The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-02-23
A BUSY DAY IN THE SENATE

| inc matter rest.
A BUSY DAY IN THE SENATE
The Anti-Free Pass Bill Knock ed in
the Head-The Road Taxes Ad-
Justed--The Cigarette Bill Killed.
The Senate proceedings which follow
deal with interesting features of the
| session.:
COUNTY ROAD TAKES
Mr.. Moses objected to the bill requir-
| Ing the cOmmutat'O on tax to be eXpend-
ed in the townships where collected.
'Peopls did not travel over their own
roads exclusively, and the feffect of
such an act would be to complicate the
machinery OF the county government
Law and would be unsatisfactory.
Mr.. Dean urged that in the case of
work on the roads, it was all done in
the workers own township, and If
money was paid instead of work it
ought to bo used in the same way
Mr.. Scarborough said that the com.
mutation tax law was not an act to
raise revenue, it was privilege allow
| ed citizen in lieu Of road work, and
| the old law made the provision re-
quired by this bill, it was left out OF
WIG 6OuCi di COuuty BONSrutuSnI law.
Mr.. DuBoso urged that the bill was
| necessity in many sections which
suffered from roads that had enjoyed
no working for many years, because
| the communication tax was paid instead
OF work being done on them.
MIR. Dean moved to lay the unfavor-
able reportsof tho committee on the
| table, which was carried.
Mr.. Henderson moved to strike out
the section which provided for the
drawing of the money from the Treas
urer by township commissioners and
which provided that any warrant in
excess of fund in the Treasurers hands
should be void 1t was useless and
abOunded in causes Of litigation and
trouble for the Treasurer. The section
was striclon out and the bill passed.
FREE PASS FIGHT.
Mr.. Moses moved to indefinitely post
pone the unfavorable rep" on the bill
repeating the anti-free pass law.
Mr.. RagsGale said that the Senate
had nothing to do with the circum-
stances under which the law was
passed. The free pass matter meant
a good deal to the people. They in
stinctively regarded the holding OF
pass by their public servants with dis
trust. He did lot think it would affect
au llohcsG man 10 use Tree pass, Dut
Legislators should be not only virtuous,
but also above suspicion. If q legislator
had free pass he could not be above
suspicion, no matter how good man
he was. He should be free not only
from conscious, but an unconscious
bias. free pass was given as favor,
and the members Of the General AS
sembly had no right to accept favors
from anybody. "If you do not think"
he said, that this pass is given to you
for some other purpose than that you
are good fellow, see how far you can
ride when your term Of Office is over,
and yet you are just as good u fellow
Mr.. Scarborough thought that to be
consistent Mr.. Ragsdale should have
| urged this samo argument against ac-
| cepting the free transportation to
Charleston, which was favor given
| by the railroads. He took the act as
people OF the State when the Legisla-
ture found 1t necessary, for the pur-
rose OF preventing contamination, to
pass this law. 1t was bad law and
should be wiped off OF the statute books
for its imputation on the character Of
every State officer. He also opposed it
because of the subterfuges resorted to
in getting around the law. If free
pass disqualified man from holding
public Office by the effect it would have
In subverting his judgment, we should
go step further and declare that no
man who is under any obligation as an
attorney or stockhol1er OF corpora
tion should be entitled to his seat here.
Mr.. May6eld thought it better that
q man should take free pass than
resort to such tricks as had been
charged, that some paid 10 cents for a
$25 ticket. He did not like the spirit
| that had cnacted the law
Mr.. Hay contended that passes were
certainly meant to influence legislative
policy and should not be accepted,
therefore he thought it good public
policy to declare against them. He
did not consider the acceptance of the
trips to Winthrop and to Charleston
against the spirit of the law. 1t was
not the railroads that invited the
Senate to Charleston, but the city coun.
Gil.
Mr.. Buist made ringing speech
against the repeal bill. Lead us not
into temptation" was his text. He
said: The position which South Caro-,
lima has occupied during the last ak
years is being gradually adopted rs
o necessity by nearly every State in the
Union, and IL it was true that q Judge
on the bench paid 10 cents for a milo.
age book, every Nom ber OF the General
Assembly should spend the whole re.
cess In seeking the truth and bringing
that individual before this body with
the open charges against him."
Mr. Archer said that no christian
man could accept free pass without
undertaking the obligation OF chris
tian to return the favor.
Mr.. Scarborough denied Mr.. Buistt
righ to compare South Carolina ffloral
} with New York morals. If the Tegis
lature was not to have free passes, ther
hedge us In on all sides and deliver III
, also from the contamination Of lob
, byists.
Mr.. Henderson said the object OF tn,
bill was not 10 make the railroad
give or the officers OF the Stat
accept passes, but to give ma
. the inborn right, the divine right @
exercising his own free will. The pee