Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1906-02-07
THE STATE LEGISLATURE
Body of State Lawmakers Down ct
Work-Bills That Have Been Intro
duced.
Compulsory Education,

H-
debaats Iii the House over Mr.. Ker-
shaw's compulsory education bill re-
quiring parents, OF others having in.
charge children between the ages Of 9
and IA years, to send them to school
for not less than 100 days in session.,
the enforcement Of the law being left
in the hands Of the school district
trustees. After the house had heard
speeches for all hour and half, a,
vote was reached OH the motion to.
strike out the enacting words, Inter
est and some surprise and excitement,
were elected by the announcement
from the clerk that the dyes and nays
vote stood 50 to 55 in favor Of the bill.
This was followed by more speech
making, when another eye and nay
vote was taken on the motion to in
definitely postpone, which resulted In
SO yeas and Sc nays. Then the final
vote was taken on the motion to table
the motion to reconsider. This result.
ed to 63 to 81 against the bill. The,
votes showed growing sentiment in
the House in favor Of compulsory edu-
cation, over last session. The cotton
mill managements say they favor a
compulsory education bill, and say
that compulsory education law will
assist them to see that the child labor
law is more generally observed. The
Anderson delegation voted solidly.
against the bill, but the delegations
from the Horse Creek valley mill sec
tions were divided, as we're the Green
vile and Spartanburg delegations.
Mr.. Toole, of Aiken, who has been.
struggling through several sessions to.
get ten-hour labor bill passed, favor.
ed the Kcrshaw bill, while Mn. Cloy.
of Aiken, tried to laugh it out into.
the corridors.
Among the new house bills was one
from Mr.. Watson, of Anderson, to
refer the question Of license, dispen-
sary or prohibition, TO the August.
primaries, the succeeding Legislature.
next January to enact into law for d:
period Of five years the majority senti-
ment SO expressed, and one BY
Mr.. Cothran, Of Greenville, allowing
sheriffs of dry counties to appoint as
many special deputies as necessary to-
enforce prohibition. Mr.. Hutto had "a.
bill TO repeal the anti-free pass law
and the Hampton delegation sent in; a
bill to provide for ali investigation
into. the financial affairs of Hampton.
In The Senate. - -
The only matter discussed in = the;
Senate was a bill TO- appoint q
commission to look into the adyisas
bility Of purchasing the old police barr
racks in Charleston with a yiieNWs.ttoe q d
using the place to enlarge the dorlnas;
yfaeuiit t;;ss ofsttih escitad ssSSbiff
was finally passed with only two votes,
against it. n: I:
The Reformatory. 4
The reformatory bill unexpectedly
made its appearance, being called up
by Sneator Mauldin. Senator G. L..
Bleasc moved to kill the bill.
In speech after his motion to in
definitely postpone the bill Senator c.
l.. Blease said he wrote the editor of
the Greenville Daily News, of Tile
Christian Appeal, one Of the Spartan
burg papers, and Rev. w. p. Jacobs,
sending them the bill asking them
how they would vote on it. He had
received answers from some-Senator
Blease said they had not the man.
hood to retract their criticisms of the
senate and Of him. Rev. w. p. Jacobs
of The Clinton Orphanage wrote let
ter saying lie did not "believen in.
boys who were not criminals being
admitted. "Boys of good character
should not be eligible to the school, !"
he wrote, i'll speaking of association
with criminals.
Senator Blease made his same
points as last year that the judges had
too much power under the bill and
that it would dump 5000 children,
black and white, on the State. He
did not want an orphan asylum sup
ported by taxation. He thought the
bill ment "the worst involuntary sla-
very [ ever heard Of" The State of
South Carolina was "going into the
nursery business -
He would advocate two reforma-
tories for criminals, one for each Of
the races. He was glad to see negroes
eliminated from the bill, as compared
with last years bill.
Senator Blease was glad to vote for
bill which applied alone to young
criminals and which did not allow the
circuit and probate judges to use their
discretion i'll putting boys in the re-
formatory.
1t was 10 O'Clock when Senator
Blease ceased speaking and Senator
Mcleod began argument for the bill.
Vic CucCt1hC llo1uG WHICH, Luc SCIldIOl
from Lee made was the statement
made to the committee by Recorder
Stanly in regard to the need for a re-
formatoly as shown by Ills daily ex-
Defience. The State provided for'and
protected its other children, even to
the deaf, dumb and blind. Then why
not care for the morally stunted-
those most pitiful of unfortunates9 2
The pupils at Cedar Spring can sell
dom be cured, but the majority of the
boys at this reformatory might be
morally made well.
Sepator Mcleod could not believe
that criminality could be promoted by
tic refoumatory; it would act the
other way.
"All do not become criminals wllo
ga, wrong, but il less than a dozen can
be saved TO South Carolina, $4,000
would be Il small sum 10 pay" he
said.
Humanity was the whole idea of the