Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1915-01-20
LEGISLATIVE LETTER.
t. Mrsi NedrleyI Writes of Opening Ses-
Sons of General Assembly.

your Naper to have a few lines from
the @conee delegation at Columbia,
telling about the progress of the
1915 5eSouth Carolina Legislature.
MqSt OF the past week has been
takeI up in organizing the new
House, electing officers, appointing
committees and inaugurating Chas
A. Smith as Governor, succeeding
Governor Cole l.. Blease, who sent in
his resignation to the General Assem-
bly, about noon Thursday of this
week. Lieutenant Governor Chas.
A. Smith was Immediately sworn in
as GeNernor of South Carolina as is
proyiabd by the constitution of the
StatesH Ex-Governor Blease did not
assigAgany reason for his unexpected
resig sation, and no one seems to un-
derstRnd why he resigned, as his
term was so near expired, it being
less tpan week until Governor-elect
Manning would have been sworn in
as the new Governor of the State.
Thursday at noon Governor Smith
madeSa very able and comprehensive
PUBLIC address to the General Assem-
bly,, ID joint session, in the hall of
the House of Representatives.
JasSA. Hoyt, member of the House
from kRichland county, was elected
Speaker; ]. Wilson Gibbes, clerk of
the House; jim Wilson, sergeant-at-
arms, and A. E. Hutchison, Of York
county, reading clerk.
There is always a great deal of in
terestein the drawing for seats each
new term in the House. All the
namessof the counties are placed in
AatsSand after being thoroughly
shaken are drawn out, the first coun-
ty drsHn out having the first choice
4 ,ot;St5eS S hat ga tiaass
am glad to say that Oconee was
very lucky this year, being among
| the first for choice of seats, and Mr..
Brown and omyself selected seats
about middle ways on the first row
of seats on the main aisle 1t is
sometimes very difficult to hear and
keep up with what is going on in the
rear or on the extreme sides of the
| large hail.
Some Of the bills of Statewide i'm
| portance are as follows: Statewide
prohibition submitted to referen-
dunn vote Of the people; repeating
the acreage reduction act; repeating
| the cotton warehouse act; several
| bills on compulsory education; BIZ
ennial sessions Of the Legislature;
four-year term for all State and
county officers; two-cent passenger
rate; bill to create an officer in
each county as county marketing
agent for all farm products, and
many others too numerous to men,
ton. These, however, are among
the mos, important.
Mr.. Brown was appointed on three
good committees-the committee on
commerce and manufactures, bank
ing and insurance, and Off =. and
offcers-my appointment being on
the ways and means committee and
chairman of one of the sub-commit-
tees Of this committee. We are
both very well pleased with these ap-
pontments.
The main thought in the minds Of
the members, as far as l can gather,
is to keep down extravagant appro-
| priations, to enact few constructive
laws and adjourn and go home. One
Of the main recommendation in the
address Of Governor Smith was that
the Legislature should use the most
| rigid economy at this time, and, as
he expressed it, "cut large appropria-
tions TO the bone"
Next week a great deal Of interest
will be shown in the Inauguration of
Governor-elect Manning, which will
take place in the hall Of the House Of
Rep" esentatives at noon on Tuesday.
On Wednesday the House and SEN
ate have accepted an invitation to
visit winthrop College at Rock Hill.
In connection with this invitation
from the college Mr.. Brown and I
have received the following:
We, the undersigned girls from
Oconee county, do cordially invite
you t. accept Of our hospitality and
to come to see us in response to the
invitation to be submitted to you to