The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-02-23
SOME NEW LAWS.
Bills That Have Been Passed and
Ratified by the Legislature.

Columbia, Feb. 18.-The senate is a
very deliberate body, and no one need
undertake to hurry it's action. In the
matter of the asylum 1t has spent
the greater part Of the week and ne
cessitated, very probably, the return
of the members here next week. If
the appropriation bill can be disposed
of in the two days left for legislative
work in this week there will be c,n-
sideration of other bills.
| Among the bills that have been al
ready ratified are many local meas
ures, the sum total of which amount
to great deal in the State as many
grains Of sand make up the beauteous
land. There have not been many bills
Of general nature passed, but among
these ratified are the following.
Requiring the indexing Of cancella-
ton Of chattel mortgages.
Including baggage in the provisions
Of the act relating to claims for lost
| freight.
The formation of Dillon county.
Changing the terms of officers in
many counties to four years or back
to two where they had been changed.
Amending the street car vestibule
law so that proper vestibules will! be
given.
| Several insurance bills, among
them the one regulating the fraternal
and benevolent orders, regulating
bond and debenture companies, re-
farding mutual protective assocta-
tons, giving these legal standing. aad
putting them under the insurance
| ccmmissi )re-.
| Amending the constitution in re-
gard to bonded Indebtedness Of towns
for municipal improvements, court
houses and streets as we'll as one pro-
viding for township bonds for rail-
roads.
Providing for the 'winding-up Of
dispensaries.
Establishing scholarships for the
blind in State institutions.
The reenactment Of the old big pis-
tol law with some changes.
Requiring the publication of sealed
sentences.
Providing for registration of train
ed nurses
Making II a misdemeanor for d
;'ank officer to issue a false certificate
Recasting the military code to
comply with tn Dick law.
Compelling a husband to support
wife and children.
Providing that towns Of 5000 in
habitants may establish slaughter
pens outside of the city.
Providing for the manufacture and
sale of denatured alcohol. ,..
A number Of county governments
have been changed, lot Of charters
have been issued to railroads and
power companies, and the right to
vote bonds to a host of school dis
tricts. Horny wants bonds for roads
SO does Occnee. st. Matthews and
Dillon want court houses. Mullins
and Dillon want railroad bonds as do
Saluda and Greenwood, which have
asked to have the constitution chang
ed for thera. Laurens wants to is
sue bonds for a railroad and Carlisle
wants street improvements and so 1t
goes, all want to issue bonds for some
purpose.
The proposed amendment to the
constitution by Mr.. Cothran, in which
Columbia was so much interested
providing for the assessment of con-
tiguous property for public improve
ments, has been amended in free con-
ference. 1t passed the house as one
Of those local measures" allowed to
go through because it was applicable
to one locality, though really an
amendment TO the constitution, and
one strenuously objected to by many
people because it is argued that a
mans property may be assessed far
beyond his ability to pay for paving,
drainage, sewerage or anything else
in the matter of municipal improve
ments. In that way property will be
practically confiscated in some in
stances, while In others the effect
will be to force property owners N:.o
obstruct improvement in their locai-
ties, to bear the expense. Mr. Tobias
had the provision for Charleston
stricken out in free conference, 50
that the bill now applies to Green
Vile, Manning and Columbia only.