Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-02-01
LETTER FROM REPRESENTATIVE WERNER.
Msssrs- Earle and shelden s.sk44- cssss Hold
ING Family Affair Other Matters.

Columbia, January 2s.-- Editors Cou-
rier: Last week Mr.. Earle and Mr.. Smell
don had to do the writing, as L was sick.
This week it is my lot to do the writing,
as they are both ill. Mr.. Sheldon is just
out of bed and Mr. Earle is now In bed,
though he hopes to be up by Monday.
There is good deal of sickness among
the members, aud smallpox is very preva-
lent here now.
1t is really hard to find anything to
write about that think would be of in
terest to your readers.
The Legislature is dull, slow, plod.
ding machiue, with the balance wheel
out of line and little shsky. There are
now moro than five hundred bills before
the House, and still they come
The most important measure yet passed
is to punish for trespass. 1t has passed
the Senate also and will become law. The
bill provides for punishment for tres
passing on advertised lands. Those who
hunt or fish must first get permission or
they will be subject to fine and imprison-
ment.
Several very important bills have been
discussed at length and carried over to
another year. This is very Objectionable,
but unavoidable.
1 believe this House is composed of a
higher average of educated men than
any that have attended, aud am sure
they make slower progress in the dis
patch of business. The reason is that
there is too much talking. Members
seem to think if they do not "do some
thing" get up bills, make speeches, etc.,
that they will not get back here. l be-
lieve moro men think of how to get back
than how to do their duty while here.
There are some very Objectionable fea-
lures in the management of the APP
pointive offices here. The chairman of
the Ways and Means committee has his
son as clerk of that committee at 81 a
day and also daughter in the engross-
ing department at the same salary, so
that member draws SIP per day. Then
there is member who has son in the
House acting as page at 50 day. The
clerk of the Supreme Court has about
half of his family in office in the State
House. This does not appear to be a
wise or healthy state of affairs. thought
of trying to get the Office of page for
some worthy boy in our county, but there
came 80 many applications that i gave
up the idea. However, would feel very
small, not to say mean, to put one of my
own children in such place after the
people had elected me to the office. Ger
tainly such appointments ought to go
into other families than to those who are
represented in the House or Senate.
A bill was introduced into the Senate
to prevent this sort of thing, but was
killed by q two to one vote.
The Governor has presented claim of
81 800, which he gave his note for, to get
money to prosecute lynchers. The House
will doubtless pay the claim. This case
was doubtless without provooation and
perhaps case of murder on the part of
the lynchers. Still that was only the re-
suit of other lynchings, which are mainly
caused by lack of enforcing of the law
1t looks something like this. A failure
to enforce the law leads to the people
taking the law in their own hands; they
go too far; then they are prosecuted and
pay the cost. The whole trouble is in
the non-enforcement of the law.
There is bill up to kill the immigra-
tion law. cannot say how it will go.
There is also bill to compel children
/
K. K. Werner.