The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-02-20
4 BRIEF REVIEW OF WHAT WAS
DONE OR ATTEMPTED.

The Abolition of the State Dispensary
and Creation Of County Dispensary
system the Growing Achievement
On Nearly All Other Issues the
Legislature Succeeded in Taking No
Action.
Columbia, Feb. 16.-Outside of
swapping the State dispensary horse
for the county dispensary filly-which
of course is of great political and 9th
er kinds Of importance-the new leg
islature Just adjourned has passed
few acts Of any important general
application. 1t has been a prancing
steed, this new legislature, the house
especially being wild and wooily and
eager to get at the throats OF the cor
porations particularly the railroads;
but it really hasn't done anything
freakish and the sum total Of the fin
ished work Of the two houses seems
good by comparison with the work OF
former legislatures. What it didn't
do is more celebrated than what it
did do, which is said to be the chief
end Of iegi.,ia!' IS.
It spent mu.. item in discovering
that it really c;l not want TO do any
thing drastic toward the railroad, not
even to the extent Of passing a IL
passenger fare act; it spent still more
time. more even than it spent on the
dispensary, finding out it did not want
to change the lien law; it found out
at the last moment, in one Of the
sober moments of the house, that 1t
did not desire a law forbidding the
sale or manufacture Of cigarettes or
cigarette paper; it found out through
one branch that it wanted no mar
riage licerse law; it discovered with
out exercising the house that it would
take no compulsory education at this
time; it discovered early IN the game
that it wanted none Of Comptroller
General Jones scheme to place tax
assessments en- an honest, just and
sensible basis Of equality through
board of five; it found out by the
combined judgment Of the two houses
that it would rather not exempt the
1880, <1;c+r;o+. fro,o +ba onararjon of
the compulsory vaccination law, in
spite of the danger Of violence against
tactless doctors; j: found out through
the senate that il did not want TO
take away the dover rights Of the
wives, nor abolish tenancy in entire
ty.
In the positive column Of legislation
perhaps the Frost bill to investigate
the railroads through an inter-session
commission OF six members Of the
general assembly should rank next 10
the dispensary legislation. This COM
mission is intended to work out the
Charleston problem first, but its pow
ers are great and it may take up in
terstate and intrastate rates. sched-
ules, equipment, freight delays and
many other matters vitally affecting
the people of the State.
Also Of far-reachjng effect will be
the act outlawing dealing ir futures
in this State This is the Georgia law
on the subject and not only does away
with bucketshops but forbids buying
or selling except in legitimate way
In this the house had its way, having
substituted its bill for the Sanders bill
passed III the house.
Yet another very important act
passed was the Johnson pure food
act. which prevents the sale or man
ufacture Of misbranded Or deleterious
or poisonous drugs or foods.
Of still more Importance is the new
act limiting the hours Of labor in the