The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1908-02-12
Legislative.

Legislative.
The Legislature is now on the home
stretch. There remain two weeks more
in which to pass and in which to kill
pending measures. Hardly the half of
what is on the Calendar will be acted
upon, as there will not be sufficient
time, but for that matter such is
always the case at eud of every session.
The good things are culled out, and
the Indifferent and bad propositions
are left to die on the Calender with
either unfavorable or majority and
minority committee reports. AS a
general rule-not always-the COM
mittees exercise excellent judgem ent
in the handling of most matters, and
while oftentimes bad ideas run the
gauntlet of the committees, such is
not the usual case.
Perhaps the most important and
significant action or statement made
in the Senate has been the adoption
on the part of the Senate on tie
vote of the Talbert resolution asking
the State Democratic Convention to
provide for ballot on ''the sale of
liquor" and ''no sale.'
The Senate passed the resolution
with the vote of Mr.. Mcleod, and it
now goes over to the House for con-
currence, and there.is no telling what
will be done there.
All prohibition bills have been
killed, so far as this session is con-
cerned.
The Senate is getting up quite a
considerable reputation on questions
of personal privilege these days.
Some one suggested that there have
been eighty-seven such questions
raised already this session. This may
be few too many, but it gives all
idea Of how general the thing is on
the part of the Senators.
The discussion under this head on
Friday was certainly interesting.
Briefly it was as to whether lawyer,
who at the same time is State Sen
ator, has the moral or ethical right to
represent a client who may be inter-
ested in legislation and whether his
declining to vote Or work for or
against such a measure, in which his
client may be interested, is sufficient.
The question is whether lawyer can
or should represent, at any time, a
client in any way interested in legis-
lation and does refuse to vote on the
measure put such lawyer in cor
rect ethical position or should law
yer absolutely refuse such business
while member of the lawmaking
body. =
Rate legislation and the lien law
are the two issues that are now ap-
parently uppermost. What is to be
done with these propositions is what
Senators are asking each other. Both
issues are in the hands of the Senate
at this stage of the legislative pro-
ceeding.
Some Senators think the lien law
will be repealed; others say that there
will be no legislation along this line
and that the present status Will be
maintained; other Senators say that
they will send back such a repeating
bill to the House that its best friends
will not recognize it. And so it goes.
In a word it is doubtful if the lien law
will be repealed.
In the matter of the rate legislation
there has been the prettiest play
ing of the session. The rate bill has
been a veritable ball for the bright
kittens of the Senate to play with,
and really there are awfully clever
kittens, SO to- speak, in the Senate.
For week Senator Toole has been
aching and worrying and toiling to
get a vote On his rate bill. Some
other issue is innocently brought up
and passed to the front. 1t may or IL
may not be desire to avoid the di-
rect issue on the rate question, but
some ofthe friends OF the bill are ap-
parently losing hope and faith, and
the talk now is very much stronger
and very much more confident on the
part of those Senators who are entire
ly opposed to any rate legislation at
this session. On the first vote, whether
the enacting words Of the measure
should be stricken out, fourteen Sen
ators voted to kill the bill, and that
would have disposed Of the matter III
toto. The vote on such prelimiDsry
question is not always the same as On
the final vote. The rate bill may OF
may not be made agreeable to other
Senator's
There is a chorus Of unanimity about
one thing. There is no diversion Or
vote Or sentiment concerning tie one
thing-the trip to Charleston. Every
cne is enthusiastic and happy over
that trip. All say that the Citadel,
the Commercial C!ub and the people
Of Charleston know how to do the
right thing. and DO it better than any
one else. Messra. Wannamaker and
Wingard Of the Lexington dele2 alton