The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-02-19
REVIEW AND FORECAST.
What the LegisIatOrs Have Done and
Will Do.

What the Legislators Have Done and
Will Do.
august Kohn in News and Courier. }
Columbia, Feb. 16.-The Legislative
session is fast drawing to close.
There will be six more working days
unless all signs fail. The per diem of
the members ends with Saturday next,
and with that, it is pretty safe to say,
the session will close
1t has been a harmonious and pleas
ant session. There have been several
more or less personal tilts, but they
have been the result of the heat Of de-
bate, without real bitterness. and the
sting passed away with the final decis-
ion of the issues involved.
The session has not yet boen marked
with any distinguishing event. There
has been no epoch-marking legislation
no dispensary law, no new county
government scheme, no remarkable
debates on the colleges and other in
stitutions. 1t has been a session more
distinguished by, hard and persistent
work than anything else.
THE CHILD LABOR BILL.
The general public looked more TO
possible legislation on labor questions
than anything else, but there has been
no labor legislation and there will be
none. The Marshall Senate bill came
nearer becoming law than anything
else. It failed by a close vote, and
nothing further has been said upon
the subject. The bill regulating the
number of hours to be permitted for
labor in industrial mills has been on
the House Calendar sleeping itself to
death. Mr.. Webb has been Iatiently
and persistently working to get this
bill up, but failed so far, and the meas
ure will probably die.
1t It's now practically out of the ques-
ton for a bill which has any consid-
erable opposition to get through both
branches and be new to either the
House or Senate. Such measures as
the general supply bill and legislative
appropriation bills as have no opposi-
tion will 60 straight to the Calendar,
and the printer will, of course. glide
gleefully through the Senate. For in
stance, it did not take five minutes for
the legislative appropriation bill to 60
through, and now the House has done
the amending and patching of the
general supply bill, all that trouble is
over, and there seems to be no decided
prospect of any material differences
on the general appropriation bill. The
way things now stand it ought to be
easy for the General Assembly to work
up to adjournment by Friday and take
things leisurely and easantly until
mi n nj ri fn q
full forty days. Sc sion.
THE CODE AND THE JURY LAW.
What many regard as the most i'm
portant bills of the session were those
adopting the Code and substituting
general jury law for the one declared
unconstitutional! There have been
quite 8 number of general bills, and
the recent emphatic decisions of the
Supreme Court have had excellent ef-
feet, and there has been all appreciable
falling off in the number Of minor and
local bills. The greatest number Of
bills, perhaps, has been on bonding
school districts, and it appears that
general bill ought to be passed to avoid
this great plethora of bills.
TOWNSHIP RAILROAD BONDS.
Perhaps the most radical legislation
that has yet been passed by the House
was the resolution looking to consti-
tutional amendment dissolving two
townships in Greenville. one in AD-
derson and one or two in Edgefield.
The purpose of this and other bills on
the same line is to avoid the payment
Of certain bonds issued in aid Of rail-
roads that were never built. The
trouble really ought to rest with the
commissioners who surrendered the
bonds before the road was built; but
naturally the taxpayers are sore and
want to yet rid of the burden, as they
did not get the consideration they bar
gained for.
ANTITRUST MEASURES.
The only antitrust legislation that
is likely or liable to pass at this session
il the Johnson general antitrust bill,
and the bill as to procuring evidence.
The measures specifically aimed at the
Virginia. Carolina Chemical Company
failed by decisive votes in both branch
es, and Mr.. DeBruhl's bill as to domes-
ticating foreign corporations in gener-
al also went by the board. The John
son anti trust bill, which is general
and sweeping in its terms, is now be-
fore the Senate.
THE GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT.
There is marked sympathy for the
movement towards better roads. Moth
ing very much except as to convicts
has been done, but by looking into the
general supply bill it will be seen that
various counties are to have special
levies for road work and that others
are forcing the work With their con-
victs and are using considerable part
of their dispeDsary funds for road i'm
provements. The good roads issue is
growing IN Importance and persis-
tence every day, and the result is man.
ifpst