Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-01-30
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
Some Of the More Interesting Proceed
inas of House and Senate.


ngs of House and Senate.
Resolutions Of sympathy at the death
Of General Joe Wheeler were adopted
last Friday and the clerks of the house
and serate were instructed to send
copies to the family of the deceased.
There was a warm debate in the
house last Friday on a proposition to
exempt members of the state militia
from jury duty. The bill carrying the
proposition was killed by a vote Of
so to Al.
A bill was introduced last Friday
providing for the repeal Of statutory
provisions for the holding Of extra
terms Of the court by special judges.
The special term idea, was a kind Of
makeshift gotten up to avoid the .crea-
ton Of additional circuits. Since the
creation Of the additional circuits,
however, 1t would seem that there Is
no longer any need for the special
terms.
The house had the Morgan local
option bill under consideration last
night. Morgan, the author, took up
the bill. He first said there was no
political move in this bill against any
one or in his favor. Six years ago
he advocated exactly the same
scheme he has presented except that
it is now amplified. He had seen
his county vote for prohibition; he
came here as the advocate Of local
option and was so elected. Some Of
his coast friends were allied with
him and others were opposed. He
regarded this as a question OF prin-
ciple and gave all the right to differ.
1t is not his purpose to attack the
state dispensary but he wanted the
abominable liquor question taken
out of the football arena. The dis
pensary was given the people under
police privileges but it is a recog-
nized evil. Mr.. Morgan said his bill
may be imperfect but the dispensary
law had to be re-enacted' and patch
ed up from year to year. His plan
best that could be gotten up to settle
the issue at this moment. 1t Is not
necessary to attack the state dispensa-
ry because out of the restlessness there
has grown up a demand for purity
and change so as to bring the state
peace and prosperity and happiness;
all he wanted was peace and let every
county have such a settlement Of the
liquor problem as 1t thinks best suited
to it's needs. All he wanted was a
decision of the people, county by
county, because that Is what the peo-
pie wanted They knew what they
| wanted. He had heard. the. sugges-
| ton time and time again to send the
| matter to the people. In 1892 the
people voted for prohibition and yet
| the dispensary was put on the peo-
pie, consistency ought to stand. III
| you are Republican in principle then
stand by the central dfspensary II
populistic, then vote for the referen-
people here and now and let each
county have what 1t wishes" Mr..
Morgan then took up the license fea-
ture of this bill. II this meant a
return to the old bar room system
he would withdraw the old bill and
efface his name from the records.
He forcibly quoted the constitution
and insisted that there can be no
old bar room system and 1t was all
rot to talk that way. Mr.. Morgan
explained by the small vote under
the Brice Act and said 1t would be
little short Of a crime to force the
whole question back into politics.
There are from five to six thousand
registered votes in his county and the
trouble Is that the men who may Ia:
vor liquor have not the nerve and
the backbone to a large extent to
60 to the poles and vote for the re-
tention Of this damnable traffic. His
bill abolishes the state dispensary.
Provision Is made for closing up the
dispensary business, the petitions are
to determine whether there shall be
an election. The license man Is at
disadvantage because the prohibition
ist and the county dispensary voters
are both against a license system.
Under his bill incorporated towns
may have county dispensaries.
Counties that have dispensaries can
continue them as county establish
ments and counties that have no dis
pensaries continue without them.
Mr.. Pollock Of Cheraw, made the
principal speech in opposition to the
bill. The discussion was postponed
until today.