The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-07-20
HOW NE VOTED
On Certain Bills and Why He
Did So Stated
BY SENATOR MANNING.

D Good Reasons for All the
Votes lie Cast In the
Senate.
The following statement from Sem
sstor Manning explains itself:
II did not propose to be drawn
away from my plan of campaign or
into any controversy, but l intended
to conduct my campaign on high
plane, without mud Singing for do
not intend to ask for the outrage Of
the people Of South Carolina by de.
tracing from or injuring the charac
ter or reputation Of my opponents.
But, inasn uch as mention has been
made Of my votes In the legislature on
certain measures, feel 1T necessary
to keep the record straight. will
therefore have to correct certain
statements which have been made.
Mr.. Ble2se in his speech In Colum-
bia spoke with a great deal Of feeling
when discussing the work Of the In
vestigating committee Of the cruelty
OF ipjuring mans reputation by in
situations or suspicious. He has not
observed this rule In his reference to
me, for 1t will be found that in Civ
ing my record vote on certain meas
ures he has given only a part Of that
record on those matters, and has done
me an injustice and created wrong
impression, He may not have intend
ed this, and he said to me that he
would himself make the corrections to
which / called his attention in a per.
sonal coLveIs lion, but he has not yet
fdOne 80, and will therefore set this
Secord straight myself.
l wish to say, with reference to the
bill regulating the rate OF interest In
1898, reducing the rate Of interest
from to per cent, that L voted
against that bill. MY only business
at that time was farming. was a
borrower Of money annually, but l
felt that If money lenders could not
got the-current rates for money from
farmers that they would lend money,
elsewhere, and the far :, instead OF
getting opey from baEKs with which
to conduct their business would be
forced to get advances from commits.
sion merchants On lien at rate Of
interest running from 10 to 30 per
cent. for advances. For this reason,
/ voted against the reduction In the
rate and believe that that action has
proved to be In the interest Of the ak
ricultural class.
ION the child labor bill Of 1900, l
voted against the bill heca use Of an
understanding had with Col. Jas. l.
Orr, Mr.. Lewis Parker, Capt. Ellison
Smyth, that they would use their ef-
forts tU have the mills regulate this
matter themselves, If we did not pass
the law. l then on that understanding
voted against the bill. They made this
effort with the mills, but failed. The
following year 1901, the act was again
introduced and | voted for the bill,
worked stYenuously for Its passage and
spoke In support of the bill, as will be
found In Senate Journal, 1901, pages
295 and $40.
"On the bill to prohibit trusts Sen
ate Journal 1902, pages 462.472, my
reasons for voting az l did are as fol-
lows: There was section in the bin
exemptinR agreements with regard to
the aale Of agricultural products. Be-
yfore this, an act had been passed In
Tennessee and Texas containing a
Bimilar provision. The act OF Texas
had been thrown into the courts and
had been passed on by the supreme
court Of the United States. The do.
cislon Of that court was to the effect
that the whole act was invalid mas.
much as this discriminating clause af-
Affected the whole act IN favor Of one
Iclass and rendered the act null and
void.
I'm the senate, moved to strike
make the bill unconstitutional, null
and void. / was trying to save the
bill. The senate refused to strike out
that section and then said that In
the face of the decision Of the eupre
me court Of the United States, which
was 80 clear and positive, 1t was sim
ply child's play to pass an act when
we knew that the act would be null
and void.
''As | said, my purpose was to have
bill that would stand the test OF the
courts and prohibit trusts and monop.
olies.
"Mr. Blease again quotes from the
record In part and dOea me an injus.
Gice In the matter Of the relief bill.
opposed the bill when 1t was intro
duced because 1t was stated, both by
the railroad authorities and the em.
ployeds Of the road, that 1t was en-
tirely optional with the employees
whether they joined this relief depart
ment or not. But Mr.. Blease fails to
state my vote on the bill the next
oar.
In the meantime, / had inve stl
gated this matter and made inquiries
among the railroad men themselves
/ supported the bill In 1903, because
[ was satisfied that 1t was not option.
al with the employees, but was prac
tically g. matter OF compulsion that
they should join this department. OF
would lose their position, My vot,
for the bill is found In the Senate
Journal, 1908, page 243.
with reference to my position OF
the Oaughman act Of 1900, will B.,
/ voted against bin In 1892 vile
provided for q PARTITION In car, bu
gave no separate toilet accommoda
tion for Ghe sexes, which would hav
been indecent. This bill failed be
cause OF It's elarlng defects.
The separation Ct the raccs was pro
vided for by the act Of 1898, when
uuco not q mann her of fba laUiqiatllra