The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-03-12
LEGISLATURE STILL IN SESSION.
LACK OF QUORUM PREVENTS
SINE DIE ADJOURNMENT.
Governors Message Criticising Find
ings i'm Peabody Fund Probe Starts
Discussion I'm House, During which
Member from Richland Raises
Question of Quorum Only l6
Present.

Columbia, March 6.-The House
blew up" today. 1t was entirely un-
expected and unnecessary. Time and
again the House has adjourned when
it had finished up it's work, without
calling for q roll, which fixed the
status of the membership in attend
ance. The Senate followed the
Houses action, both deciding to meet
ing.
When the House met this afternoon
at o'clock Mr.. Wander Horst moved
that a committee be appointed to wait
on the Governor and advise him that
the House had completed it's work and
was ready to adjourn. The message
was not sent and this is the reason
why:
Two messages or communication
were in hand; one was read, without
any trouble. 1t was ordered printed
in the Journal and that was the end
of that communication from the Gov
ernor. In this first message he pointed
out that there was likely to be trouble
about the magistrates BILL which was
handed him on the last day before the
recess. He pointed out that in one
place a magistrate was to be paid
$500 but it was not stated for how
long this was. 1t was also suggested
that the magistrates bill may give the
Governor the right to appoint new
officers and on that he was not quite
certain but he wished to advise the
General Assembly of the possibility
or appointing other magistrates in
certain counties, than those confirm
ed.
This was all plain sailing Then
there was n message in which excep-
tion was taken to the expression Of
the Mitchell investigating committee
to the words that the Governor had
been "misinformed" The Governor
insisted in the special message that
he had not been misnformd and that
everything he had said about DR..
Mitchell had been verified, in that he
had signed the petition that was in
corporated in the published minutes
tee.
The message suggested that a white
wash brush had evidently been used
by the majority of the committee to
mark out the petition and then to
paint ii back again, and altogether ii
appeared to be joke if there was not
such an important issue-white su-
premacy-involved. The finding Of
the majority of the committee-Sena-
tors Watson and Young, and Messrs
Nicholson and Welch-did not suit the
Executive and he insisted that it was
unwarranted by the testimony as he
viewed it. Mr.. Ashley, who had filed
minority report and one in line with
the views Of the Executive, moved
that the message be printed in the
Journal.
Mr.. Evans, Of Marlboro, moved that
the message be referred to the COM
mittee on education and therefore not
be printed, for the present at least
Mr. Ashley then insisted that the Gov
ernor was exactly right and that the
majority of the Mitchell comu.ittee
ha
mittee had either used the white
wash brush or was itself mistaken
and he saw no impropriety in print
ing the message.
Mr.. Evans, with much feeling, said
that he was unafraid of down
stairs and that he was not going to
stand such methods any longer He
said he had sat and stood it for two
or three years, but when the Cover
nor reflected on members of the
House and said they used whitewash
and did not deal justly with the facts,
that he for one would protest and in
sist upon a record being made of those
VINO agreed To such opinions.
1t looked as if there was going to
be Legislative trouble and Mr.. Brice
suggested that the message be printed
and that the committee be given leave
to print reply.
Mr.. Evans said this was not what
he wanted, ana he for one protested
against the House agreeing to record
such message in it's Journal. Mr..
! Ashley insisted that the Governor had
as much right to say what he did as
the committee did to say that the
Governor had been misinformcd.
Just as a crack Of thunder from the
sky and without any special reference
To the pending discussion, Mr.. Miller,