The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-11-07
cotton 6oNu ISSUE BlocKEO
GOVERNOR gAILs TO SIGN MEAS
URE AND BILL DOES NOT BE.
.,.. COME LAW.
General Assembly Adjourrs, After
Bcing In Session for Twenty y-ninc
Days.

Columbia. Nov. "a valid election
on the question of issuing state bonds
can not be held today. The act sub
mitting the proposition to the electo. IS
1T tie polls today did not become a
law. The governor sent the general
assembly message last night In
which he said he did not intend to
sign the act. After ascertaining to its
satisfaction that the measure would
not become q law until midnight to-
night without the governors sigma
ture. the general assembly ended its
special session this morning at LEO
o'clock. the 29th day after 1t had been
convened by the chief executive.
The message from the governor last
night to the effect that he would take
no action on the act proposing q ref
erendum on the question Of issuing
S2f,0oo.000 In State bonds to be
loaned on part Of the South Carolina
crop put an end to rumors current
that the chief executive would sign or
veto the measure.
After the message was received last
night both the house and senate re-
ferred the communication to their
committees on judiciary to report on
how Ions the governor could hold the
bond issue act unsigned IL the gen.
eral assembly remained In session.
Both committees agreed that. the gen.
eral assembly being In session. the
act would take effect without the
governors signature tonight at mid
night. some 16 hours too late to be
voted on In the election which begins
ut O'Clock this morning.
The report OF the house committee
on judiciary on the governors mes
sage follows:
The comrnittee on judiciary to
whom was referred message No. 81
OF the governor rs to the time when
the act referred to will become law
without the governors signature, begs
to report:
80. That the constitutional pro-
vision reads as follows: If bill Dr.
Joint resolution shall not be returned
by tho governor within three days af-
ter II shall have been presented to
him. Sundays excepted. 1t shall have
the same force and effect as IL ne had
signed Ii. unless the general assem-
bly,. by Adjournment. prevent it's re-
turn. In which case 1t shall have such
force and effect unless returned with
In two days after the next meeting
~. That. in the opinion Of this
committee, the computation of time
In this case should be made by ex-
cluding the day on which the act was
presented to the governor. This being
so. Friday Is excluded and the three
days will not be completed until mid
night Tuesday. November 8, 1914.
This Is In accord with the
opinion Of our own supreme court in
the case of Corwin vs.. Comptroller
general. 9 8. c.. 500.
The language Of the court is as
follows:
." That the three days within
which the governor Is to return a
bill with his objections Is to be COM
puted by excluding the day in which
the bill Is transmitted to him. q.
'Tn thai case the bill was trans
mitted to the governor on Thursday
and 10 waB held that he could return
IL up to- midnight OF Monday night,
and that failing to- do SO 1t became
law at midnight OF Monday night.
the general assembly still being In
session. ln this instance the bill was
transmitted to the governor on Fri
day. October 80, and by the same cal
culation will not become law until
midnight Tuesday. unless signed by
the governor or returned with his
objections without signing and pass
ed over his veto. However. IL the gen.
eral assembly adjourns before Tues
day night. II will not become law
without the governors signature until
the second day of the next regular
session.
Respectfully submitted.
"w. T.. Stevenson,
Geo. S. Mower.
For the Committee"
The cotton acreage reduction act,
the state cotton warehouse act and
tho cotton bond issue act, the last
named did not become effective. stand
out prominently as the trilogy of
measures on which the general as
sembly centred at It's extraordinary
session I'm the attempt to assist pro-
ducers of cotton In the embarrassing