Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-11
SOUTH CAROLINA NEWS.

Spartanburg, May s: Pittsburg cap
italists will invest million dollars In
developing water powers in Spartan
burg and Cherokee counties and In
Cleveland county, North Carolina. Ihe
general offices will be located In this
city. Operations are expected to be-
gin within a year.
The old Congaree hotel Of Colum-
bia was destroyed by fire last Monday
morning at about o'clock. The build
ing belonged to the estate of Mrs. w.
E. Rose. The loss Is thought to have
been In the neighborhood of $4,000.
and the insurance was only $3,OOO'
The hotel was located In very desir-
able part of the city. close to the Cap
itol, and 1t will probably be replaced
by a more substantial structure.
The state board of railroad COM
missioners I'm session In Columbia last
Wednesday raised the assessments
against railroads from $29,467,OO0 to
S54O24154, or to 72 per cent of the ac-
tual property as shown by the reports
of the railroad commission. II these
figures are permitted to stand the in
crease i'm taxes to be paid the state on
a basis of 81 mills will be something
like $350,000. The railroads, however,
will have an opportunity for hearing
before the board. and the general rule
has been to give to them reduction
from such figures as might have been
fixed. Mr.. CAN'T, a member of the
board by virtue OF his office as secre-
tary of state, protested against raising
the figures over 60 per cent, and filed
a statement Of his position In writing
as follows: THE report of the railroad
commission for 1905, page 10 shows
that ha ontnal nnmmprpial value OF
the railroads of South Carolina on June
Both, 1904, was $75,5OO,0OO. This as
sessment, aggregating $64,O24,l54, Is
according to this report ~ per cent OF
the actual value of this property, which
assessment l believe to be unfair and
unreasonable and in excess of the
assessment of other classes of proper
ty in this state. AS member OF this
board for three years, l have been en-
deavoring to have these corporations
raised to an assessment aggregatlng oO
per cent of their actual value, but nave
been generally in a minority. l feel
II incumbent upon me now to protest
against any assessment exceeding 6O
per cent of the actual commercial
value of this property"
- Columbia special of Tuesday to the
News and Courier: The citizens OF CO.
lumbia are making great preparations
for the coming Confederate reunion,
beginning next Wednesday, and all of
the committees have their work well
in hand. The indications are that this
will be, in many respects, the greatest
reunion ever held in the state. The
programme contains several novel and
interesting features which Will delight
not only the veterans but the large
number of friends who will accompany
them to the reunion. This morning the
erection of the big reunion assembly
tent was started and by Saturday night
everything will be in readiness. All
meetings and theatrical performances
will be held in this tent, which will seat
900 people. The dining hall, which
will be conducted by the ladies of Co
lumbia, and the lunch room Of the re-
union commiSSary committee are both
being nicely equipped and will be ready
in a few days. The reunion quarter
master committee has obtained per-
mission to erect on the capitol grounds
fully equipped and up-to-date camp,
which will be used for those veterans
who are not entertained in private
homes. The camp will be equipped
with all conveniences. and the veterans
who are assigned to Camp Hampton
will no doubt greatly enjoy another
to the veterans and citizens OF the
state by Governor and Mrs. Hayward
will be one of the most pleasant feat
ures of the Reunion. This reception
will be held at the governors mansion
on Friday afternoon, from p. m. to
| Z p. m. All of the committees are
working diligently and everything
points to this being the greatest reun-
ion ever held in the state.
- Columbia State. Thursday: Wheth-
er the diSpensaries should or should
not remain open in Laurens county af-
ter the election there Is a matter of
both sides, and the settlement of the
question will be of general interest In
all of the counties where a proposition
has been advanced to vote out the dis
pensary. 1t will be recalled that at
an election held last year the figures
showed that the dispensary had been
voted out in LaurenS county. An ap-
peal was made to the state board of
canvassers but after hearing the testi-
mony the election was declared legal.
Me ssrs. Bel!inger & Welch, as attor-
lcys for those opposed to prohibition,
argued that the election had been lille
gal i'm that the returns had not been
properly Signed and that voters were
not required to show their tax receipts
and registration certificates. This was
held by the state board of canvasserS
not to be of sufficient showing TO war
rant declaring the election illegal. Af-
ter this decision by the board the at
torneys for the dispensary people Sc
cured from Judge Hydrick at Edgefield
writ of certiorari, which meant that
the evidence i'm the case was to be
gone over for any error that the state
board might have made on the decis-
ion. A decision has not yet been
made on this by Judge Hydrick, and
Mr.. c. G. Ftatherstone, who has lead
the fight for the anti-dispensary peo-
pie, claims that this does not act as a
stay of proceedings and that the dis
pensaries should be closed. On the
other hand the attorneys for the dis
pensary people claim that the writ OBJ
tanned acts as a stay and that until a
decision is rendered the dispensaries
should remain open. Mr.. Featherstone,
who was in the city yesterday on legal
business, said that he had written the
attorney general about the matter and
had not yet given up the fight. The
attorney general has not yet given a
written opinion concerning the ques-
tion and It is probable that the prohi-
bitionists will take other steps To have
the diSpenSaricS closed. pending this