The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-01-09
MIR. BARNWELL'S IDEAS.
CONSERVATIVE SEN
ATcR TALKS HORSE SENSE.
He Says the Legislature Did Great Deal
of Hard Wori---The Constitutional Con-
vention Should be a Non-Patizan Body.

vention Should be a Non-Patizan Body.
CHARLESTON, S. c., Jan. IA re-
porter for the News and Courier called
on Senator J. W. Barnwell recently
with a request for an interview upon
the work Of the Legislature at it's late
session. Nr. Barnwell said that the
correspondents at Columbia had des-
cribed so thoroughly the work done
that there was little for him to say.
However. that he had never in his
lifetime had snch hard work to do as
that which was crowded into the three
weeks between the 4th and 24th of
December. 1t was literally a night
and day business to do the mere rou-
tine that was required of a Senator
and also To keep watch upon general
legislation.
Something over four hundred bills
had been acted on by the senate, of
Which about three hundred had come
before the committees on the judiciary
and on interpretations, of which he
was member. Work usually began
at 10 o'clock in the morning with the
sitting of one or other of those COM
mittees, and was continued until II
o'clock, then the senate met and con-
tinued in session till shortly after 3
o'clock The judiciary committee met
every day at i 80 and sometimes sat
for ever two hours. and on one occas-
ion until the meeting Of the senate at
S p. N. The senate met nearly every
night at 5 and continued in session
till about 10 and sometimes up to II
and IL o'clock.
There certainly was no waste of
time in the senate. No set speeches
were delivered and there was no
member on either side so far as he
could see who wasted time in speak
ing. He did not hesitate to say that
he believed the South Carolina legis-
lature was the hardest worked legisla-
tive body in the world. Under its un-
written law it adjourned at Christmas
and to do so required unceasing labor.
Of course there was amass of leglsla-
ton which was mere routine. such as
the incorporation of towns or amend
ilrg their charters. or the incorporation
OF railroads and the many local mat
ters concerning county government.
Under the present constitution every
bill must relate to one subject, and
consequently it was impossible to
have one bill ortwobills incorporating
in one act large number of compan-
les. as was the practice prior to the
present constitution. This legisla-
ture had adh,! ed pretty closely to the
rule that no charters should be issued
which could be obtained from the
clerk of the court or the secretary of
State; but the number of acts of incor-
poration which cannot be so obtained
is considerable and many of these it is
scarcely possible to see a way to grant
ing under any general law.
Charleston has always very large
mass of such legislation to be got
through with, and he pitied the sena-
tor who ever had to do this work alone
Every person interested in charter
wishes to know exactly its progress
through the two bodies, and the sem
ate is amused sometimes TO see the tel
egrams rushing in upon the Charles
ton senators. Personally he was treat
ed by all of the senate, its officers and
employees with the utmost courtesy,
and he had the pleasantest recollec-
tons of his intercourse with them.
He did not believe that the errors i'm
noting amendments made by the
senate were the effect he might say
they were not inasmuch as they some
times occurred in bills in which no one
could be interested III making them. He
stated this as a simple matter of just
ice to the presiding officers and the
clerks. In the tremendous rush to-
ward the end of the session and in the
late hours which prevailed it was
wonderful that there were not more
errors. There are really not so many
committed as there are in the closing
hours of congress Of what is known
as the short session.
Politically speaking, of course, the
conservatives We're not able to control
II.
expect with the small minorities in
the two houses, but that their weight
was felt on the committees and in gen
eral legislation is a fact too patent to
need discussion. There was scarcely
any bitterness in any debate. and the
effort seemed to be. as general rule
on the part OF the conservatives, not to
obscure the questions by side issues
but to discuss them on their merits,
and to leave no excuse 10 the majority
to plead on behalf Of their party
measures that they had been irritaled
or taunted by their adversaries. On
the other hand he did not think that
any Of the majority ever thought fora
moment that the minority had surren-
dered their convictions. You must
recoIlect that on q number of the party
questions the conservative vote was
doubled by the addition Of the more
independent OF the Reformers. Sena-
tor Finley. of York Senator Kirkland
of kcrshaw, and Senator Miller. of
Lancaster, voted on all subjects as
they pleased and We're reinforced from
time to time by other Senators.
Senator Rarnwcll was asked to
speak regarding the address of the
forty" He said that not ali Of these
gentlemen had proved their faith by
Jheir works: but he thought that GER
tainly an effort should be made by
the conservatives tc show that they
were willing to drop party lines in
the matter Of the constitutional con-
vention. II that body was partisan
body. bent upon making a constitu-
ton which should recognize the die
tates OF faction alone. it should be
clearly shown that the fault Of doing
so did not rest Win the cities and
towns and the conservatives, but
should be laid at the door of the ad-
and the extremists Of
that faction. There would be time
enough to demonstrate who We're at
fault if the BODY WAS not truly a rep |