The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1916-02-16
CHAIN GANG BILL
ORDERED RATIFIED
No Alternative If Convicted
of Selling Whiskey
LIABILITY BILL
IS CLARIFIED

Hopeful that Adjournment may be
had Saturday. Appropriation Bill
will Carry in the Aggregate $2,500,-
900, 1t Seeming Impossible to Trim
Closer.
Columbia, February 12.-The chain
gang bill, fathcrcd by Mr.. Lilies, has
been ordered ratified. In the Senate
the provision, including the storing
and transporting of liquor as chain
gang offence was striken out. The
House today adopted the Senate
amendment, and the Lilies bill, there
fore, provides that anyone convicted Of
selling liquor must be sentenced to the
chain gang. The punishment for the
S s,>ring and transporting of liquor, un-
de.' the prohibition law remains as
heretofore and is not covered by the
Lilies bill.
The House today devoted itself en-
tircly to the consideration of third
reading bills, and under this heading
disposed Of number Of important
measures, among them being the Pad
gett-Cartcr liability bill
On yesterday there was general
agreement that punitive damages
Of damages against railroads to their
employees. Mr.. Boyd, as chairman Of
the judiciary committee, offered an
amendment to insert the word actual"
and the clause which provided for ex
emplary damages was stricken out. 1t
was on this that the fight revolVed to-
day, and Mr.. Searson cleared the situa-
ton by having an amendment adopt
ed which reads: Punitive damages
shall not be recoverable in cases aris-
ing under this Act" The argument on
this question was largely between
Messrs Graydon, Boyd, Searson, Car
ter, LaGrone and Barr
Mcssrs LaGrone and Barr wanted
the bill recommitted because they
did not think it perfectly clear. Mr..
Boyd made an excellent argument to
show that the word damage" with
out any further explanation as was
intended by modifying it, with the
word actual was liable to various
constructions. He read from the de-
csions Of the State Supreme Court to
show that the word damages" had
been variously construed in various
SUITS, and that If the purposes of the
bill are not to include punitive dam
ages it should say SO.
Mr.. Searson thought that In fairness
to all that the bill should be made per-
fectly clear and secured the passage
OF the amendment.
Mcssrs Graydon and Carter, who
have chaperoned the bill through the
House, thought that tho motion to re-
commit was simply an effort to kill
their bill. They were quite willing to
have the Searson amendment adopted,
but did not want the bill recommitted.
The motion to rccommit was with
drawn, and by unanimous consent the
Searson amendment specifically pre-
venting punitive damages was incor-
poratcd in the bill, and in this shape 1t
was finally passed by the House.
Under bill proposed by Mr.. Cherry,
Commissioner Of Agriculture Watson
is authorized to enter into arrangements
whereby ground limestone may be
bought In bulk and sold to the people
OF the state.
The House extended an invitation to
Messrs James d. Evans, OF Florence,
and A. J. Smith, Of Anderson, to pre-
sent arguments In favor Of rural
credits on Tuesday afternoon next.
Both OF these gentlemen have made
studies OF the matter Of rural credits.
The Spartanburg delegation was
somewhat divided on the matter Of a
county wide special tax for school
purposes. Two OF the delegation,
Messrs Hicks and Rogers, opposed tho
bill, but the majority OF the delegation
secured tho passage OF the bill pro-
viding for q countrywide levy OF four
mills, which Is to be distributed In the
county as q whole.
The Greenwood delegation also had
a little difference In the matter Of the
salary for tho clerk Of court. Mr..
Bowles, OF that delegation, opposed