The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-02-04
CAPITOL CORRESPONDENCE.

The week just ended tnds the
general assembly with having
accomplised whole mass of To-
cal legislation, but very few gen.
eral laws ready for ratification.
The calanders Of both houses
are filed with bills relating to
matters of general interest,
some of which have passed
either the Senate or the House,
but none of them have gone
through both houses, and the
coming week will find both
branches engaged with the prin-
cipal work of the session.
Another week has passed over
without friction between the
Executive and the Legislature,
Notwithstanding the misleading
statement published in the daily
newspapers relating to the gov
ernor's message dealing with
pending legislation in the mat.
ter of white teachers in nesro
schools. The governors commu-
nication to the Senate, in which
he. stated he had information Of
one of the senators being a trus-
tee of a negro school was con-
sidered in executive session, but
there was no heated debates, as
the newspapers represented; on
the contrary: the matter was
discussed without the least acrl.
mony or partisanship. An execu-
tive session is secret, each mem
Der of the body is honor bound
not to divulge what transpires
therein, therefore I am not at
liberty to say in this letter just
what did take place, but can say
the correspondent who stated
there Vas a cheated debate"
drew upon his Imagination. I
have neyer attended a. more
deliberate and non-partisan exc
cutive session than this one was.
The Fortner Bill which pro-
proses to prevent white teachers
from teaching in the negro
schools has passed to a third
reading in the house. loaded
down with amendments that ap-
pear to me as triaing with serl-
Gus legislation, but should it
reach the senate I doubt very
mseh if that body will permit it
to become a law. At first blush,
especially to the unthinklng, the
the bill is popular. but when it
IS carefully considered I doubt
it's wisdom. It is easy enough to
arouse the plaudits Of the multi
tude by taking crack at the
ssnigger, that race OF people
has ever since the war between
the States, been the hobby horse
for small politicians to ride, and
and I am free to say, there are
many serious. minded men who
get caught with this kind of
clanor, but when they are con-
fronted with a situation that
forces them to sound below the
surface that they might build tor
the future, the glamor Of popu-
larity fades away from them like
the mist before the tropical sun.
Therefore, I say, if the senate
has to deal with this question
it will be given the thought a
serious proposition deserves.
No sensible man or woman will
for a moment charge the mem
bers of the senate with being
s'nigger-lovers" in the sense
that term commonly used, espec-
tally by cheap politicians on the
hustings, at the same time, there
is not a member of that body
who has not a warm spot in his
heart for the negro, and would
do all in his power to uplift him
and make him fit to live among
Us. I have no patience with an
element that is constantly decry-
ing the negro. Ben Tillman went
all over the country hurting
anathemas at the 'snlgger. "
There was method in his mad.
ness, his pockets today are jing-
ling with the coin he made out
of his nigger-abusing speeches,
but what are we to gain buffet
ing this race of people? They are
with US. God in His infinite wis
dom placed that race among US,
and it is not for US to undertake
by legislation, to aggravate and
harrass them into a condition of