The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1897-02-16
LAURENs, s. G.. Feb. IS, 1897.
OUR SOLONS.

WIN oVdLOCos
The General Assembly drags its
slow length along. One member said
in connection with adjournment that
there were a hundred important bills
ON the calendar. This was a Columbia
man who would be pleased at q per-
petual session in that city: 1t is as
tonishing to find how much legislation
Is needed, how poorly in the recent
past u statutary wants have been
neglected. There Is hardly a con-
ceivable subject on which some n Of
the ITO legislators hasn't a Bill
From.a great rail road to q package OF
cigarettes, we have hundreds of
"Bills", the Billy Goat excepted. The
session will overlap the birthday Of the
Father OF His country, which is a legal
holiday from Helligoland to Puget
Sound, and u Solons may rest from
their arduous labors,
The solons are popular, ~"out-of-
sight" Invitations have been extended
to visit Clemson College, and also
Charleston, and the great big ships
now beleaguring that ancient city. A
great fight was made on the Bill to i'm
pose q stamp tax of % cents on a pack
age Of cigarettes, but 1t is likely to be-
come law. One man suggested that
Jim Corbett, who knocked out Sulli-
van, was a cigarette smoker. Here Is
danger of more work for the Attorney
General and possibly Assistant Counsel.
A stout fight is being made all along
the lines against the State Colleges,
but likelihood Of poor Roadway. $3.50
Is asked for to repair the Governors
Mansion. This socalled Mansion re-
quires annual patching The occupants
are awful fellows on window panes and
the like and the keys are gone when a
new occupant comes But the COM
mittee on State House and Public
Buildings must have something to do.
The Solons are to go to Charleston
on free passes to see the big ships and
incidentally the city. They are to ex-
curt the harbor and the visit will be
on the 10th inst. Mr.. Cushman of the
House moved that or that day the mem-
bers receive no pay, but this was killed
dead, on the ground that they repre-
sented the people while making the
visit and they could tell the people at
home what mighty big guns Uncle
~ Is and all about how big the
u , look in their toggery Of
dow gracefully cold Glory"
sisses the breeze. The vote
recordcd. A resolution was
- Visit the Clemson boys on the
22d. This VIII go into history Ak the
junketing session.
A separate coach bill for blacks and
run the gauntlet of the Senate.
In the Senate q Bill to make the
sending of children to school compul-
sorry was slaughtered.
Here are some of the items OF the
Appropriation Bill and will give the
reader a taste of what goes with the
taxes we have been paying to friend
Mock and hereafter will hand over to
friend Babb:
Militia $4,000, Attorney General
lbibatlou luHu oA,OUO, oouUn Cdrollnd
College 1926, 900, Winthrop 100000,
Citadel 500, 900, Colored State College
$4,000, current expenses of Hospital
for Insane $l00, 00O, deaf, dumb and
blind $18,450, CataWba Indians $500,
claims 81 1000, supervisors registration
$4,000, public printing $780, 600, public
lights $4,000, pensions 100000, phos-
plate commission 5 $4,000, State Agri-
cultural and Mechanical Association
$1,000.
A nice question, who should pay the
expenses of the procedure of forming
new counties was raised by the Bill of
Mr.. Miles, Of S~partanburg. There
can be no doubt but those seeking new
political segregation should pay the
expense and it will be probably so set
tied. For several years the public
printing, one of the most expensive in
cidents Of the State Government, has
been awarded by the General Assem-
bly, by private contract. A Bill to
give 1t to the lowest bidder is pending,
and this is sound democracy. 1t is sug-
in answer to this view that the
is competent to make a
contract, but In fact tho Legislature
does 1t through a committee and
three or five men or less in fact make
the trade. 1t should be let out to the
lowest bidder, that there be no sus-
ptcion OF favoritism and jobbing.
We trust that our criticismsupon our
Is not unjust. There is a
deal OF hard common sense in the Gen
eral Assembly. The trouble consists in
the Introduction of many i'll considered
Bills, which are duly killed, but this
requires time and entails large ok
pense in printing. We take great
pleasure in noting that Wallace,
Goodwin, Mcdaniel and Smith have
not crowded the calendars with bills
merely to see their names p~erpetuated
on the Journals.
~
Uncle Sans armada passing to Char
lesion had a hard experience off Hat
.teras on the 9th and 9th OF February. |
1T was q severe test Of seamanship and
seaworthiness OF the great ships. Sew
era1 OF the brave tars were lost and the
zxf~hx ~ asaIo rt,oinad hut tho nhioof NJ