Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1907-01-02
THE VERNER-EARLE CONTROVERSY.
SENATOR EARLE MAKES STATEMENT AND
GIVES THE RECORD.

no hVliOWtnS dTticle was uouoeA
to US on December 26th, but owing
to the crowded condition of our col
umns we were unable to handle the
copy for our issue of last week.
Editors of The Keowee Courier
My attention has been called to an
article in your last issue by Repre-
sentative E. K. Werner. However
much we may regret controversy
between officials, who should act in
harmony for the people of Oconee
county, it becomes necessary for me
to controvert some statements made
in that article.
In the first place, he states that he
accused me of passing certain bills in
the Senate which ! denied. 1 desire
to state frankly that have at no
time and in no place denied the pass.
age through the Senate of two bills,
one of which became law. enlarg-
ing the powers of the Oconee Water,
Light and Power Company. If Mr..
Werner has ever accused me Of pass
ing any other bills that be did not
approve of / do not know of it; and,
in fact, l never knew that he was
opposed to the bills above mentioned
until after he bad opened his cam
paign for the Legislature last sum-
mer.
During the session of the General
Assembly of 1905 James Thompson,
who seemed to be the chief one in
terested in the Oconee Water, Light
and Power Company, wrote me and
asked if could not secure for the
said company the right of condemna-
tion by a bill similar to that which
was then pending before the Legis-
lature enlarging the powers of the
Parr Shoals Power Company. This
was during the latter part of the ses-
sion, and l had no time to confer
if anything was done along this line,
so | went to Solicitor johnson and
asked that bill be drawn in accord
ance with the request of Mr.. Thomp-
son. AS soon as possible l intro
duced this bill and had it printed,
but it did not meet my approval and
| amended it in quite number of
particulars before it left the Senate.
Some of the amendments, however,
were overlooked by the clerk in
writing them into the bill, and | re-
quested Mr.. Werner to make certain
amendments in the House because of
this fact. Mr.. Werner afterwards
came to me in the Senate, and gave
him another copy of the bill with
the amendments which / desired
written in that copy aud asked him
to see that they were incorporated in
the bill in the House. The bill passed
the House and became a law. 1
would be glad if the copy of the bill
could be found, because / know that
the amendments, or certain amend
ments which l proposed, would be
found written therein in my own
hand writing. do not care to go
around and make loose statements as
to what certain things are when it is
easier to tell the plain truth as it is.
/ give below the bill itself:
can Act to Ratify and Confirm the
Charter of The Oconee Water,
Light and Power Company, Grant
ed by the Secretary of State on
the Second Day of December,
1904, and to Confer Additional
Powers on Said Company.
"Whereas, the Secretary of State,
on the second day of December,
1904, upon compliance by the corpo-
rators with the requirements of law
regulating the formation of corpora
tions, including full payment of char
ter fees fixed by law, issued certifi-
cate of incorporation to The Oconee
Water, Light and Power Company,
creating it corporation for certain
purposes designated and specified
therein and, whereas, it is desirable
to ratify the same and to grant addi-