Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-02-21
THE LAWMAKERS ADJOURN.
Brief Resume Of the WGsk--The Approprla.
tions Amount to 81, ,306,0 900.

fact, the nnal adjournment was an
nounced at $50 O'clock Sunday morning.
The last three days and nights of the
session were very trying ON the members
and put their physical endurance to a
severe test. Every one had something
that he was anxious to get through or
something that he wanted to defeat.
| 1t was Black Friday in both houses on
second reading bills last Friday. About
one hundred, of more or less Importance,
were swept from the Calendars in each
house in very few minutes.
Some of those that were killed were Of
real merit and should have been disposed
of on their merits, but so much of the
time Of the session was consumed in the
speeches on the liquor question that
there was little time to give to other mat
ters, in our judgment of more import
ance to the average citizen and the State.
There were several propositions to
amend the stock law so as to include
domestic fowls within it's terms, but
nothing was accomplished, and the chick
may continue to roam at will. 1t was
contended by many that the law was at
i
is probable that this had good deal to
do with the non n-action.
The reformatory bill finally got
through, but is very unsatisfactory
piece of patch work. There is $4,000 ap-
propriated at present to establish it and
begin work. The directors are to locate
it wherever they can get the best advant-
ages md the greatest amount of local
private subscription. The only radical
change in this law is that it gives boy
or his parent or guardian the right to
commit him to this reformatory or indus
trial school until he is twenty-one years
old, provided the commitment is ap-
proved by Circuit Judge. In case
boy is convicted of crime he may be vol
UNFAIRLY committed to this institution,
and in such case the sentence is remitted
The bill providing that an illegitimate
child should inherit from its mother and
the mother from her child became a law.
1t provides also that each may sue for
damages on account of the death of the
other caused by the wrongful or negli-
gent act of another.
The establishment of a board Of par
dons is another important law. This
creates three more offices without any
final power. We are very much in favor
of board of pardons, but under the pro-
visions of our constitution there could
be no power given this board except to
recommend to the Governor. We tried
to get such a change in the constitution
as would give them such power as the
General Assembly may confer, but this
failed. The present board are appointed
by the Governor and will necessarily be
to some extent of his way of thinking,
and, of course, makes divided RESPONSE
bility that may be unwholesome. We
hope that it will work we'll, but doubt
the wisdom of it..
The law creating the Office of Bank
Examiner is an important piece of legis-
lation for the banks and the depositors.
The salary of the Bank Examiner and his
assistants is to be paid by the banks.
A bill passed the House reducing the
passenger fare on railroads to two and a
half cents mile, but it failed in the Sem
ate for the lack of time
The bill converting the South Carolina
College into university passed. This
makes no change in the cost of maintain
ing the institution nor in the curriculum.
The penalty on common carriers for
confiscating freight held by them for
transportation was increased to ten times
the value of the freight This legisla-
ton was in response to the demand from
the factories, complaining that the rail-
roads were confiscating their coal in
transit.
The sum of $500 was appropriated to
mark the grave of Gen. Thomas Sumter
with a suitable monument.
This State will be represented at the
jamestown Exposition in Virginia next
year at cost of $4,000. The Senate
passed the bill which carried $4,000,
though there were eight of us who did
not believe in taxing the people for such
purpose.
The bill which sought to utilize the
convict labor for making fertilizer to be
sold to the farmers at small profit instead
of raising cotton, failed There are not
near so many convcts in the penitentiary
now as few years back Many of them
are now hired to the counties to work on
| roads. There is contract to furnish
the hosiery mill in the penitentiary 800
convicts and this keeps the supply nearly
| exhausted. For these hands the State
gets only so cents day for men and 35
cents day for women. These hands
have to work in the mill one month be-