The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-02-24
A vote on the motion to strike out
the enacting words resulted: Yeas
81, nays 10. So the bill was killed.
nI1T1OcDhv DDnNTTnrHrC

day, after considerable bloodless
skirmish. passed the Senate bill,
which is said to be a step toward al
lowing the various counties to do as
they please upon the dispensary.
The bill, as it passed the House and
Senate. says to the counties: "All
right, you may get rid Of dispensary
but if you wish to do so you must pay
one-half of one mill on all the taxable
property in the county for the enforce
mont of the dispensa1y law in that
particular county, and you must not
get any part of the surplus that may
remain in the dispensary school fund
after the Deficiencies, which are small,
have been paid. In other words, the
bill permits counties to vote out dis
pensaries, but at the same time the
tax is so heavy that the temptation
will be somewhat chilled by the impo-
sition of direct tax incident to the
removal of the dispensar7. The dis
pensary forces carried the bill through
absolutely as they wished it and, but
for two immaterial amendments, the
bill as it came over from the Senate
was adopted, and all Of the amend
ments that were accepted were pro-
posed by the committee and Mr.. Ia
tum. who was in charge of the bill.
The Senate, will, 80 doubt, accept the
House amendment and the bill will be
ordered to be ratified as it stands.
The bill which is directed against
slot machines vas passed and ordered
to be ratified, but it does rot include
in its provisions automatic weighing,
measuring, musical and vending ma
chimes which are so constructed as to
give a certain uniform and fair return
in value for each coin deposited there
in, and in which there is no element
of chance.
The House gave the final reading to
a number of its own bills and with the
clearing of the Calendar of all House
bifls there now remains but very little
to be done at this session.
The Senate this morning devoted
great deal of it's time to measures to
prevent unreasonable delays in the
shipment of freights by railroads.
Two bills looking in this direction
have already passed the House and
we're under discussion. No action on
the matter was taken this morning,
and the bills were made special order
for the night session.
The House resolution to give the old
commission for the completion of the
State House an opportunity to reply
to the report of the Legislative investi
eating committee was called by Sena-
tor Talbird. who made a statement in
regard to the matter, asking that the
Senate give the old commission such
relief as it saw fit. 1t was proposed
By Senator Mayfeld to allow the COM
mission an opportunity to reply after
the adjournment Of the session, if
their reply should not be made before,
and that their reply should be printed
in the Journal.
Senator Aldrich objected to this,
because he didn't think it right for
the Senate to place in it's permanent
records something that it didn't know
anything about, and if the report
should reflect on him he wanted an op-
portunity to reply.
Columbia, Feb 2o.-The General
Assembly of 1904 has concluded it's
work. The legislation looking to-
wards biennial sessions, the creation
of department. of immigration, plac-
ing the telephone companies under the
railroad commissioners, the passage of
the franchise tax, the library bill.
the extreme liberality Of the law
makers were among the Distinguishing
features of this session. It has been
far above an average General Assem-
bly,. 1t has worked hard aud deserves
every credit for good intentions.
It was intended that the session
should adjourn early in the day, but it
was after 10 O'Clock at night when
Governor Hayward reported to the
committee that be had no further
and the courtesies of
the two houses we're exchanged. The
law makers have tedious day of it
always on the last day of the session
and today was NO exception. The
House cleared it's decks early in the
day by refusing to consider any third
reading bills today. and that relieved
the engrossing department very much,
but the Senate kept pegging away on
it's Calendar until late in the day. At
1922 Speaker Smith formally closed
the Legislative session. The House
today heard the reply of the old COM
mission, which is an intensely inter-
esting paper. Provision was made for
the completion and repairs of the
State House at an expense of s45. 600
today
The Senate was in session for four
hours this morning, disposing of
measures on the Calendar and getting
ready for final adjournment some time
this afternoon or tonight.
A house bill for identifying the
State House grounds was amended so
as to carry only an appropriation Of
s45, coo for the completion of the State
House, the provision as to identifying
the grounds being stricken from the
bill. The bill. as PASSED by the Sen
ate and sent to the House for concur
renee in the amendments, provides
that no contracts except for heating
apparatus and repairs to prevent de-
terioration of the building, shall be
made until the conclusion of the liti
CATION to be instituted against the
architect and contractors who had in