The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-01-28
OUR LEaIsLATORs.

-|rUH.
Very little Legislation has as yet
been accomplished. The less, the
better of course. Many bills are
pending, originating In the House
and Senate and much work cut OUT.
Little disposition is shown towards
gas and buncombe, but there is a
strong leaning towards the widest
kind of legislation, calculated. to
drive capital out Of the State, pro-
vlded always, that any should be
found I'm 1t. The character of the
legislation is illustrated by the able
debate on the Canine Bill. Itpass-
ed the House allowing the owner
of a gun to infict death on a dog
found depredating on anothers'
premises than his own, provided
the dog was killing a sheep, pig,
poultry, OF was a mad dog and
about to bite some child or imbe-
Gle person unable to protect itself
unless by inficting mortal injury.
The yellow dog at least secured a
dog-faiI.
Committees have been appoint
ed to Investigate Winthrop and
Clemson Colleges; also the conduct
Of the Penetentiary by Superinten-
dant Neal. This course will do no
harm, yet we do not apprehend
that any corruption or incipient
rottenness will be found. 1t is we'll
euough, however, for public officers
to know that the public have an
eye upon them.
a Mr.. Williams, of old Edge
field is for cutting down salaries of
Associate Justices and other off,
clals, but Mr.. Williams will find
that he Is in after the feast and that
all the big officers have been elect.
ed before his law applies and that
their salaries cannot be reduced
during the terms for which they
have been elected. But Mr.. Will
liams' intentions are good.
1.-THE Bill to create two new cir
cults, Chat economical arrangement
we mentioned last week,) makes
the seventh circuit to consist of
Spartanburg, Union and L~aurens,
Judges to have $4,000, Solicitors
$1,000, and Stenographers 81, 100.
Tt will only take $4,000 annually
to pay the aggregation.
There was great eloquence
from a Mr.. Floyd, a Mr.. Harper,
and others on a Bill to make the
birthday of Gen. r. e. Lee q legal
holiday, but how any man in SYM
pathy with any expression, act or
environment of a Lee could have
gotten into a Southern Legislature
or any other position, at this day,
will remain au unexplained mira
Gle to the crack Of doom. 1t can
only be explained upon the fact
that Lee has been dead some TWEEN.
ty years, and public men now,in
sympathy with the times are ut
terly oblivious Of Lees feelings,
add aspirations, if they ever had a
dream of them. Andrew johnson,
of Tennessee, is certainly the man
that Floyd and Harper ought to
harp on and apotheosize, when
they propose to set up objects Of
worship. Ninety-nine hundreths
of the proposed Legislation has
reference to office, offices, and how
to control them. So far as the code
of procedure is concerned, the
criminal law, or the law of con.
tracts affecting the rights and prop
erty of the citizen, little change
seems to be proposed. This is the
status and the trend as we this
moment write.
We note as of old time, q tenden-
cy to legislate in the interest of
shad, the sturgeon, and the finny
tribe; but this is a waste of public
money; a second Diogones may be
selected to spy out the land and
give evidence against the fish
iends, but he will be "bamboozledn
and "debauched" by the time he
gets within q Sabbath days journey
OF Waccamaw, and no native re-
siding above Columbia may expect
to iuxuriate on anything above the
merit of a mud cat-much less q
shad, except he pays at the rate of
a dime to every scale that glistens
on his sides.
We note that Mr.. Townsend, from
somewhere, a member OF the
House, has held a thousand dollar
position all the year round in the
Attorney Generals department,
and NJ. Duncan, of Newberry, an
Office of big profit In the Office of
Secretary of State, and some mem.
Der feebly, like a sucking dove,
wants TO know how such things
can be In these days of Reform.
The inquirer should develope his
lung power and make himself