The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-02-05
INCOME TAX PROBLEM.
l. HAS NOT TAKEN
UP CONSTITUTIONAL AMEND.
MENT.
No De1lnate Plan mitted And Nc
One Seems to Have Formulated A
Bhl-The Prohibition Question
Grows More and More Complicated

Columbia, Feb. 3.-Both houses Of
the general assembly are getting
down to hard work, as was expected
and are making fair inroads on their
calenders. The prohibition bill was
railroaded through the house and to
Its death in the senate, so that the
great bug bear of the session over
with brief struggle. In the senate
the local option men claim at least
one more recruit. There is now under
discussion a referendum bill which
Will be offered to the assembly, and
the debate over this will have to be
accounted as part Of the time that
the great question will take up in the
general assembly, The prohibition
leaders want the matter submitted to
the democratic primary, while the sug-
gestion Of the local option men is that
1t be put to the general election. The
prohibition leaders have not increas-
ed their popularity with the minority
by the assertion that the liquor men
Will use the negro vote. The local
option men will insist that the prohi-
bitionists do not regard any agree
ment or contract at ALL and that they
cannot afford to enter into any un-
derstanding with them on any
grounds. The proposition will be con-
tested on that ground more than any
other. In this connection it may be
noted that the floor leader of the
prohibitionists stated position.
which would create choas If accepted
by the members of the legislature
generally. He declared that he and
his fellow prohibitionists were in no
wise bound by the action Of the house
in the liquor matter last year, which
raises the question what does bind
the me embers of the legislature Mr..
Richards was not bound because
there was a resolution introduced
but not passed, declaring that the
prohibtionists did not consider them
selves bound by the action last year.
Are the members of the legislature to
be bound by the acts of the general
assembly, by which they bind the
rest of the state, or are they only to
be bound when they so resolve? If
the members Of the general assembly
ane not bound by the acts of the house
that they do not approve why should
the people of the state be bound by
them under the same circumstances?
The prosperity of the state is reflect
ed in the number of bills that have
been introduced granting charters to
different sections of the state and for
railroads and power companies in
the issue Of bonds for all sorts of
improvements. This is the era of de-
velopmeut.
The first batch Of bills were rati-
fled yesterday and became acts. the
appropriation bill is about ready to
come into the house and the shutting
off of new bills is expected by COM
mittees has been proposed, 80 it looks
very much like an early adjourn
ment, not earlier than the usual forty
days, however.
Members have been wondering why
the income tax amendment to the
federal constitution had not come up
with the SESSION nearly over and no
proposition made along that line.
The judiciary committee has ap-
pointed sub committee to prepare
bill and introduce on this subject.
M. L. Smith is the chairman of the
committee and. report from that
sub committee is daily expected.
Many members have not yet made up
their minds whether it would be we'll
to give the federal government the
right to tax twice, indirectly and di-
considered, or to hold off until the
congress had obligated itself to cut
off the tariff tax under which all
people stagger and then permit the
additional right of another tax. 1t
was for information on this subject
that the members Of the assembly
wanted Senator Bailey and Senator
Tlllman to talk to them, but the re-
fusual to hear Senator Bailey,
whose garments seemed to many of
the senator's to bear the taint of
standard OIL pollution, or Senator
Tillman, who is not high in favor
with that body just now. AS these
two sources Of information have been
cut off the members will have to dig
out the matter for themselves. It is
hard to say what will be the facts Of