The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-02-05
pICKENS, S. c., FEBRUARY S, 1914
House..
House.
The House expressed itself again

this year on the question oI
compulsory education. A local option
bill, introduced Representatives NC
Cravey mad Harper and a companion
bill of Senator Lawson's linked with
it, passed the House by vote of IS
to 81. The bill was slightly amended
from its original shape, and IN gen.
eral way provides that any school dis
trict or county may vote for coInpui-
sorry attendance of children between
the ages of and 12 years upon the
schools Of the county. The bill also
provides that a written petition OF
one.third of the qualified electors shall
be filed before the election is ordered.
The house also expressed itself on
the two-cent rate bill by passing it by
safe majority. The House, however,
had already passed the two-cent rate
bill last year and that bill is now
pending in the Senate. On the, Sen
ate side tie bill has remained on the
calendar during the present session.
The bill of Mr. James Of Lee, pro-
hibiting women from working more
than eight hours day in manufactur-
ing establishments and children from
working more than % hours a week
in such esta Adjustments, was killed by
the House recently. The measure
placed a fine of not ore than $500
on corporations allowing women or
children to violate it's provisions. Mr..
James made strong plea for the
conservation of women and children"
The hottest fight of the present ses-
sion was precipitated in the house on
the passage of the Fortner bill prohib-
iting white people from teaching in
negro schools or negroes from teach
ing in white schools under penalty of
a fine not exceeding $500 or impris-
cnment for not more than II months.
The bill was passed to third reading
after battle royal, the opposition led
by the Charleston delegation. The
measure was amended, without dis
senting vote, to make the same pen
atty applicable to "the intimacy Of the
races in houses of ill repute." Another
amendment was passed prohibiting
white nurses from working in negro
hospitals. A third amendment made
the bill inapplicable to the teaching of
the Bible to negroes by white people.
By a vote of So to 3S, the house re-
fused to strike out the enacting words
of the Fortner bill 1t is doubtful
whether there was any such over
whelming sentiment in favor of the
passage Of the bill in the house as this
vote would indicate The measure had
been recommended by the governor
In his message, but beyond question
more than 3s members Of the house
did not believe the measure expedient
or necessary, and voted for it because
they feared the accusation in the fu-
ture that they were "nigger lovers"
The administration and anti-adminis-
tration lines were not drawn in the
vote to strike out the enacting words
The fight over the bill lasted for over
two hours.
The judiciary committee of the
house submitted majority unfavor-
able and a minority favorable report
on the Welch bill allowing the Colum-
bia Railway, Gas and Electric Com
pany, which owns the Columbia canal, |
to build a railroad, terminals and
wharfage and maintain steamboat
line to tidewater, in lieu of carrying |
out its contract to complete the canal
from the foot of Gervais street to the
mouth Of Rocky branch.
The report of the committee came
after public hearing on the bill
when, for parties unknown, H. K.
Osborne, an attorney of Spartanburg,
submitted to the general assembly,
through the judiciary committee, a
proposition to complete the canal
within Is months, pay the state $780,
900 in cash for it and pay nine-thirti-
eths Of the bonds outstanding on the
canal
The house took up as agaSspecial or
der the zeigler bill pY,Egng for rails
ing revenue to proteS Nds, game and
fish, by issuing W - to those who
hunt wild gamT ~ gun and it
passed it to ,nirYreading. The IL.
cense for residentg under the bill will !
be s1.1O annually and for non-resi-
dents s5.25 annually. The issuing Of
the licenses and the disbursing of the
funds are placed In the hands Of the
chief game warden. The bill was pass
ed to third reading.
After another fruitless attempt on
the part Of the Charleston delegation
to have their county exempt from
the terms of the Fortner bill, the meas
ure passed third reading in the house
and was sent to the senate, by vote
Of 81 to 40. The bill was passed to
third reading by vote Of SO to 38,
after the warmest fight of the present
session in the House
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