The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-01-21
OUR LEGISLATURE LETTER.
Review of First Week-Committees
Y at Work-Will Get Busy
This Week.
Special to Herald and News.

least one week for the general assem-
bly, to get a start. This year the gen
eral assembly mat as late us it is pos
sIble under the law for it to meet;
the meeting is set for the second
Tuesday in January, and the second
Tuesday cannot fall later than the
14th, which was the case this year.
Then Lees birthday, which is a legal
holiday, aid always observed rs such,
came on Sunday and was observed on
Saturday, when the membcrs went to
Winthrop college on a trip Of inspec-
tion, so that there was not much time
for serious work last week. al
though the committees did do some
thing in the way of discussing meas
urcs that had been referred to them.
This being the second session of the
assembly, there was no time vast
III organization, and as there is only
one election in which there is to be
a contest there will be nothing more
TO divert the attention Of the house
and senate when the elections are
disposed of. which will probably be
done on Wednesday.
On the first day of the session,
there was nothing done except to
swear in the now members, elected
to fill vacancies, and to hear the read
ing Of the governors message. The
senate however decided to send all
bills Oh its calendar back to their re-
Spactive committees, SO that they
can be gone over again carefully in
the light Of the developments of the
last II months. The house on We'd
nesday took up "only uneontested
mattcrs,' that is only such measures
as no one would object to, and in that
way got to third reading, number
of bills introduced and unactcd on
last session, while others that are
now out Of lac were withdrawn by
their authors. The en"rossing depart
mem has been kept busy enough
with the new bills. but has been abl 2
to keep pace with its work. There
are no new bills Of a startlin" nature
SO far. there being thc usual number
regulating railroads and amsndin"
the labor laws and repeating the
lien law, and so on.
B. Mr.. Nash has begun to fight for
Il HRS prohibition bill, in which ne has
#thc support Of many Of the old State
Y dispcnsary faction, and the measure
4 was brought up for the first time on
q Friday, when the house by vote Of
,&49 to 45 declined to strike ont the en-
SEactin" words. There we're 30 abSen-
&tces when this vote was taken. so
that il doe: not necessarily follow
from this vote that the house Is in
favor Of prohibition. The question
is apt to be much more fully discuss
ed before the session is over.
1t is expected that the elections
will be held on Wednesday or soon
thereafter The withdrawal of Hon.
T. p. COthran from the race for as
sociatc justice Of the supreme court
ensures the reelection of. Hon. f. B.
for the position of judge Of the see
= Hond circuit to fill the place vacated
by the resignation Of Judge JAS: Aid
ricn. the candidates being Solicitor
Davis, Col. Robert 'Aldrich and Col.
Calude f.. Sawyer. There arc several
NJ trustees and directors Of the State
\ institutions to be elected, and Miss
IT. H. LaBorde, State librarian. will
Il be reelected without opposition.
i#I THE two houses adjourned Friday
to meet again on Monday night. b,H
this will be only formal meeting,
and adjournment will quickly be TAX
en- until Tuesday morning. The most
Of the work during the early part of
the session is done by the commit
tees. and il is not only not necessary
/. but s.. not advisable for the sessions
Of the houses to last very long, as
p this leaves little time for the COM
= mittecs to meet. The more thorough
ly bill is digcstcd in committee,
the better prepared will the members
be to discuss it and to explain or
attack it when the matter comes up
on the floor Of the house. The two
committees Of the house which have
most work to do are the committee on
ways and means and the committee
on judiciary. These are however COL