The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-25
news OF THE LEGISLATURE.
IN PERFECT HARMONY SOUTI
CAROLINA SOLONS WORK.
Situation i'm Direct Contrast to that
of Other States, where Legislation
Is Retarded by Division OF Various
Issucs--Prescnt Conditions in this
State Compared with those of u
Few Years AgO-Bright for Thirty
Day Session.

| Assembly has now been in session for
nearly two weeks and peace reigns
! supreme. There is the greatest diff
ference In the world between the ses-
sion of the South Carolina General
Assembly and that of many of the
| other States. In West Virginia Sena-
tors have gone into another State to
break a quorum. In Tennessee there
Is a merry SCRAP" In Alabama the
Legislature is apparently torn asund-
er on the liquor question, while in this
State there Is no issue that is all i'm
| portant, no question that Is exciting
the lawmakers. no outside pressure
that is concentrating interest and
energy on any question. The men,
bers Of both the House and Senate are
| of one party and there is the utmost
good feeling between members from
the different sections Of the State.
In former days 1t was said that
there was a feeling of rivalry between
what is known as the up-country and
the lower part of the State. Now that
the up-country has grown in wealth
and population, the feeling is gone
and there Is no semblance Of i'll will
and issues are Mo longer looked upon
as coming from one section or the
other.
1t has not been many years ago
when the real, the vital and the burn
ing issue was whether a legislator was
"Reformer" or not. If he did not
bear the imprint "Reformer' he need
not think Of being a candidate for Of
flee, nor need he suggest any import
ant measure that would not be look
ed upon with suspicion. Things are
entirely different now. There are no
such narrow estimates and all feel
better that there Is one session Of the
General Assembly in which there is
the utmost good fellowship and OBJ
hteTatlOn OF IactlOnS.
With over three hundred bills al
ready introduced, the most remark
able thing Is that in that number
there Is not a single proposition to
radically change the liquor law. For
twenty years liquor has been pre-
eminent question, and this year the
only measure Of Importance in con-
nection with the question is how the
salvage from the old dispensary
should be expended and suggestions
as to minor changes in the present
law. as applied to the counties that
now have dispensaries and not involv-
There has not been a single State
wide prohibition bill proposed. This
may be because it is taken for grant
ed that should such a bill pass it
would be vetoed, but in previous years
members have recognized that State
wide prohibition bill could not be
enacted, but they have insisted that
they want a record, and for that have
fought for weeks.
The Senate has passed a concur
rent resolution fixing February 10 as
the date for final adjournment. This
would mean months session if con-
Cured in by the House, and it is not
at all unreasonable to expect that the
House will cali the Senate. The
expression has been used that the
Senate has put ii up to the House. OF
hcourse, in a body with three times the
Senate's membership much more
time must I've spent in discussions,
| and above all the all important gen.
eral appropriation bill must first be
threshed out in the House. Many
| members have been heard to express
| themselves az being favorable to a
thirtyday session. Prior to the Con-
stitution Of 1895 ii was the rarest
thing in the world for the session to
| continue more than thirty days. and
there is not now as much necessity
| for special Acts as there was in pre-
| vious years. because OF the COnstitu-
! ton of 1895. which, bye-the-bye, is
not growing in popularity
OF course, everyone realizes that
most Of the measures that are pro-
posed will have to remain over until
next session, and that even then they
will furnish food for thought Mem
bers are paid by the session and not
hy the day, as some suppose. This is
the custom in New York and many
other States.
The General Assembly will prob
ably hold some Of its elections during
the week. Some OF the elections are