The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-01-15
SOME LEGISLATIVE MATTERS.
Tho Labor of Children In Cotton Factories.
Tho Kedistricting Matter.
The State. Ian. ii.


dence Of any wild desire to introduce new
bills. 1t is true that 90 bills and joint
resolutions have been presented. but this
does not approximate the record Of the
| last house.
Very little real Legislation will be accom-.
plished this week. The session today
| will not be prolific Of inac,ion, and the
| Inauguration, the election Of certain Off
GERS and other diversions will occupy the
time OF the joint assembly two or three
days this week. Tuesday night the mcln-
bcrs will attend the reception at the club.
Nothing has yet been heard from Scatter
wood Alliance No. s.
great fight is expected over the bill to
prohibit child labor in cotton mills This
bill was introduced by the Aiken dclcga-
OH commerce and manufactures. 1t is
expected that the committee will report
(avur,bly OH the bill.
Another important measure which has
beeu brought to the attention Of the house
is Mr.. John p. Thomas bill to provide
for county solicitor There is some OBJ
jec'on to this bill on the part Of some
who have urged that the number Of judi
Cial C;vCuits be increased from eight to
tcu.
The sale of the State fans is another
question which Will give 'he Legislators
no little opportunity for airing views.
Some rode ,nis hobby through the cam
pa'2n. 1t is one thing 20 say that the
FIRMS shou'd be sold, aad another thing
to get an Individual TO bay the land at its
proper valuation. For it is reclaimed
from ne Watc'ee by dil;cs, and convict
labo' IS valuable i'll keeping up these cm-
bark'nc ITS. On the o,hcr hand the pco-
pie O. :he Sta a'e demanding better
highways. JUS; wi.D:u the past few years
ba" tl been al j ,duSi:v Of the State,
and the c:spc mentS have been SO en-
con ;s h3 'bui some people would employ
all cpiv HtH, c Ce,,t thoae centenced for
l'.c (. lis, in br'd;ny pc. mo ncut country
.o!dH The co.l. c s who e.c sentenced
- e Could be rscd OIL nc by farms,
undc' close ST. sc lance, 10 make just
eaor:Hn 20 provision tie pcn.tentiary.
The lc,.5uy Of convic -; 60 Individuals is
becoming vc y Objectionable.
The Encouragement Of congressional
1isrlcts may occasion big fight at this
session. When the ,a;e MIR. II. {. Pat
ton pushed his bill, urging that the pres
eut "shoc-s;. ing" districts were unncces-
*ary and inconvenicnt, it was urged by
the opposition that il were best to wait
until after the census had been taken.
MOI only has the census been taken,
but the lower house Of the national con-
although it will not interfere with South
Carolina's representation, prcsclibes that
all congressional districts must be COM
pact and of contiguous territory. The
fight will not be OH the question of re-
districting, but OIL the shaping Of these
districts.
The seven districts Of this State are
each formed of contiguous territory, but
are not compact, and the people EN-
braced are not homogeneous. The pco-
pie of Chesterfield, for instance, have not
much Ill common with the people of
Cherokee. The people of the sandhills
OF Richland know little Of the people of
CLASSY Mountain in Greenv.lle. These
long "shoe-stI:nS' districts were formed
under the system Of gerrymandcring
made necessary III order to overcome
black majorities in The lower tier of coun-
ties. but the necessity has passed away
under The existing suffrage laws and the
Burleigh bill says the districts must be
compact.
1t is highly probable that the matter
will be disposed Of at this session, for it
will then be but little over year until
the next primary campaign and aspirants
for congressional honots will want time
III which TO set Their sails.
The Patton bill, it is said, will be the
basis upon which the redist, letting will
be made However, although this meas.
ure meets requirements SO far as the
grouping OF .er.iio'y aud peoples is con-
| ccrncd, it eau be improved upon in get
ting districts more nearly balanced in
population.
Under the Burleigh bill the unit Of rep
resentotioh i'll the lower house Of coll
gress will be one member for approx.
mately each 1873, 500 in population. The
| entire population Of South Carolina is
| I,34o,3I6 and this State will retain her
| seven representatives.
The following shows the plan proposed
| by the late Mr.. Patton, and The total
population Of each district shows that
some of the groupings suggested by hin,
fall short of the required I95,5oo, while
others are considerably III excess.
Pee Dee dist rict: The counties of Mari
boro, Chesterfield, Darlington, Marion
Florence, Horny. Total population I67,.
A47.
| Santee: Georgetown, Williamsburg
Charleston and Berkeley. Total 7a,9oI.
| ItdiSto. OrauVeh,,rU Rarn,ueu Ran,