The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-01-19
LEGISLATURE MEEl5
South Carolina Townmakers Get Down
o Business.
BOTH HOUSES ARE ORGANIZED.
Session Of the House and Senate Open.
ed on Tuesday and Both Branches
Organized For Business.

The Senate organized by the e;ec-
tion Of the following named officers:
Senator r. L. Manning, Sumter, tenn
Iorary chairman; r. r. Hemphill,
clerk; J. F. Schumpert, sergeant-at-
elms; w. H. Stewart, reading clerk:
Rev. W. I. Herbert, Methodist, chap
ain. In each case the incumbent was
reelected aid ncnc was opposed ex-
cept Chaplain Herbert. Mr.. e. S. Din.
gle, Of Charleston, was re.appointed
assistant clerk.
The dispensary question came up In
the form Of resolution By Senator
Blease, who seeks thorough inyesti-
CATION of not only every department
Of the system, but of every rum1r that
has been started against it.
after Clerk Hamer had called the
House to order at noon, on the noInin.
alton Of Mr. Prince Altamont Moses
as unanimously chosen temporary
Chairman and was Immediately sworn
in. He swore In the new members.
The House then went into the cleo
zion of Speaker, and Mr.. M. L.
Smith was chosen.
J. C. Hamer. of Marlboro, was re-
elected clerk. When he had taken
the oath Of Office, on motion Of Mr..
Altamont Moses. he reported the or.
ganization Of the House to the Sen
ate. which had already reported to
The House as being organized. On the
nomination of w. P. Pollock, ]. 8. Will
son. Of Lancaster, was reelected SER
geant-at-armS.
After the pispensary.
The legislative machinery was not
quite ready to move with dispatch in
all its parts, the new bills not being in
shape to be acted upon as yet. So the
sessions Of both houses were short, and
neither was characterized by interest
ing Or important incident. The Senate
adjourned after the introduction OF two
unimportant new bills, and will likely
adjourn until Monday.
The House was in session only an
hour, during which the Governors
message was read. Representative Fra
ser introduced a resolution to abolish
the Saturday sessions Of the House, so
as to adjourn on Fridays until Mondays
at noon.
An important n, " bill touching the
'dispensary is that by Representative
Toole, who seeks to amend section Z
(the Brice act) so as to require the
safe boards consent before more than
one dispenser can be appointed in any
county. II fourth Of the qualified elec-
tors Of township in which it is pro-
posed to locate a dispensary petition
for it an election shall be held and a
majority at the ensuing election may
reject the dispensary or'in like manner
vote out dispensaries already .estab-
l.shed. With the exception Of Henry
and Beaufort counties. dispensaries are
not to be established in unincorporated
towns except by special act OF the Leg
islature. Counties may remove or es-
tablish dispensaries by majority cleo
ton or petition of one-fourth the quail
fed electors, but these elections may
be held only once in four years.
Section 4 provides for the appoint
ment Of the third member Of the
county board on the recommendation
o! the mayor at the county seat. The
county boards are to approve the Or
ders sent in by the dispensers for
liquor.
Thursdays Session.
Thursday was again a do-nothing
day in the South Carolina Legislature,
each house house adjourning after a
brief session, during which some new
bills were introduced. Speaker OF the
House Smith announced his new COM
mittees, and this having been done in
the Senate and the engrossing depart
ment having gotten we'll under way,
It Is expected that both houses will be
working smoothly and with dispatch
by the first of next week. BY an aye
and nay vote of SO to % the House
adopted Mr.. Fraser's resolution doing
away with Saturday sessions. In the
House number Of new bills were in
troduced. These incl1ded Josh Ash
ley's bill to abolish the immigration
department.
In the Senate. Senator Blease intro
duced his bill calling for reduction
in railroad fares to 1-2 cents mile
from cents a mile. The committee
favocably reported his resolution call
ing for a rigorous investigation Of the
dispensary, but so far the result Is
that nothing definite will result from
the investigation and little attention is
being given the resolution. The resolu-
tion went over, Senator Brice objecting
to immediate consideration.
Senator Raysor's dispensary bill, fol-
lowing the lines of Governor Heyward's
suggestions with the exception that 1t
gives the appointment Of the three
members to the Governor, who Is also
to suspend the commission
for cause. The members Of the board
are to be paid $1,000 year, and are
to meet weekly instead OF monthly.
The purchasing authority is taken from
he board and given to the commission
rs, who is required to open the seal
ed bids submitted to the State Treas
urer in the presence Of the board.
The Senate and House committee ap-
pointed by the last Legislature to in
,estigate the feasibility OF establishing