The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1906-02-14

half cent mileage bill, brokerage house
legislation and other matters have the
impress of the House. On she other
hand the Senate has given q knock to
coca cola and has passed reformatorE
bill, but the House has veto consider
these propositions.
Whether good or bad, for the veal
or woe of the State the House has been
disposed to defeat proposed innovations
It killed the bill to abolish the DEPART
ment of immigration. It refused TO al
low the State to embark in further ouS-
mess, such as oil refining. 1t deemed
to enact the compulsory eoucatlon
statute. which is gaining 10 favor II
again killed the proposed ten-hour Ia
Dor statute and altogether ITS record
has been one of letting we'll enough
a]one-a most sensible view IN pros
porous times.
For some reason the statement was
made that this would be a record
breaking Assembly in point OF Noeral-
itv. It has not yet shown such ols-
position. The appropriation bill as IT
]eft the House this year really carried
no more money than that OF last ses-
sion. with the exception OF the increase
$50 600 for Confederte war pensions.
Although the appropriation bill pro-
vides for necessary deficiency Tor the
Hospital for the Insane and S33, 600 for
the general elections this year, there IS
no substantial increase in the aggre-
gate of the money proposed to be eN-
pended for the State government.
There were plenty of requests, but
they were not granted.
There is a bill pending which pro-
poses making an appropriation @: $780,
600 for an adequate display at James
town. The bill has favorable report,
but Mr.. Nash. who is in charge OF the
measure has not yet been eble TO get it
up for a vote.
As has been heretofore remarked
the spirit that prevails is shown by the
fact that there was not even a sugges-
ton to reduce the appropriations as
proposed by the committee for the
South Carolina College and the Citadel
The House committee recommended an
increased allowance for the good work
of the South Carolina College and the
suggestion was unanimously adopted
something that has not occurred before
in fifteen years.
The two absorbing issues with which
this General Assembly was expected to
deaf were: The Oispensary and Taxa
tion. Up TO the present writing the
tax issue has been avoided OF the House
side. There has been nothing what
ever done, except to report bills. Comp
troller General Jones has worked hard
and well, but he has an uphill Job. His
views are OF the right line, but wheth-
er they will be adopted or not is anoth-
er matter. For instance f.e has asked
and it appears to be a very seaslo!e
suggestion the State levy should
not be definitely fixed at this session.
He argues that the members do not ana
cannot know what the taxable values
are going to be as the books for the as
sessment of property have not yet
closed. and the boards OF equalization
have not even met, and it is therefore,
impossible to know on what amount to
figure the levy. Give the appropriation
bill and later on the taxable value OF
the entire property, he insists that the
chairman of the ways and means com
mittee, the finance committee, and he
can figure the levy at what it ought to
be. He insists that it would be suicidal
to any proposition to get at fair values,
for the absolute levy to be fixed now.
He thinks with latitude and with even
a fair assessment of property, that the
State levy ought to be reduced a least
two mills.
The matter has not yet been discuss
ed, but MIR. Jones plan may strike
some as an innovation and may on that
account encounter trouble. The House
has 'sdone it's stunt" on the dispensary.
1t has passed what is known as the
Morgan local option bill and stands on
that proposition. There were dozen
or more bills on the Calendar affecting
the State dispensary, but the House
concentrated its fire on the Morgan
local option bill, passed it and sent 1t
over to the honorable Senate and has
given that body ample time in which
to act.
The Senate has not yet taken vote
on the bill, and the fear on the part of
some now is that although the House
sent the bill over to the Senate IN
ample time the Senate will give the
House some eleventn-hour legislation.
or perhaps a proposition to adopt an
entirely new law, as the result of free
conference. in which event, if adopted,
it would be the adoption of law made
by six men. There are some members
who already insist that no matter what
may happen they are not going to sub
nit to three members legislating for
their side OF the Assembly on the most
important matter of the session, and
that the experiment would be danger
Gus.
The House is not going to do thing
until it hears something from the Sen
ate on the Morgan bill. The friends
of the Morgan bill insist that the Sen
ate will pass that measure with accept
able amendments. On the other hand,
the dispensary advocates CLAIM ma
iority in the Senate, and that the Nor
gan bill will be killed in the Senate:
Should the dispensary advocates kill
the Morgan bill in the Senate, the bill
of the dispensary advocates would then
be passed and sent to the House for
that body to act upon. The advocates
of the system claim that in the event
of the killing of the Morgan bill, that
there would be a sufficient number OF
members of the House to vote for the
dispensary bill, VINO have supported
the Morgan bill to insure the passage
of the bill 70 patch the dispensary sys-
tenn.
There has been suggestion that
members will remain here until later
than next Saturday in the effort to en-
act some of the measures that cannot
be acted upon during the week.
1t is not at all unusua! for a mass OF
suggestions to die on the Calendar.
The session might be extended month
longer and even then all matters
would not be disposed of.
l: is not to be expected that the mem
bers who have their business to attend
to will remain here at their individual
expense and they are not going to do
so. The General Assembly will ad-
journ on Saturday, unless something
rar,oa a rl-a l,1a hainnonc