Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-02-16
LEGISLATIVE NOTES.
Some Of the More Interesting Pro-
ceedinas Of House and Senate,

There was test vote IN lne seHale
Tuesday night on the Morgan bill, and
that vote showed the opposition to be
90 to Is, Senator Cole s. Rlease of
Newberry, the leader Of the dispensary
forces, was the principal speaker
against the bill, He announced him.
self as opposed to any legislation
whatever on the dispensary question
saying that the people would settle the
whole matter IN the primaries of next
August. He referred to the food OF IL
quor in Newberry since the dispensa-
ries were voted out. and taxes will pe
increased. He believed the people
were in 1t for money as we'll as be-
cause it is the very best solution OF
the liquor traffic. The News and Cour-
ier and the State are continually howl
ing about the dispensary In other parts
of the state, but not one word about II
in Charleston and Columbia. The lat
ter got $4,000 last year and the for
mer $50 900. That is why they say
nothing. He declared that he would
never vote for any Of these liquor bills,
mad been produced to convict a suck
egg dog, much less to convict honora-
ple members Of the board Of control
Of theft. AS to Tillman's testimony
this afternoon, If the rules Of evidence
had been applied not single typewrit-
ten page could have been made out OF
il. AS II was the committee spent
more than two hours listening to moth
ing. Mr.. Blease read with a good dea!
of sarcasm publications going to show
how much liquor is coming into Spar
tanburg and Greenville. He defended
Governor Ellerbe, declaring his record
was without stain, and some or his
traducers are in hell. If you abolish
the state dispensary because 1t Is cor
rupt why not abolish cotton mills at
Newberry, Union and elsewhere, where
hundreds of thousands of dollars were
lost by the presidents gambling? He
declared opponents Of the dispensary
law are responsible for present condi-
tions of the dispensary, because of the
mea elected to run IT. With license a
few whisky houses would control the
business in the state. He would favor
license in Charleston If it is provided
the business shall not be extended
higher than Ten-mile Hill. Otherwise
The state would be flooded with whisky
from wholesale houses In Charleston.
The house spent most of its time
Tuesday discussing what is known as
Comptroller General Jones's flexible
levy idea. Mr.: Jones wanted to ar
range matters so the state tax levy
need not be fixed until after the tax re-
turns were all in: His plan was to
have a commission composed Of the
chairman Of the ways and means COM
mittee. the comptroller general, and 9th
er officials, and this commission should
canvass the situation and fix the levy
after the adjournment OF the general
assembly. The flexible levy" idea
was finally voted down, 81 to "A, The
fixed supply bill was then taken up
and passed with a mill levy. Several
opponents to the flexible levy Idea de-
nounced it as a scheme to Increase the
taxation on real estate.
The juvenile reformatory bill, which
had already passed the senate, passed
the house Tuesday night. The bill
carries an appropriation Of $4,000 and
the reformatory is to be supported by
the counties, each county paying in
proportion to the number of juveniles.
The bill, as it stands is not at all sat
isfactory to its friends; but they prefer
to have 1t become law in its present
shape rather than not have 1t go
through at all. ~.....
The Morgan bill having been killed
in the senate Tuesday night. Mr..
Rucker of Anderson, on wednesday
called up in the house his bill provid-
ing for straight option between prohi-
bition and county dispensaries. The
bill provides for the abolition of the
state dispensary, and the conduct OF
county dispensaries along the same
lines as now conducted except that
the county boards of control would
have about the same authority as is
now exercised by the state board with
reference to the state machine. The
bill provides that elections be held on
a petition of one-fourth of the freehold
voters of a county and that elections
be not held oftener than once in four
years 1t is provided that counties
which have already voted out dispen-
saries cannot vote on the subject again
until four years from the date Of the
last vote The bill passed by vote Of
so to SO. Messrs. Ardrey and Massey
voted TO kill the bill and MeSSrs. Saye
and Beamguard voted for its passage.
On the question of ordering the bill up
20 a third reading with amendments,
including the amendment that coun-
ties which had already voted on the
question should not vote again for
four Years, the SOte was OU 10 o.
There is no probability that this will
go through the senate.
After the senate had killed the
Morgan bill it took up the substitute
that had been offered by the senate
committee. This is along the line of
what is known as the Raysor- Man
ming bill. After several amendments
that bill was passed to y third read
ing by vote of 2S to II. When
Senator Brices name was called, he
voted "a thousand times no." Sena-
tor Brice called up the bill that abol-
ished beer and hotel privileges. The
bill was passed to third reading, 2s
to -: but there Is little probability
Of its becoming a law.
A little white boy named McMa-
han. was killed at Pacolet last Tues
day by a piece of stone thrown out
from a heavy blast. He was 500 yards
away from the scene of the explosion
and the piece of stone that struck him
was about the size of a mans fist.
Death was instantaneous.