The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-08-18

and that 1t was not acting In violation
OF the peEalty act Of 1897. Five Of these
line suits have been disposed Of by trial,
or abandonment, and not one Of them
bas gone against the railroad, but the
counties were put to the trial expenses
all the same.
Merger Act.
at the session Of 1902 Senator Hydrick
Of Spartanburg introduced 8 bill allow.
ing the G. G. G. c. OH the eastern side
of the state, which was practically .,
worthless road. not paying operating
exI Ienses and generally in bad condition
the Spartanburg and Asheville In thu
northern part Of the state, which formed
tho connecting link between Columbia
ana the west; the Carolina Midland.
which extended from AQendalo to Selv.
ern, a distance Of forty (40) miles. for
merly owned by the Wagners, out Of ~.
pair and generally in bad shape; the Oil
South Carolina road, which extended
from Charleston to Augusta, which had
been owned BY the Parsons and was
badly run down, to consolidate their
der one charter and to be known al tho
Carolina division Of the Southern rail-
way. opposed the passage Of this bill,
but the senate by a practically unanl-
NOUS viva voce vote passed the bill and
it was sent to the house. BY a vote CT
sixty (60) to thirty-nine (S9) this bill
passed second reading In the house
ard was amended on third reading BY
unanimous consent, and as amended
passed the third reading in the houae
without opposition. The members Of tho
house from this district who voted for
the passage Of this bill were Mr.. BosticIk,
Of Bamberg; Mr.. Lockwood and Mr..
Colcock, Of Beaufort; Mr.. Thomas, of
Hampton; Mr.. Pattison, ]. o. and Mr..
Eial, Of Barnwell; Mr.. Mason, Of Edge
field, and Mr.. Eugene 8. Blease, OF sa-
luda. Mr.. DeLoach, who now lives In
Hampton county, was at that time a
member Of the house from York county
and he also voted for the bill This Is
known as the Merger Act. So, we have
eight members from this district who
voted for the bill. nine, including Mr..
DeLoach, while only i've members from
this district voted against it. The sem
ate accepted the house amendment and
the bill became a law. This Merger
Act did not deprive any person who had
Brought suit before its passage Of any
legal right that he had or from pressing
his suit to nnal conclusion. Yet, Nr.
Williams would make the impression
that ought not to go 10 congress be-
cause l did not defeat this bill-thet
thA. shows that would favor CORPORA
ticns. opposed the bill and voted
against it in a viva voce vote and 10
high authority as the Attorney General
OF the state has said In a published In
te1view that he knows I opposed The
bill.
The record shows that kr. Patterson
voted for the bill. Why does not Nr.
Williams complain Of Mr.. Patterson's
vote? II my voting against the bill
rei.ders me unfit for congress Mr.. Pat
lclSOu tOtlu8 Aux ~ IcuuSED IuOlo
10.
Effect Of the Merger Act
This act authorizing the consolidation
OF these roads has had the effect Of
building up the old ''th Carolina read,
and / understand also the c. c. & c..
the spartanburg & Ashev1lle Is now .
trunk line, the Carolina Midland has
beer extended from Perrys to Columbia,
a distance Of nearly forty (4o) miles,
and from Allendale to Hardeeville, about
thirty (30) miles. These extensions have
been q clear gain to the state In tax
able property. The extension from Al
lendale through Hampton county added
three hundred md sixty thousand dol
lars ($360, 100000 to the taxable property
of that county alone. The increase In
the valuation Of the Carolina Midland
fer taxable purposes in Barnweu coun-