The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-02-07
LEGISLATURE MAKES TIME.
SHAPING MATTERS TO ADJOURN
WITHOUT USUAL RUSH

Close OF Last Session ImpOrt,rt
Bills Likely to be i'm Governors
Hands i'm Time for Final Action
Before Adjournment. on February
IL.
Columbia, Feb. 4.-The General
Assembly will continue in session
Tor two weeks, when it will adjourn
me work of the session is particu-
iarly well in hand and if it really be-
came necessary an adjournment coulJ
De had prior to the 18th. which is The
fortieth day Of the session. The an
preparation bill is in hand, and could
according to the custom Of previous
years be passed and ready for rati-
ncation by the end of the week, but it
Is evident that the purpose is to al
10" latitude for emergencies, and. Of
course, In this particular instance the
emergency is the veto power of the
Governor.
Last year, 1t will be remembered. a
great many of the members went
nome prior to the approval of the
Appropriation bill with many items
eliminated as result of the veto
power.
IL is perhaps fifteen or twenty years
since my good friend, A. B. Williams
wrote story about the General AS
sembly that was then in session. and
he denominated it as June bug
Legislature. This was intended to
mean that the Legislature was AL
io"ed at that time to fly at pleasure,
but that there was string" tied to
the left hind leg from "down-stairs. ;
and Whenever the June bug" flew
TOO nigh, or got out of bounds, the
string from downs stairs" was
pulled and the June bug" had TO
stop its flight. That was very apt
description Of the General Assembly
in those days. hut whatever is least
apt to be tied with the string" from
down stairs" would be best appli-
cable to the present General Assem-
bly,. OF course, everyone who knows
anything about legislation under
stands that downstairs" is intended
to mean the Governors office, and
the upstairs" is in no degree re-
sponsible in this year Of our Lord to
the downstairs" This condition Of
affairs and the generous use Of the
veto power has made the General
Assembly cautious in one respect. and
expeditions in another.
BY way Of illustration: At the last
session of the General Assembly
commission form of government bill
was passed, as applied to the City of
charleston. Governor Blease vetoed
the bill and argued that it. was not a
correct form of government. The
House has passed a bill Incorporating
verbatim the Act that has been We
tOed, with certain additions as to reg
istration and operation.
There is a clause in the Constitu-
tion which reads as follows IF a
bill or joint resolution shall not be
returned by the Governor within
three days after it shall have been
presented to him. Sundays excepted.
it shall have the same force and eff
t ct as l. he had signed it, unless the
General Assembly by adjournment.
prevent its return. in which case it
shall have such force and effect un-
less returned within two days after
the next meeting 1t is to meet this
emergency that the General AS
esmbly is giving itself two weeks.
In other words. such bills as the
refunding measure. the commission
other matters, will be in the hands Of
the Governor according to the pres
ent programme, three days prior to
the adjournment. If they are not We
toed within these three days. they
Will become the law of the state, any
way. and if they are vetoed, they
must be returned, as the provision Of
the Constitution contemplates in
time for them To he acted upon prior
to final adjournment by this General
Assembly.
This is indicative of the sentiment
in the House and Senate: that is.
that the important matters should be
disposed of finally and conclusively
ly the present membership as they
invite responsibility. 1t is the correct
way in which to legislate. and as a
matter If fact the best thing that