutcheon of their statutes books,
and we earnestly plead that the dis
grace to the State be wiped out by
raising the law of protection to that
of legal majority, eighteen:
s. F. Chaplin.
President w. G. Thu.
Charleston, s. @.
A communication was received from
one Charles P. Walker, a Chicago
lawyer, urging such regulation of
the suffrage in South Carolina as will
fully protect the rights of citizens of
African descent.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20.
The session of the Convention was
brief and business like.
In the absence of President Evans
(who was in attendance on a meeting
of the trustees of the Industrial Col
lege) Vice-President Talbert occupied
the chair.
Quite number of members applied
for leave of absence till Monday. DR..
Stokes of Orangeburg offered a reso-
luton limiting the granting of such
leaves to cases of sickness. After con-
siderable debate this resolution was
adopted.
COMMITTEES REPORTS.
There were several reports of COM
mittees. on very important articles of
the Constitution.
The committee on Legislative De-
.k1I saln f,,I