The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-25
LEGISLATIVE DOTS.
Random Shots AT The Big Insti tution
Now Holding Sessions.
News and Courier.

| NJ" HOANluS SeSS1OHS.
News and Courier.
| Columb bia. January 22.-Special There will
either be revolutionary legislation as to the
dispensary or none to amount 10 anything.
The npheaval will be complete, not partial.
The dspensary will stand. State board, con.
Will 60 hand-in hand TO bring about the revo-
luton. There will be no half way dealings.
The PrOhibitionists and local option advocat.
es have the votes, If com bined, 10 repeal the
dlspensary law and enact general prohibition
| laws, with license where voted for. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether there will be any
concerted action TO chance the LIQUOR laws
II there be no amaigamation Of forces, no
union of purposes, why there will be nothing
done to change materially the existing law
| Year after year those opposed to the dispen-
/ portunities of attack, but have been afraid,
apparently, TO make move, the result OF
| which was TO them doubtful. Such Is now
the tendency. For some reason legislators
are afraid to tackle the dispensary, but th' y
must think there is rome hidden political
bugaboo in the back yard of the dispensary.
Some day some one will make himself and
history by leading the people out of their
troubles and worries over the liquor prob lem,
and satisfy all elements-more SO than is Inn
agined.
A leading prohibition advocate was talk.
ing With me yesterday, and he let! little cat
out OF the bag when he said that he was OF the
opinion that the lime was not opportune for
the enactment OF prohibition law, with 10
cal option privileges, because such law need
ed an Executive in sympathy with the law,
and one who had the power and ability TO see
that IT was enforced. Governor Ellerbe. he
said. was pronouncedly not In sympathy with
prohibition law. That much he said, and
there was no great desire on his part to have
prohibition placed at the mercy of those In no
way in sympathy with 1t,
|. There has been some informal consultation
about bills relative TO the liquor question and
several bills are understood 70 be In course OF
preparation. II is understood that one OF the
lIr,,l nhnro nd SUh
has considerable following will present bill
| something like this:
Doaway with the State dspeusary:
Establish county dlspensaries. under coun.
purchase and the like.
Prohibition In tuch counties as want and
vote for 1t.
No provision is made for any sort Of license
system.
There are many other bills on this line
IN incubation, and what will come out Of It all
is problematic.
It is likely that after the elections there will
be several bills presented relating to the liquor
question.
The elections have attracted more atten ton
sss 0ssr .be
campaign for the varions State officers, The
chief interest is In the elections for superinten.
dent OF the Penitentiary, members OF the
The race for librarian is between candidates
OF the gentler sex and in that particular con-
| Ia ms an element OF novelty.
ELeconte, former librarian, and Mise Mont
gomery, the present librarian.
| The engrossing department seems to have
bill which provided for the "burning OF swine
which die an unnatural DEATH" The scribes
thought the unnatural death" idea too broad,
as 1t would have Included all OF their pork
and sausages. and so the bill had to 30 TO
the wall.
THE APPROPRIATION BILL.
committee says that he will most likely
| report the general appropriation bill during
the next week. This ts generally the first sign
Of daylight ss to adjournment Unless war
"breaks loose" as to the dispensary, there
Ia really nothing to hold the General Assemb.
ly here over the month limit, that long.
| No generally important measures seems to
have been proposed, and the legislation to un.
clog the judicial work Of the State ought not
70 take long, as the bills are now ready for
consideration. The members seems to be pre-.
pared TO do what there is to be done, aud
60 home, and there is really not the slightest
reason why the Legislature should not ad.
journ during the first week OF February. Of
course, II members want to draw their 81
| 8 day, and think that necessary for the public
welfare, the session can be extended until
| March, but II they were paying some one else
10 do the work the pay would not continue
The session has now lasted almost two
weeks, and the most i'm portant thing that has
been done Is to kill many unnecessary and
useless bills.
WHO IS IT, ELLERBE OR WESTON?
1t is suggested that there will be some state
ments In re the local option IDEAL" within the
next ten days. 1t was, 80 II is said, intended
to make statements 30 as not to effect certain
matters, and when that contingency was over
the statements would be made public. The
chances, however, are that the disposition
Will be TO let matters stand where they are in
the hope that time will divert attention.
HAMPToN's CAMPAIGNS.
Some interesting photographs have been
taken Of views here to be used In the illustra-
tion Of the work of Mr.. Edward l.. Wells,
OF Charleston, on the campaigns OF Gsn Wade
Hampton. MIR. Wells was member Of the
Charleston Light Dragons. II is said that bis