The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-02-05
The Third Week Of the Session Ended.
Columbia STATE. Feb. 3.

The Third Week Of the Session Ended
Columbia State. Feb. 8.
The third week of the annual session of
the General Assembly has now come and
gone, and when one casts about and Sits
out the chat, very few legislative grains
are found as q result of the work so far.
In fact about the only thing accomplished
during the past week worthy of any pub
lie note was the election of the two Asso-
ciate Justices. That much Of the work Of
the session has been finally disposed of.
Aside from this and the final passage Of a
few immaterial bills the lower House has
so far accomplished practically nothing.
A large number Of unimportant bills
have been killed, some of them being
almost amusing in their provisions.
And Is the matter now stands OF the $50
or more bills and resolutions now having
places on the House calendar, bills relst-
ing to special legislation prohibited by
the constitution, there Is q large proper
ton which are certain to be killed in q
merciless n as, many such hare
already been. This class of bills which
continues to come in reminds one Of the
comet
"The flaming comet streams across the
sky, and then is gone from sight-born
but to de-"
So it is with this mass of expensive
written and printed matter. Many Of the
bills seem ''born, but to die" But des-
pite this the House has refused to pass q
resolution looking to the cessation Of the
introduction Of bills save through the
chairman of the several committees. An
effort was made to put 8 stop to this, but
the House was practically a unit against
lthe proposition. It was what the recent
Convention was forced to do in order to
get down to work, and the House will no
doubt have to do likewise. In the Senate
things are moving along pretty evenly.
The House has spent the past week dis
cussing measures that were killed, 30 the
past week so far as grinding out matter
likely to take its place in the statute law
of the State is concerned has amounted to
little.
There is now no telling how long the
session will last, from four to five weeks
more Is the minimum time placed on the
continuance of the session by Conserve
tive members.
There is not a ray Of light in the west
or anywhere else on the matter Of the
length of the session. The prospects of
short session seem very gloomy indeed.
The outlook is far from being what it
was at the close Of last weeks work.
The ways and means committee Is just
beginning the preparation of the appro-
priation bill. Only two or three Of the
general bills have yet been prepared n
found their way into the House. Most Of
these are in course Of preparation, or are
on their way over from the Senate.
Looking back over the past weeks
work one recalls the fight over the reso-
luton expressing sympathy for the Cuban
patriots and calling on the President and
Congress to recognize them as belliger-
euts; the fight on the bill to reissue to
Samuel Lord, receiver Of the State bank,
certain bonds destroyed by Federal sol
idiers during the war, resulting in the
killing of the bill, the battle yer the
bills to improve the sanitary condition OF
the tails, to allow the counties to issue
bonds in order to get on q cash basis, end
relating to the carrying Of concealed
weapons.
Nothing more has been heard of MI.
L. J. Williams resolution instructing the
judiciary committee to look into the
question as to the title OF certain mem
bers to their seats in the House, since its
adoption. It appears to be resting easy
in committee. ~Theresolution introduced
by Mr.. Fowler endorsing Senator Till
mans speech in Congress and urging re-
sistsnce to tyrants, '%'believing as we do,
that such resistance is in obedience to
God" hasn't been heard from since it was
referred to the committee on federal rela-
tons.
The Joint resolution introduced on Sat-
urdsy looking to the movement through
out the Southern and Southwestern States
70 secure q statue of MI. Peabody. the
great philanthropist, will doubtless pass
both Houses and meet with general favor.
So far two income tax bills have been
introduced in the General Assembly.
The leading provisions of these bills have
already been published.
One of the matters OF the week which
has excited universal attention was the
adoption by the Senate Of the new insur-
ance bill. If this bill passeg tho House
and becomes q law interesting develop
ments will follow.
Another measure far reaching in its
effects is Mr.. OTIS bill to put the tele-
graph and express companies under the
control of the State railroad commission.
The text Of the bill is as follows:
SECTION /. That from and after the pass
age of this act, all companies or persons
owning or controlling or operating or
that may hereafter own, control or oPsr-
ate, a line or lines of express or telegraph
whose line or lines Is, or are in whole orin
part, in this State. shall be under the con-
troll of the railroad commissioners Of this
state, who shall have full powers to reg
ulate the prices to be charged by any
company or person or persons owning,
1oo.-olli~~ n - oporotinp onu limo Op fnQa
of express or telegraph, for any service
performed by such company. person or
PERSONS: and ell the powers given to said
commissioners over railroads in this
State and all the penalties prescribed
against railroad companies or persons
operating railroads by existing laws, m
braced in section Of the code OF 1898, from
section 1,6l5 to section 1,6l9, both, inclus-
i've, are hereby declared to be Of force
against corporations, companies or per-
sons owning, controlling or operating a
line or lines of express or telegraph, do
ing business in this State, whose line or
lines is, or are wholly or in part in this
State, so far as said provisions Of the code
can be made applicable to any corpora
ton, company or person or persons own
ing, controlling or operating 8 line or
lines of express or telegraph. The said
commissioners shall also have power and
authority to require said companies to
locate agencies at railroad stations.
SEC. 2. Be it further enacted by the au-
thority aforesaid, That that power Of the
commissioners to regulate charges by
corporations, companies and persons
herein referred to shall apply only to
charges by express for transportation
from one point to another in this State,
and messages sent by telegraph from one
point to another in this State.