The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-17
THE ANTITRUST BILL
PASSES THE SENATE AND AWAITS
THE GOVERNORS SIGNATURE.

TRSSGS ne OCINH ! e NNO NVH' -
THE GOVERNORS SIGNATURE.
Several Other Important Measures Pass
Their Second Reading and are in q Fair
Way to Become Laws-Some Bills that
Fell by the Way Side.
COLUMBIA, S. c.. Feb. 13.-The
Senate on Saturday discussed two bills
at length on their second reading.
The first, the house bill requiring the
sinking fund commission to lend
funds to the several county treasurers
of the State for the use of their coun
ties in preference to lending the same
to other applicants for such funds;
the second, bill extending the pow
ers of the railroad commission to the
telegraph and express companies. The
former passed without very decided
opposition, while the latter came in
for its full share of discussion pro and
con.
Mr.. Buist objected to the sinking
fund being loaned to counties. he
was opposed, said he, to lending
money on any other security than
State bonds.
Mr.. Henderson said the security Civ
en- would be just as good as State
bonds. He could not see the justice
of lending this money to the banks at
Al per cent. to relend to the counties
at 8 per cent. It was not money paid
by the people and why not let it to the
counties at the Al per cent, thus saw
ing 81 per cent. to the taxpayers.
Mr.. Buist raised other objections to
the security and Mr.. Moses asked him
il The knew of any bank in the State
that would not lend money with the
county taxes pledged as security.
Mr.. Buist knew of no such bank.
Mr.. Buist moved to strike out the
enacting words. This was voted down
and the bill passed 1t second reading.
A bill to regulate express and tele-
graph companies, and to extend the
powers of the railroad commissioners
so as to give them power and authorl-
ty to regulate charges by express COM
panies for transportation; to regulate
charges of telegraph companies tor
the transportation ofmessages by tele.
graph, or charges by persons engaged
in the several businesses named here
in; to apply the powers given to said
commissioners by law over railroad
companies to all companies or persons
owning, controlling or operating a
line or lines of express or telegraph !;
and make the penalty prescribed
against railroads for violating con-.
missioners' rules apply to the compa-
MES and persons herein named whose
line or lines is or are wholly or IN
part in this State was killed, after sew
eral senators spoke on it. Messrs.
Ragsdale, Love and Mayfeld were
for the measure. They argued that
the Constitution required the passage
of such an act as this; that numerous
cases of unfair treatment by these
companies had occurred and for the
protection of the people the bill should
pass.
Messrs. Buist, Dean, Walker. Hen
derson and Hay led the opposition
forces. They attacked the bill on the
grounds that there was no general
complaint against these companies;
that in the case of express the compa-
nies were kept from charging exorbi-
tant rates by their powerful competi.
tor, the United States mails; that if
losses did occur they were always
paid by the companies; and finally,
Messrs. Buist and Dean opposed the
measure upon the broad ground that
legislation was becoming too paternal.
The vote resulted in the bill being
killed by 18 to 10.
A house bill to prevent the employ.
ment of other than convict labor on
anv State farm was debated on very
much the same lines as in the house.
Messrs. Moses, Hay and Connor spoke
of the demoralizing effect on free labor
of having the State to compete with
the farmers. The State paid more
for labor than the farmers could af-
ford and of course secured it.
Messrs. Archer. Norris and Gaines
objected to the bill. There were GER
tain times during harvest, said they,
that 1t was almost a necessity to have
the cotton picked. Unless free labor
was employed this could not be done
and a heavy loss would be inflicted by
having the cotton exposed to the raw
ages Of storm. Mr.. Norris also
wanted to amerd by striking out the
proviso against hiring out convicts
except when there was no work on
the State FERNS to be done. By vote
of 20 TO 9 the amendment was rejected
and the bill passed.
On Mondoy the House antitrust
bill with the committee amendments
came up after the disposition of sever
al special orders. The only amend
ment of Importance of these was the
change OF title. Mr.. Henderson
moved to amend by adding proviso
that nothing in this Act shall affect
the Dispensary law" The bill was
then passed. The bill declares unlawful
and void all arrangements, agree
ments, trusts or combinations made
with view to lessen, or which tends
to lessen, free competition in the i'm
portation or sale of articles imported
into the State, or in the manufacture
or sale of articles of domestic growth
or of domestic raw materials; to de-
clare unlawful and void all arrange
nents, contracts, agreements, trusts
or combinations between persons or
corporations designed, or which tend
to advance, reduce or control the
price of such product or article to pro-
ducer or consumer of any such pro.
duct or article: to provide for forfeit