Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-27
SOUTH CAROLINA NEWS

= Columbia special Of February "a. to
the Greenville News: The house today
killed without much ceremony the
proposition that had passed the senate
by which the state would repeal the
farce commonly known as the State
Income tax law. The senate realized
that the law was unfair in that it's en-
forcement was reduced to an absurdi-
ty, and in addition the Federal govern
ment was imposing a similar tax.
Messrs. Boyd, Of Spartanburg, Brice OF
Chester, and Mcqueen Of Marlboro un-
dertook to convince the house that the
income tax law in this state should be
repealed but they could not bulge the
house and 1t finally killed the bill by
a vote Of 81 to "a. The chief argument
Of Messrs. Rittenberg and Wyche, who
favored the income tax, was that while
the law may be imperative at present
that they could get information from
the Federal tax returns. MIR. Wyche
thought that the Federal tax returns
would be available for information for
the tax officers and he further thought
that the tax was along the right lines.
Mr. Rittenberg thought that the best
thing to do would be next year to pass
law requiring everyone who made an
income tax return to the Federal gov
ernment to do so to the state or suffer
penalty for not doing so. He thought
that IL an act Of this kind were passed
making 1t criminal offense for anyone
making return to the Federal gov
ernment and not doing 80 to the state
that very different results would be Sc
cured. At all events the house refused
to take the position Of the senate in
killing the income tax law and South
Carolina will continue to have for
those who are able to pay both Fed
eral and state law.
Governor Blease on Wednesday
night sent the house a special message
embodying his views on the report of
the committee appointed to investigate
the affairs of the state hospital situa-
ton. The message is as follows: ION
January 20. 1914, / sent you Special
Message No. 10, in which I called your
attention to a letter which I had in my
possession, charging that there was
being an effort made to GUST DR.. Bah
cock from the hospital for the insane,
that Governor Blease's underlings
and satellites want to manipulate the
sale Of that property, and the building
of the new institution out at State
Park and that an effort will be made
to smirch DR.. Babcock and his lady
assistant, DR.. Saunders, as these men
must have some excuse, you know, and
are not at all scrupulous' In this
message ] set out facts and statements
which IL Is unnecessary that / should
repeat here. Upon receipt Of this mes
sage you appointed a committee, un-
der a resolution which 1t is unneces-
sary for me to repeat, ordering an in
vestigation Of these matters. I notice
the report Of your committee has been
filed, and would like to ask the chair
man, or some other member OF that
committee, please to state IL they have
investigated the charge that an effort
was being made to oust DIR. Babcock,'
and what the findings Of the commit
tee were thereon; II they investigated
the charge that Governor Blease's un-
derlings and satellites want to manip-
ulate the sale Of that property and the
building Of the new institution out at
State Park and what their findings
were; and II they investigated the
charge that an effort will be made to
smirch DR.. Rabcock and his lady as
sistant. DR.. Saunders, and what their
findings were. II ] can read correctly
their report they have not touched the
subjects which they were appointed to
investigate. The report does not touch
in the least the charges made in that
letter which I transmitted to the gen.
eral assembly In my special Message
No. 10. The people, of course will
understand this, and will know why it
is done and what 1t means. In my
opinion the concurrent resolution
which followed, the report of the COM
mittee will simply become a nullity
The Constitution makes certain pro-
visions and the statutes cover certain
matters in connection with the state
hospital for the insane (see Section
1884, down 10 and including Section
1886, Volume I, Code of Laws of South
Carolina. 1922, and any lawyer with
any ability at all, and any man with
common sense, knows that simple
concurrent resolution cannot change
an act of the general assembly. (See
also Article IL, Section 2, Constitution
of 1850 The report Of your commit
tee makes me more determined to ex-
ercise the power given me under the
constitution. AS clearly see from the
report OF the committee that the one
thing ii does find Is that the institu-
tion has not been properly handled.
The principal thing I was fighting for
AS ! was fighting in the penitentiary
fight-was to help the inmates. won
in the penitentiary fight and am go
ing to win in this, for have some con-
stitutional rights as governor which.
am proud to say, the general assem-
bly, cannot take away"