Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-02-21
MIX. MASON WRITES OF WORK
Done In House of Representatives.
End Of the Session.

Columbia, Feb. 17.-Editor keo-
wee Courier: BY the time this can
appear in print this session OF the
Legislature probably will have come
to an erd.
Among the most widely discussed
and hotly contested bills coming uD
at this session Is the "bone dry" pro-
hibition bin introduced by Represen-
tative Itichey, OF Laurens. A very
similar bill was introduced i'm the
Senate by Senator DuRant. The
Richey bill provides that it is crime
punishable by a pcnitentiary sentence
to have any quantity Of whiskey in
the home or to take social drink.
We have, in my opinion, passed a
few good bills. One OF these guaran-
tees the registration OF land titles,
which will make orr land the very
best collateral in case Of emergency,
and which also will make it possible
for a landowner. whose titles are
guaranteed as provided in this bill.
to borrow money from the Federal
Farm Loan Bank. This bill Is en-
dorsed by officials OF the Federal
Farm Loan Bank, and, had this bill
not been passed. it would have been
impossible for South Carolina
landowner to satisfy the govern
ment's requirements about land titles
when the owner seeks 10 borrow on
land. The Governor has not yet had
time, however, to sign this bill.
The House has passed an appropri-
alton Of 100000 for the common
schools; 100000 for graded schools
and $4,000 for the teaching of agri-
culture in the graded schools.
Another bill that would fill a long
felt want is that passed by the House
and sent to the Senate which pro-
vides that any textbook adopted for
the schools OF this State Is to be ad-
opted for a period Of ten years, and
the adoption applies uniformly
throughout the State, without eXcep-
ton. This bill would have the effect
OF doing away with Il lot Of those
changes that make it impossible for
two or more children in the same
family to use the same text books as
they advance in their studies.
A bill that would put stop to
docking OF cotton mill operatives was
passed by the House and sent to the
Senate Thursday. This bill was i'll
troduced by Representative Num-, Of
York, a cotton mill operative.
The following bill, which intro
duced. has passed both Houses and
"Section |. That the colleges and
other institutions of learning in this
State supported in whole or in part
by the State shall receive as students
those applicants residing within the
State i'm preference to those residing
without: Provided. That the aDpli-
cations of those residing within the
State shall be filed with the president
or secretary OF such college or insti-
tuition Of learning 80 days before the
opening Of such college or institution
Of learning.
"SectiOn ,. This act shall go into
effect Immediately upon approval by
.hc GOvernOr.'
All the bills have introduced have
passed the House except my "old SOL
dier" bill, which is to abolish the Old
Soldiers Home, and | hope to get it
through at the next session.
| want to correct any possible
wrong impression that might have
arisen by reason Of Cousin Billy's"
letter concerning the communication
road tax. You remember he said we
would have to raise the commu tation
road tax by reason Of having abolish
ed the automobile license tax. This
is mistake. We have reduced the
cOmmutatiOn road tax from 50 to
$1.50, and will have more money to
work the roads with than we ever
had-rea!ly about $4,000 more than
we have ever had
My friends will see we have saved
some money by abolishing some Of
the unnecessary Offices, and we may
cut out some more at the next ses-
sion
want to say, also, that ! have
done my very best as a new member
Your servant, w. y. Mason