Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-11

ment also had the support Of Mr.. H.
er, and of a number Of local business
men. and quite large number of sig
natures were secured. 1t was late
when the petition went down to the
general assembly, and although some
little opposition began to manifest it.
self, the York delegation answered the
request Of the petitioners by putting
York county under the general cotton
weighing law, the essential provision
Of which is as follows:
Upon the petition of fifty or more
qualified electors. who are growers of
| cotton and who reside within five
miles of any market, the county
board Of commissioners Of that coun-
ty shall annually elect one or more
public weighers for said cotton mar
kets, whose term of Office shall be for
one year. and until the election Of his
| of their successor or successors"
| Following the enactment of the
foregoing law, the petition signed by
more than fifty cotton producers, who
| are electors, as required, was present
ed and the board of commissioners
favored a resolution providing for the
| establishment Of a public weighing
system in Yorkville. Upon a further
petition numerously signed, Mr.. ]. E
Burns was elected public weigher, in
| accordance with the terms of the law.
Others interested, however, constru-
ing the statute to mean that more
| than one weigher can be appointed
| for each market, or in other words
the county board of commissioners
has a right to appoint as official
weighers as many applicants as apply
petitions were presented in behalf OF
the appointment Of Mr.. Paul N.
| Moore. in the employ of Mr.. B. N
| Moore; Mr.. w. T. Moore, in the en-
ploy Of Mr.. W. R. Carroll and Mr.. ].
r. Lindsay, Jr., during the season in
the employ of Messrs. Latta Bros.
The circulation Of these petitions In
behalf Of the applicants named had
the effect of bringing about not a lit
tie agitation of the whole subject and
the inauguration Of a campaign on
the part Of opposing interests to Sc
cure for each, support Of their respec-
tive positions, the original movers for
the establishment Of the weighing
| system, claiming that the law contem-
plates the appointment Of but one dis
interested weigher, and the opposition
holding that the board has ample au-
thority to appoint as many weighers
as 1t may decide. 1t was argued by
the public platform advocates, that
one weigher Is sufficient for town of
this size, and the appointment Of ad-
ditional weighers Is calculated to de-
feat the purpose in view by dividing
up the patronage to an extent that
will not leave sufficient income to sup
port the Independent weigher. On the
| other hand 1t Is claimed that the main
purpose Of the law Is to secure the
sworn service of a bonded official, and
so long as that end Is attained there
is no just ground for complaint.
During the campaign for signatures
to the petition for the appointment of
additional applicants to the position
of weigher, quite number who had
previously signed the petition Of Mr..
Burns also signed the petition Of the
additional applicants, thus putting
their desires in shape that the COM
missioners found 1t impossible to in
terpret AS to this, however, the plat
form advocates agree that the whole
matter having been disposed Of by the
original resolution to establish the
platform and the election Of a weigh
er, the matter had been closed and so
far as the power Of the commissioners
went, could not be re-opened even
upon a unanimous petition Of all the
signers.
To people who talked to him about
It, Supervisor Boyd took the position
that while the law gives the commits
sioners power and discretion In the
appointment Of more than one weigh
er that Is because the act is a general
one providing for all the prospective
markets that might want weighers In
a county: but that the board did not
have the right to elect more than one
weigher for a single market unless
the volume Of business in that market
was sufficient to justify the appoint
ment Of additional weighers. The un-
derstanding Is that Mr.. w. B. Wilson,
Jr., who Is the chosen legal adviser OF
Messrs. Lumpkin and Aycock, told
them that the board had the right to
appoint as many official weighers as 1t
saw proper.
The question of granting the addi-
tional petitions was pending before
the board nearly all day Wednesday,
the members Of the board being in
more or less doubt as to how to dis
pose Of IT, but later in the evening
Commissioner Aycock moved that the
additional applicants be elected, and
Commissioner Lumpkin seconding the
motion, the thing was done.
There Is talk to the effect that Mr..
Purns and his friends are very much
dissatisfied with the action Of the
board in the matter and are consider
ing the advisability Of taking the
question into the courts for a con-
struction of the law; but 50 far as can
be learned there is nothing definite to
be said along this line.