The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-02-17
OUR COLUMBIA LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
COLUMBIA, S. C. Feb. Ii, 1Sg

COLUMBIA, S. C. Feb. Ii, 1897
The past week in legislation has been a
busy one. Both Houses have hammered
away at their calendars with vim, but
have disposed of none of the measures of
greater importance. After all it may be
better for their individual ambitions that
they succeed in securing for their people
the little local relief that the Legislature
is empowered to grant to them, than to
risk their heads or regulations in the at
tempt to give the whole people Of the
State the relief that they demand of them.
It is very satisfactory thing for Legls-
lator to point out the little reliefs that he
has secured for his people in the law
making body, and it gives him strong
platform to stand ou,for reelection. Thus
it is that local matters have the right of
way in this body.
The Senate did not take up the liquor
bills during the past week, and it begins
to look little doubtful whether they in
tend to take them up this week or not,
despite the big bluff made last week.
There is no doubt ofthe popularity of Mr..
Mayfield's local option bill, but there is
also no doubt that there has been great
pressure brought to bear on the members
from some source to let the whole mat
ter alone for another year and let the
people discuss it more freely than they
have done. This pressure is supposed to
come from the Administration. So fer
as Tillman is concerned, it is impossible
to discover the slightest trace of his hand.
It is understood that the Administration
has given him the cold shoulder, and it
is fact that silent power is at work to
undo all that he has done, and to loosen
his hold, little by little, upon the people,
by gradual opening Of their eyes to the
shortcomings Of this modern Moses.
There are men of great political ambi-
tions and men of no political ambitions
whatsoever engaged in this work, and
they have great hopes of fsuccess.
FEATURES OF THE WEEK.
New counties have occupied the great
or part of the time of both Houses during
the past week. The sentiment in the
Legislature seems to be that if proposed
new county gets the two.thirds vote for
division and contains the constitutional
area, while leaving the area required in
the old county, it has made out its case
and is entitled to its will. The vote on
the county seat is regarded as an incident
and the Senate maintains that it has the
right to order an election to settle this
point in the bill creating the new county.
There will be four new counties formed
this year, Bamberg, Greenwood, Dor
chester and Cherokee. Among the claims
presented to the Legislature were large
number against the State for advertising
and other expenses attending these new
county elections. The House decided
that each proposed county or the people
proposing It must bear their own expense,
and the claims were all refused.
Probably the most important bill that
has received the sanction of both Houses
was the antitrust bill, which passed the
Senate last week after having passed the
House. It was one of the first bills of
general importance that passed the House
this session. In effect it will deprive any
CORPORATION or combination Of individ-
uals, who, in the opinion Of the Attorney
General, are combined for the unlawful
control of trade, Of the right to appeal to
the courts. This will prevent them from
collecting any accounts that may be due
them.
There has been q great deal of railroad
legislation in the House during the week,
all on lines along which there have been
complaints from the people for long
time. The disposition is not to squeeze
money out of them, which seemed to be
the only object of previous Administra-
tions, but to require them TO give the
proper attention to the demands of the
leople along their routes and from whom
they derive their support.
A BLOW AT THE BOYS.
The feature Of the week in grotesque
legislation, for no week is allowed to pass
without some grotesque feature, was the
passage Of the Epps anti-cigsrette law,
which places tax Of 25 cents on each
package of cigarettes sold and forbids any
package having more than five cigarettes
init. Cigarette papers are also taxed and
no book Is allowed to have more than one
hundred papers in it. There was very
amusing debate on the question, which
showed in effect that the best specimens
of manhood, both mentally and physical
ly, were the ones addicted to the use Of
the very Objectionable weed, or the weed
in its most Objectionable form. After its
passage Citizen Ashley wanted to amend
by requiring all pipe smokers to clean
their pipes out every five days. A dele
CATION Of the tobacco planters from the
northeastern part OF the State came over
when the bill was sent to the Senate to
protest against its passage on the grounds
that it was already hard enough for them
to sell their tobacco and that the passage
of this bill would kill their industry,
which they had, after the most urgent
persuasion of the press and people Of the
State, embarked in, and that the bill
would furthermore not accomp plish any
good which would outweigh this evil to
them. The Senate will probably kill 1t
as soon as it is brought up, in that House.
It would have been killed on Saturday,
I,,,k OF }a n phGnnf o.
tors, who wanted 70 be heard on the SUBJ
iect, it was postponed until Monday. The
ides that the State can take the place of q
parent and legislation supersede the
switch, is an idea only to be found among
those who are not conversant with the
dressing room secrets of the law or those
who are novices in the art Of making
laws.
THE PUBLIC PRINTING.
The House is deeply concerned over
the public printing that has caused so
much adverse criticism since the Reform
Legislature determined to shut off COM
petition in the matter and to give the
State printing to the Columbia Register
which had supported the Reform candi-
dates. Mr.. Reynolds, of Richland, has
introduced a bill to restore this work to
the old plan Of open competition. The
bill has practically passed the House on
an indirect vote, but with so small ma
iority as to be very encouraging to the
Register people. 1t is recognized as
nothing hut an attempt to squeeze the
proprietor of that paper to the wall, and
were it not for this the bill would un-
doubtedly become law in short order.
Human nature, even if it is depraved to a
certain extent in matters of practical pol