The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1911-02-08
General Assembly.
BY J. RUTLEDGE MCGEE.

Columbia, Feb. 7.-During the past
week the General Assembly of 1912
has accom- plished two things that as
sur. to it remembrance for some years
to come. It has passed the general
appropri alton bill earlier IN The ses-
sion than was the case with any pre-
yious Il gislature-the bill was report
ed eight days earlier than ever before
and it ha, passed marriage license
law. IL was busy week, filed With
much constructive legislation of many
kinds. This week will see the remain
ing general bills that have found ia
vor adopted and many minor local or
for other reasons uncontested meas,
ures enacted into law. Then WILL
arise the question, Why not adjourn!
IF the legislature sits for a fortnight
lonper-this week and the ;iext-lt
will round out the usual forty days
It now seems likely that final adjourn
ment will be taken next Saturday
night, February II, making the ses-
sion approximately 80 days.
Lowndes Br owning. OF Onlon' cha1r-
man of the house committee on ways
and means, was the lion of the past
week. Great credit ls due him for
the mastery way IN which he han
died his big assignment. 1t is signlfi-
can't that the appropriation bill went
through intact, except for such amend
ments as he himself offered.
r vice in the house last week excite
ment was promised, over references
by DR.. Turnbull, of Aiken, to State
Game Warden James Henry Rice, Jr.,
and by Citizen Josh Ashley, OF Ander.
son, to Dr.. John Porter Hollis, OF
York. secretary of the State child Ia
Dor committee; but the incidents blew
over without furnishing much 'copy'
for the reporters. Dr. Turnbuu ques-
toned the accuracy of statements IN
Mr.. Rice's report and Mr.. Ashley IN
timated that DR.. Hollis, a former
member of the house, was employed
by New England mill interests to lob
by for stringent laws on children IN
the South Carolina cotton mills.
In the senate there was passed with
amendments the bill to return to such
counties as maintain chaingangs ali
the abie,bodied male cow cts now
emplo7ed in the peniteniiAry and on
the State farms. Whether the mouse
will pass the measure remains to be
seen. This bill if enacted into law
would be one long step toward some,
thing various members nave wanted
to see done for long time-the sale
of the State farms and the clio ing Of
the hosiery mill at the penitentiary.
Distribution of the convicts as pro-
posed would leave the penlSentlary
with insufficient force to man the
farms.
In the line of constructive leglsla-
ton nothing better has been done in
years than the passage by the nous e
of the Christensen-Vincent drainage
hill, which will also pass the senate.
No county need avail itself OF the pro-
visions of the measure unless it wish
es, but in the low-country counties
such law can be of tremendous as
sistance in reclaiming swamp lands
ana enhancing the values OF lands now
under cultivation.
The fifth Justice of the Supreme
Court will likely be chosen Wednes-
day. The candidates are Circuit
Judges Watts and Memminger, Attor-
neys M. L. Bonham, of Anderson, W.
B. Gruber, of Walterborro, and T.. b.
Fraser, of Sumter. 1t was too bad
that the outcome Of the row between
he governor and the supreme court
ovei tue question Of who should pre-
side at the Richland court, should
have been the assignment Of Judge
Watts to mold the court, since Judge
Watts naturally desired to be free al
that time to strengthen his political
fences. Judge Memminger will be
disengaged and 80 can push his own
candidacy unhampered.