The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-02-10
ont that the disnensarY law will not hold

more on their shoulders than they can
conveniently carry. The heritage OF the
shoes of our former Governors is likely
to prove heritage of woe. The present
Administration has not found the affairs
of the State in any too satisfactory con-
dition. In the first place, there is the de-
ficiency in State revenues that was refer
red to in this correspondence last week,
and the trouble is growing more serious
every day. Gov. Ellerbe does not seem
inclined to screen any of the faults of his
predecessors in office, and he is calling
attention to those things that may hurt
him in the administration of the affairs
of the State before the bamo of the or
rors fall on him. Another thing that ne
has to confront is the disappointment of
the people who have been told Of the
great things that the dispensary was 60
ing to do in the way Of saving taxes. AS
a financial venture the dispensary is not
a bowling success, and that is another in
terpretation of Mr.. Maylield's remark
that the ship had sprung leak. All OF
these matters 60 towards impresslnS the
Legislature with the necessity for radl-
cal change. There is very little bossiSm
in the Legislature this year, every mem
ber seems to be going it alone as he thinks
best. Whether Napoleon will arise to
take in hand the scattered forces, is
doubtful. There does not soem to be
any material to make grea!t leader out
of except among those who prefer for po-
litical reasons and the benefit of their Sec
tions of country to remain quiet this ses-
sion. This state of affairs promises
we'll for those who willfght for the change
most radical in the dispensary law.
Mr.. Mayfeld has been one OF the re-
form leaders in the Senate; he still has
probably as much or more influence than
any of the members of that body. He will
have strong support for his measure
from some quarters that are least expect
ed. He says that he proposes to make as
hard fight on his bill as he can. lie
will have the opposition Of the remnant
of the machine that has not yet given up
the ship that has sprung such leak, put
the master hand that held the machine
together is no longer on the bridge OF the
good ship, and the crew, with the atore-
said leak under them and wreckage be-
fore them, are deserting.
THE STATES DEFICIENCY.
The Governor, in message handed in
the past week, called attention to tbs de-,
ficiency referred to above, and suggested
a graduated income tax or system OF IL
censes. He urges the strictest economy
and gives backset to the proposed new
dormitory at Winthrop College. He
also advises tax levy sufficient to me ot
it. There is another matter that looks
ugly for the taxpayer. The Constitution
provides that if the two mill tax and the
dispensary profits over the 500, 900 that
goes to the State Treasury do not afford a
fund of at least three dollars per capita,
that the Comptroller General shall levy
an additional tax, sufficient to bring the
fund up to that amount. The Comptrol-
ler General has refused to call for that
tax. Mr.. Gage has introduced resolu-
ton in the House to require him to do so,
and if it is rassed it will add about 1000
to the taxes for this year. The expenses
of the long session promises to add few
more thousands, but the length Of the
session is not due wholly to the Legisla-
ture. That body could not prepare the
appropriation and supply bill without the
report ofthe Comptroller General on which
these very important bills are based.
The expenses Of the General Assembly
are about $3.50 day.
WEEKS LEGISLATION.
The feature of the week in the House
was the passage of the bill repeating the
anti-free pass law. This, it will be re-
mem bered, was the Woodward Act, pass
ed when the reform party first came into
power, and was suggested by the charges
of Mr.. Tillman that there was rottenness
in the management of the States affairs,
and that her officers were bamboozled
and debauched by the railroads through
the bribery of free passes. Mr.. Wood
\ h,1f
he shamed and bullied the Legislature
into passing the bill making the accep-
tance of free pass from railroad very
serious matter. There have been many
attempts to repeal the Act, but the politi.
cal effect of such action Oh their part was
a scarecrow that the body was never able
to Get rid of. The bill passed on Satur-
day by decisive vote.
Other bills that have been passed were
the following:
To prohibit the State farms from hiring
free labor or hiring out the convlcts, ex.
capt when there is no work for them to
do on the farms. The object of the bill
is two-fold, to protect the farmers in the
vicinity of the State farms and to prevent
the mixing Of the convicts with free Ia
Dor. Col. Neal was very much opposed
to the bill, as he claimed that it would
cripple the Penitentiary very materially.
The bill of Mr.. Mccullough, requiring
all County officers to keep their offices
open some part Of every day, was pass
ed, but only after nearly every County in
the State, except his own, Greenville, had
been excepted at the request of some
Representative of the County. 1t has
also passed both Houses.
Greenwood County's bill went through
the House as prepared, in spite Of great
opposition from one of the members Of
the delegation.
Both Houses have passed the bill re-
quiring the management OF the State
Penitentiary to inquire into the advisa-
bility of putting in a plant for the manu-
facture of acid phosphate.
The House has passed q bill eXempting
Confederate veterans from the license for
hawkers and peddlers.
Citizen Ashley's bill to reducs the priv
ilege tax on fertilizers from Csc. to 1c.
caused a general and very exciting debate
in the House. Some of the opponents of
higher education took advantage Of this
opportunity to make an attack on the
State institutions, and the whole matter
soon resolved itself into fight against
the Citadel, the appropriation for which
would have to be very much cut to give
Clemson support if this tax was taken
away from it. The bill was finally de-
feated.
The passage of the insurance bill was
another important matter. This bill pro-
vides that any company to do business in
this State must either show that it has q
bona fde deposit of 100000 in some 9TH
or State or must put up a deposit of Sl0,-
600 with the Secretary Of State of South
Carolina.
The Senate refused to repeal thu Act
which was passed last year to regulate
the appointment of subordinate officials
of the several departments of the State
government. This is the 'nepotism Act"
The Senate has passed the House bill to
require the Treasurers, Clerks Of Court,
Sheriffs and other feed officers to make a
return of all such fees, that the people
might know the income of the offices.
There was bitter opposition to the bill,
we'll and few other Counties on the re-
quest of the members of the delegations,
and their representation that their people
did not want to pry into these matters.
The Senate has passed the Scarborough
bill, which gives to all wage earners, eX-
cept farm laborers and employees in eX-
clusively trading establishments, a lien
on the property of the employer to the
amount of the money due them prior to
all other liens. Upon complaint of la
borer that he has not been paid the full
amount of money due him, the Sheriff is
authorized to seize upon so much of the
debtors property as will cover the claim.
All labor legislation has been killed for
this session. The Committee reported
them all unfayorab!y and the bills were
all rejected.