The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-02-22

mas heretofore escaped taxation
to warrant the delegation in max.
ing a considerable reduction in
the levy next year.
Take the session all In all it
did good work. The governor
had contentious with the legal
fraternity and the supreme court
in the matter Of appointing spe.
cial judges, and there is differ
ence of opinion as to who is right.
Although layman | think can
see where the governor is right
in contending fer such legislative
action as will separate the func-
tions Of the executive from the
judicial as is required by the con-
stitution. The fundamental la"
says these departments sha.! be
separate and distinct, and yet
the Act of the legislature says
when a special Judge is to be ap.
pointed it shall be by the gov.
ernor upon the recommendation
Of the supreme court or chief
justice. The governor says if
he is to appoint then he should
be allowed to appoint as his
Judgment dictates, but if this is
| not to be. then the legislature
should place the appointing pow
er elsewhere: not hold him re-
sponsible for an appointment
which he has nothing 10 do with
except to sign his name to a com.
mission.
Governor Blease has demon
strated the fact, and he certainly
has made the impression burn
deep, that he is the GOVERNOR,
and not mere functionary draw
! ling a salary and looking wise.
Whether his administration will
be endorsed throughout is for ns
yet to see, bat up to now he has
won much applause for bis out
spoken criticism and his making
good his promises to the people
when on the stump last summer.
We expect that good many
newspapers throughout the state
will criticise the action Of those
who stood by the governor in
his efforts to make his promises
good, not because they do not
think him right but they are op-
posed 70 the governor; these
criticisms will not effect any
good, and il they are wise they
will refrain from making any.
The bill to require the distri-
button of the dispensary fund
among the common schools was
amended in free conference so
that the money, if the Act
lis approved, will be distrlbu-
ted as follows: S60,0O0 for high
schools, $50, 900 for the common
schools, $4,000 to aid in the
construction Of rural school
buildings and 500, 900 for the
common schools, to be appro.
priated to the counties on ba-
sis of enrolment for the school
year ending July 1st, 1912, and
apportioned amongst the schools
by the county boards of educa-
ton; the balance Of $50, 600 to go
to the equalization fund under
the provisions OF the act Of last
year. Thus it Will be noted that
the whole amount of $500, 900
which was in the treasury from
the dispensary fund has been
given to the common schools as
required by the constitution
without having to put in the tax
levy II provide for the $4,000
heretofore required by the Acts
Of 1910 This ought to be Of
considerable help to the rural
schools of the state.
This has been q session or
hard work for me. l did not miss
day, attended the committee
meetings regularly, got through
every bill I introduced, except
one minor measure, which 7 in
troduced at the suggestion Of the
clerk of court, relating to chang
ing the board of jury commis-
sioners so as to relieve the treas
urer tkerefrom.
The members Of the house
delegation were at their post,
and took care Of that which I
had sent from the senate, we
had no friction, differed in opin-
ion on one or two matters but
our differences we're adjusted
satisfactorily, all together we
got along nicely.
It was nearly daylight Sunday
when the gavel fell announcing
the final adjournment OF the
general assembly, and then I
went to my hotel to get some
sleep after several strenuous
days and night. need rest.
The governor continues to
WELD his axe on the Acts passed
by the legislature, all of which
will meet with approval except
the stevenson Act" which pro-
vides for the distribution Of the
dispensary fund for the public
schools. We think the governor
is wrong in vetoing this Act be-
cause the Constitution demands
that this money be given to the
public schools. He bases his
disapproval On the ground that
the enrolment in the negro
schools - ss1po ccoro 70 o,,S fro nd