The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-01-10
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

ne OSuS1a4 <AoSoUSI
Carolina met Yesterday and will prob
ably be in session about forty days.
The State constitution adopted IN
1895 provides that after the hrst
three sessions from its adoption leg
islators canpot remain in session lon
ger than forty days and receive pay
for their services, so that 1t Is reason
able to suppose we will not have lon
ger than forty days session. 1t
might seem that inasmuch as this is
campaign year our lawmakers would
want to be as economical as possible
and have very short session, but in
the general growth, the general prog
ress and development OF the State
things are widening, and more legis-
lation in detail is necessary. And
then the Legislature usually possesses
a number of men who are prone to
talk on everything that comes up,
and others who have lot Of pet and
petty schemes which they want to
get through, so that many days are
drawled out and the full length OF
time allowed is usually consumed.
Clarendon is fortunate il having
representatives who do not talk un-
less they have something to say, and
when once they have spoken, their
positions are we'll known, so that If
long session is drawled out Claren-
don's representatives will scarcely he
blameable. There are no extremely
vital. burning measures demanding
legislation at this session, and yet
there is ore question which seems
paramount to all others and which
should receive careful thought and
attention and that is the liquor ques-
ton. The corruption which has
been exposed and the scandals grow
ing out Of the State Board Of Con-
troll seem to demand that some meas
ures will have to be adopted to rem
edy the law regarding the sale OF
liquor. Two bills on the liquor
question have been introduced at this
session, both quite sweeping in their
character and both providing for the
abolishment of the State Board OF
Control, one by Mr.. Winkler Of ker-
shaw county and one by Senator Ap-
pelt. We have not seen Mr.. Wink
ler's bill, but we are inclined to think
that if Senator Appelt's bill were
adopted it would do much towards
alleriating the many evils growing
ont of the present system. 1t pro-
vides for submitting to the voters OF
each county the three qestions OF pro-
hibition, dispensary and license, and
in that way the will OF the people in
each county is arrived at. In those
counties, like Marlboro, for instance,
which are and always have been for
prohibition, they are allowed to have
prohibition, and are not made to
have the dispensary ramned down
their throats anyhow. Those coun-
ties which want dispenssry, as at
present, may have it, except that the
screws are tightened up all along the
line in the enforcement Of the law,
the plans being more stringent than
those governing dispensaries at pres
ent. Then in those counties like
Charleston, where the people are 60
ing 10 have whiskey anyhow, law or
no law, they may do so under bond
and heavy license, after sellers get
the approval of majority Of all the
voters in the ward in which they
want to sell. In this way even the
whiskey~ element is enlisted in be-
half of enforcing the law. The re-
quitements i'll detail for the enforce
ment of the law are very stringent,
after the counties decide what they
want, and there is no doubt but that
its adoption, carrying the abolish
ment of the State Board OF Control,
into which it seems impossible to
keep scandal from creeping, would
be a vast Improvement and step
higher in the line Of general morality.
The people are disguised with this
liquor question. They have read
about it until now when they read
of another liquor scandal it is nause-
ating. Let the Legislature take hold
OF it and do something, and it doesn't
matter how tight they slap the screws
on IL whatever measure they do
adopt.