Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-02-24
LEGISLATURE BREAKS RECORD
"Old Corn Liquor the Cause OF !t
AlT'-~End Not Yet.

NoiulilDlb itD. Gp.--oDtClul. i Ue
| General Assembly has broken the
record this year in more than one re-
spect. The forty days for which the
members are allowed compensation
expired last Saturday, and no ad-
| journment is yet in sight. The fight
| for and against liquor is the real
cause of the prolonged session. There
| were four long sessions just after
| the Constitutional Convention, but
| since 1899 no session has been long
er than the forty days.
We believe that there will have to
! be a compromise or no change can
| be made in the present liquor law.
| There are 21 counties that have dis.
| penSarieS and 90 have not, but there
are two prohibitioniSts from dispen-
sary counties, making an even divis-
ion in the Senate, with the presiding
| officer for local option.
The following is poll of the Sen
ate on a straight vote for the pro-
hibition bill:
Yeas. Black, Carlisle, Carpenter,
CrOsSen. Earle, Forrest, Griffin, A.
Johnstone, Laney, Mauldin, McCown,
Mckeithen. Montgomery, Otis, Rains
| ford, Rogers, Spivey, Sullivan, Sum
Nays-Appelt, Bass, Bates, Chris
tensen, Clifton, Croft, Graydon, Har-
din, Harvey, Hough, w. J. Johnson,
Kolly, Lide, Muckenfuss, Sinkler,
! Smith, Stewart, Townsend, Walker,
| Weston, Williams-21.
Senator Lide, of Orangeburg, is
in favor of referring the three queS-
tions to the people--prohibition dis
pChsary and license. The county dis
| pensary Senators are not willing to
any proposition that will allow the
Piedmont counties to vote it out of
the counties that want it. They say
| n State vote means prohibition for
| them and they don't want it. There
is no way by which we can force a
vote in the Senate, for the opposi-
tion can speak indefinitely and hold
us there until next January. There
are some Of our side weakening, and
| we may be forced to a compromise
| within few days. The local option
| lists are willing to have Il vote In
| those counties that now have dispen-
saricS and let the others have prohi-
| bition. BY this means we think chat
! we can get a few more votes by the
next session and then pass prohibi-
tion law. Frankly, this is the best
compromise that we see any hope for,
and it may be agreed upon in day
| or two.
The joint resolution requiring a
! iish-way in the Augusta dam will
probably get through. 1t is not like
! ~ that any other legislation on the
game and fish subject will get
through. There are several bills
! pending, but the opposition is so
! strong that little progress can be
| made. The lower counricS have al
most monopoly OF fish and game.
especially large game, and it is diff
fcult to reach a solution that will
be satisfactory to both sections.
have succeeded in getting one
OF my oil bills through and it will
soon become a law. 1t provides a
penalty of from $500 to $1,000 for
discriminating in prices against a
community. This Will compel the
Standard Oil Company to sell at the
same price everywhere and will al
low the independent companies to
do business.
The. lien law has been killed
that is, so much as allowed the mer-
chants lien. The landlords len for
rent and advances stands as before.
and so does the labOrer's lien for
wages or shares Of crops. This has
Decn up at every session Of the Leg
iSlature for 2S years. We will now
see trial Of the change for a while
at least. The tenant who must give
lien can make it to his landlord
and have him assign it to the mer-
chant. and the apparent hardship
will be avoided. This will make il
necessary for the farmer to know
what advances are being made and
whether the advances are in Dropor-
tlon TO the crop prospects. Every
man who has given a merchants
lien VAS asked, How much cotton
will YOU plant? His credit Is meas
ured solely upon his cotton crop.
And every man wants the best credit
that he can get, and for that reason
he m2gnities the cotton to the dis
parag"ment Of all other crops. The
change is expected to cause the rails
ing OF more food crops and live
stock.
My bill allowing a counter claim
IN actions of claim and delivery has
passed both houses and only re-
mains to be ratified and approved by
the Governor to become a law.
The cuteSt piece Of legislation that
| have ever seen is one that tackled
on to a bill that provides that any
one who shall discharge or discrimi-
nate against any laborer on account
OF his or her membership in a labor
organization, shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor. This will allow the
cotton mill people to maintain their
labor unions without fear of being
punished as heretofore by being
docked to starvation or peremptorily
discharged. Respectfully,
J. r. Earle.