The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1914-11-05
RESUME OF SPECIAL
LEGISLATIVE SESSION,
WHAT EXTRAORDINARY SES.
SION HAS DONE AND LEFT
UNDONE.

cent of the legislation that will find
its way to the statute books of the
State, as result of the extraordi-
nary session of the General Assem-
bly, now drawing to a close. Here
is the crux of the legislation:
1T shall be unlawful for any
person, by himself, his agents or
employees, to plant or cultivate in
this State in any year a greater
number Of acres of land in cotton
than one-third of the total acreage
of land planted and cultivated in all
crops by such person in said year,
including grain and fall sown crops,
planted the preceding fall or WIN
ter"
There is not much to the law in
verbiage, but if it be enforced it will
mean the agricultural revolution of
the State. The enforcement is in
the hands of the farmers themselves;
those who wanted total elimination
and limitations as to how many bales
of cotton might be raised to the
animal. The State has simply said
that for every ten acres of cotton
the farmer plants that he must plant
twenty acres in grain or cattle food
or truck. 1t matters not what the
crop is, but two acres of something
else must be planted to every acre
of cottor If the law be enforced,
and the enforcement be in the hands
of the communities, it will mean a
new era in cattle raising, for one
thing.
Many think the constitutionality
of the act is doubtful. Governor
Blease put this foot-note on the act,
after he had approved it: "Consti-
tutional or not, we will try it."
That is the sentiment of many and
it is regarded as being justifiable in
the agricultural crisis Of the State.
1t is to be noted that the act
through the suggestion of Mr. Belser,
is quite plain that only cultivated
land is tu be counted.
The act is now of effect and if the
Farmers Union and other agricul-
tural organizations want to put
their hand to something effective
here is chance.
This acreage reduction act is what
will live in the history of the State,
as the overshadowing work of the
extraordinary action of the special
session.
The State warehouse plan is not
so enthusiastically popular. 1t bare
ly "skidded" through the Legisla-
tive grind and if it had its course to
go again would not be among the
acts of the special session. 1t is al
ready Lame duck" Suggestions
are being made that it can be amend
ed at the regular session Of the Cen
eral Assembly to be held in couple
of months, but this is doubtful. If
Commissioner McLaurin can pull
the system to the front he will de-
serve much credit.
Of course, everyone is keenly in
terested in the cotton bond issue. 1t
| is a political puzzle. 1t has been
said that political history as we'll as
a true history of war should not
be written until the lapse of fifty
years. 1t would not do quite so
soon after the passage of the now
famous cotton bond act to write
what is heard and what may or may
not be the real history of this Leg
islation. There are many reports
and rumors as to why this or that
was done and all the more reason
why the real history of the Legisla-
ton had better be written when
real patriotism can be separated
from selfish motives; when play
ing politics" can be divorced from
public duty and when the mellowing
effect of time will have had its way;
then someone ought to write the