The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-01-26
SOMETHING ABOUT
THE LEGISLATURE
SOME OF THE MEASURES PRO
POSED IN TWO WEEKS.
The Legislative Hopper is Full and
the Mill Grinds Slow

Columbia, January 23.-TWo weeks
Of the legislative session have passed.
About four hundred proposed new
laws have been engrossed as bills and
introduced. At this rate the number
of new measures for this session VIII
90 beyond 1000 easily. A great
many new men are. in this legislature
and they have new ideas they want
to put into law. Some Of these new
measures are good and some are not.
There are too many changes IN the
laws any way but the new member
must do something to carry out the
promises made in the campaign.
One Of the elections has been held
and was mentioned in the last issue
of The Herald and News. 1t was for
chief Justice of the supreme court to
succeed Chief Justice Pope and only
two candidates were voted for-Asso-
ciate Justice Eugene B. Gary and Ira
B. Jones. Mr.. Jones was elected. Mr.
Gary was the senior justice in service
by about two years and according to
all precedent should have been pro-
NOTED. The responsibility and work
of the chief justice is no greater than
an associate. Mr.. Gary's forces were
not organized and no special work
was done for him while the Jones
forces were organized.
Of the Newberry delegation John
stone, Kibler and Harmon voted for
Jones and Wyche for Gary.
The election for asoncisHRDL
The election for an associate JUS
tice of the court to succeed Mr.. Jones
will be held on Wednesday of this
week. There are five candidates for
this position-Ex-Gov. Jno. {. Shep-
pard. of Edgefield; Representative
Thos P. Cothran, Of Greenville; Cir
cult Judges R.. C. Watts, D. E. Hy-
drick and Geo. ". Gage. In the ev-
ent one of the circuit judges should
BE- elected it would necessitate an
other election to fill the vacancy thus
caused. Then there are members OF
the board Of the penitentlary and OF
the trustees of the colleges to be
elected. Not much can be done until
these elections are over.
Several important and far reach
ing measures have been proposed.
Of course the prohibition fight Is
to come. The opinion seems to pre-
vail thot Statewide prohibition
measure Will pass the house but there
as some. doubt as to what the senate
will do. Numerously signed petitions
have been coming to the members and
delegations from the Baptist conven-
ton and the Methodist conference
have been before the committees OF
the house and senate advocating the
passage of Statewide prohibition
measure.
Some of those who seem to know
say there WI be a majority Of from
four to seven in the senate. against
Statewide prohibition. Some Of the
senators who are prohibitionists take
the position that the cause of temper
ance will be best promoted under the
present law of permitting the coun-
ties to. govern the thing as to each
NAV seem best. If the legislature
should pass Statewide prohibition 1t
would probably tend to take the
thing out of State campaigns and
give our candidates something else to
talk about except liquor.
The lien law will come up again
for action and a bill to repeal has
against been introduced. The State
Farmers Union in session here last
week passed resolutions asking the
repeal Of the law.
A bill to provide punishment Tor
attempt to rape has passed the SEN
ate. It's nam provisions are as lol-
lows:
I. Attempts to ravish are placed
upon the same plane as actual COM
mission Of the crime, in so far as the
death penalty is provided.
2. 1t is left to the discretion Of the
trial judge to commute sentence to
life Imprisonment.
3. Tie victim shall be allowed to
testify before the court Sten'graphe:
and attorneys. the same to be read to
TIE jnrv in open court.
The bill to raise the salaries OF