The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-09-25

have general supervision of the public
works.
). The chairncn Of the township di
rectors shall compose board OF coun-
ty commissioners.
E. The township boards or three of
them shall compose board of equali-
zation of property.
Z. 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 500, and in criminal cases such as
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
ofSouth Carolina, do most heartily ap-
peal to you, through Mrs. Chapin, our
president, to enact such statutes as
Shall provide for the adequate punish
men! 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
a 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.. T. y.
Charleston, S. G.
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 30.
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 a number of members applied
for leave of absence till Monday. Dr.
Stokes of Orangeburg offered 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-
partment reported an article in full.
The important changes in this depart.
ment are the extension of the term of
the members of the House from
two to four years, and the Civ
ing of one Senator to every coun-
tySCharleston included. The new
county of Saluda is to have two
of the five Representatives now
allotted to Edgefeld. The pay of mem
bers is fixed at three dollars a day3and
mileage at five cents per mile. The
homestead provieion is retained as at
present-s1, 200 in real estate and $500
in personal property. The right OF
dover is limited to property which
husband owns at the time Of his
death.
The report of the committee on mu-
nicipal corporations and police regu-
lations contains three new and lmpor-
tant pl DIVISIONS:
1. That in all municipal elections as
to the issue of bonds or the creation Of
any municipal debt, adult women who
pay taxes on $500 worth of property
shall be entitled to vote.
2. That the Legislature may regu-
late and license the sale of spirituous
liquors, or may prohibit the same.
3. That the Legislature may, in the
exercise of the police power, authorize
parties duly appointed for the purpose
to sell intoxicants. (The dispensary
system.)
The committee on the Executive De-
partment submitted a complete article.
It retains all the present executive Of
fcers-their term being fixed at two
years. The pardoning power IS vested
in tae governor: under the advice of a
board of pardons, consisting of the
comptroller general, the secretary of
State, and the superintendent Of the
penitentiary. The governor may, in
his discretion, decline to grant the par
don recommendation which case he
shall state his reasons to the general
assembly at its next session. The lieu
tenant governor is president Of
the Senate, with the right to
vote in case OF a tie. When Sen
ator becomes lieutenant governor,
he therefore vacates his seat in the
Senate.
The report of the committee on
finance and taxation retains the pres
ent system of ad ralorem taxation,
and gives the Legislature the right to
place capitation tax on animals. 1t
retains the two-mill tax for the sup
port of the public schools. It limits
the bonded Indebtedness Of counties
and municipalities to eight per cent of