The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-02-17

when an appropriation for
school purposes comes up, be-
cause he claims the State is un-
able, yet he would make an ap-
preparation to give every cone
federate soldier, whether hs
needs it or not. a pension. This
man knows to do what he want
would require an additional ap-
preparation of 100000 or more
I cannot appreciate his idea Of
economy.
A fish bill created a great deal
of discussion this week. The
provisions are so drastic that l
am forced to oppose it. The bill
is still pending with amendment.
If it had gone through as ori-
ginally presented, it would have
put the fishermen of Brewington
out of business: and the good
Lord alone knows when we
would have been able to eat a
fresh water fish caught and sold
legally. 1t provided to prohibit
the sale of fish from March to
November, even if caught with
hook and line.
There is too great a tendency
to abridge the privileges Of the
masses. and if this continues
there will be such a revulsiou of
feeling that a revolution cannot
be averted. This is not Russia,
we are a people who were nursed
atthe breastof liberty and raised
to resent all encroachments up
on individual freedom: and when
the lawmakers propose to take
the bottle away from our lips,
we reluctantly submit, but when
they go still further and try to
deprive US Of a food we enjoy. it
is going farther than we like.
The next step I suppose will be
to require how we shall dress
and the quantity OF "terbacca"
we shall chew. The few people
who earn livelihood fishing
and selling their catch ought
not be interfered with so long
as they do not resort to useless
destruction Of the fnny tribe.
To protect the fish and game is
good enough but there is a
great difference between protec-
ton and prohibition, especially
when that prohibition is in the
interest of fishing clubs and
other pleasure seekers, who are
rapidly getting control of our
lakes and streams, and hunting
grounds. The birds Of the air
and the fish of the streams which
God in his infinite wisdom placed
here for the food Of man: will
soon be monopolized by the few,
and become articles of com.
mere for foreign consumption,
the same as is the case now with
ducks and shad at Georgetown.
I am opposed to any legislation
which means deprivation, espec-
tally those things which nature
provided for us. If a man has a
private lake he: should be. pro-
tected against the public, but in
the public waters what is IN
them belong to the public to use
but not to destroy.
When the Audubon Society
wants legislation providing for
a license on guns. the next thing
wanted will be a license on
pocket knives. this will probably
be followed by a license on
spoons and frying pans, in fact,
it will get so, if some people are
allowed to have their way, that
a man will not be allowed to
wear pants without first taking
out a license, not so with the
the womenr however, they are
never required to pay license
for anything.
One of the Senators has a bill
on the calendar to require those
selling dressed meats to expose
the head and ears, but what
good would the exposure of the
head and ears do, if the COW
was branded on the hind quarter.
Bills trivial in their nature must
be considered along with those
Of merit, and there are IN the
General Assemb bly, many bills
costing thousands Of dollars to
the taxpayers when put on. the
statute books arc, not worth ten
cents.
I think we will close up shop
next Saturday, and whell we do
the session OF 1909, while per.
sonally [ have gotten through
about all I intended to go
through, will be written IN
history as having had more
bills and considered less Of
them than any privious session
in many years. The cause can
largely be attributed to the
House being made up mostly Of
inexperienced members. A