The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-01-26
WHAT ABOUT THE SESSION?

WHAT ABOUT THE SESSION?
Why, that is just about as uncer-
tain thing as the ultimate fate Of
the dispensary. When the members
came here no one saw any need for
more than thirty day session-there
was no need before the new Constitu-
ton, but matters have logged along
until almost two weeks have slipped
by, and still there is no dispensary
bill before either house, and the ap-
preparation and supply bills are still
hung up in the committee room.
There is room for radical improve
ment along these lines, and while the
ways and means committee has had
a great mass of work, and has had to
hear from many interests, skeleton
bill ought to be in the hands Of the
members by the middle of next week.
So it is with the dispensary commit
tee, made up of one member from
each of the counties.
While there is still no reason why
the session should last over thirty
days, the outlook just now is that it
will be longer. The dispensary legis-
lation seems to he the bone of con-
tention, yet if a bill comes before the
House, with good endorsement, leav-
ing the status practically as at pres.
ent and aimed at the "original pack
age" stores, it can be rushed through
as of old, and not much will be said
about it either, as this seems to be a
time when few want to assume re-
sponsibility as to dispensary lesisla-
ton.
STATUS OF THE LIQUOR QUESTION.
The General Assembly is as much
at sea as ever on the dispeusary ques-
ton. No one seems able to solve-the
pending problem. The announce
ment in the News and Courier that
the judiciary committee Of the House
of Representatives in Washington is
unanimously unfsvorably disposed to
the Tillman-Latimer resolution has
put decided damper on the situa-
ton, and left bet little doubt that
Judge Simonton's decision will be
sustained by the Supreme Court.
The House judiciary committee 10
Washington has not, however, made
a report upon the bill, and will give
a hearing on the matter Tuesday, and
Mr.. J. P. K. Bryan will appear
against the bill, while Mr.. Barber has
been invited to present the States
side of the case. It is very much a
case OF ''is of the same opinion still.
Several days ago the chairman of
the House Judiciary committee in
Columbia offered a resolution asking
the Attorney General to present his
views of the situation, in the shape OF
a bill. This resolution was with
drawn, as tie special Legislative
committee had already sought the
cooperation of Gen. Barber. It is
understood that Mr.. Barber has en-
and ccurteously declined
to prepare bill, or to be responsible
for any proposed legislation. He will
willingly give his advice or sugges-
ton to the special committee, but
will not be responsible for a bill. To
prepare bill ard then to have some
one else look after the enforcement
makes the matter rather complex at
times
The special House committee has
q number of bills before it, which
seeks to solve the problem, but the
only one that attempts to go into the
matter fully is that of Mr.. Pollock.
He seeks to put the original package
stores on the same plane as the dis
pensaries, especially with reference to
the signing of applications verita-
bic farce now, and further proposes
that all "original package" agencies
pay the county treasurers 20 Per
cent. OF the gross sales.
The Senate seems disposed to see
whether the House cannot solve the
problem for it, although the under
standing is that there is increasing
favor for Mr.. May6eld's bill, which
proposes that the entire State have
prohibition as the initial point, and
that each of the counties determine
whether it would like to change that
condition to the license system, un-
der the constitutional restrictions, or
the dispensary, as exempli6ed in the
existing law.