The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-02-19
MANY NEW STATUTES.
THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE WORK
ON THEIR CALENDARS.

THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE WORK
ON THEIR CALENDARS.
Numbers of Bills Go Through the Differ.
ent stages--An Interesting Account of
| the Proceedings.
COLUMBIA, Feb. 13.-Special: The
past two days have been days of work
| in the Legislature. Today was calen-
dar day in the Senate and as the cal
endar was. a small one with the excep-
ton of the special orders, which were
passed over, the session was short
one. The only matter OF any inter
est whatever was the bill to repeal the
law in relation to exemption to road
duty, over which there was a some
what lengthy debate which was sea-
soned with humor of an unconscious
nature and interspersed with amend
ments of various sorts and kinds,
some of which were offered twice in
succession. The great object of the
would-be amenders seemed to be to
exempt boys and ministers from road
duty. The idea seemed to prevail
that the company kept while road
working would be damaging to the
minds of these classes. But MIR.
Moses solved the whole question at one
lick by making neat little motion
that killed the whole bill, and left
matters in statu quo. The homestead
bill with the $500 exemption for bach
elors was the only other matter of any
general interest considered.
Mr.. Harrison presided during the
greater part of the session and the cal
endar had dwindled down wonderful
ly when the welcome motion to ad-
ljourn prevailed.
THE HOUSE.
The house of representatives had a
dull and uneventful day session. The
members were given a test as to their
desire to adjourn and 60 home In a
fortnight from Saturday next but as
yet the day of the final adjournment
lis hanging on the distant calendar OF
time without even a number upon 1t
to provide for its Identification, and
what is more no further effort will be
made to number it until one week
from today when the house will talk
about the matter again.
When this conclusion had been
reached the registration bill was taken
up and after the house had voted down
an amendment offered by Mr.. Patton
to prevent the possibility of frauds in
the issuing of registration certificates
and an endless variety of committee
ammendments were made. Then Mr..
Bacot took his blue pencil and an
hour or more elapsed while he made
verbal amendments one after another,
Icbanging a word here and there and
every now and then putting in COM
ma or a semi-colon, all without even
a dash of general interest.
A number of new bills of no general
Interest were presented, also with a
number of reports Of as little interest,
and the senate resolution to Tx the day
for final adjournment was made the
special order for the Goth.
THE PRIVILEGE TAX.
The feature of today's work was the
debate on the privilege tax on fertiliz-
ers. The proposition was to abolish
the tax absolutely so far as the farmers
are concerned, thereby cutting of
lClemson's annual income, and to levy
Instead a tax on every ton of fertilizers
sold, sufficient TO maintain the expert
mental station and provide for the
analyses, the tax to be paid by the
manufacturers. The whole morning
session was practically devoted to the
debate, and the real effect of the bill
that the farmers would continue to
pay the same for their fertilizers IN
the long run, the manufacturers get.
ting the amount of the tax now paid
was not pointed out until about the
end of the discussion. AS it was the
proposition caused the closest vote of
| the session, the bill being killed by
only one vote. The fight was an in
teresting one throughout.
The committees substitute for Mr..
Railsford's bill to amend the present
Eact in reference to the distribution of
the privilege tax on fertilizers was taxi
en- up, being the special order.
Mr.. Rainsford said he was common
friend of all the institutions of higher
education, but he was special friend
to Clemson college because he was a
farmer; farming had been his occu-
patton all his life. Hence it was i'm
possible for any one to charge him
with wishing to injure Clemson. Glenn
son had come and asked for an appro-
priation at the outset, breaking her
contract not to ask for anything.
Last year she asked for 500, 900; they
appropriated $4,000: in some way it
read $4,000. The trustees discussed
whether to take it or not, and not on
Ily took it, but used it. They owed it
| to the State to return that $40, 900 on
moral grounds, if no other. He then
quoted the figures showing the income
of Clemson college. The farm ought
to return the institution at least
ls5,OOO. He said the board of trustees
were running a hotel there. Think
of these figures" he exclaimed.
'sThey are astonishing me-" If these
figures were presented to the people
thew would be astounded also. Her
income would be 100000 this year.
He could not see the necessity for
such an amount. He wanted the
privilege tax fund to be divided and a
portion given to the girls. Every
student now at Clemson was a beneh-
ciary. "Gentlemen, do you believe
that every student there should be a
beneficiary9" At least 170 of the little
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