The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-01-16
c., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1918
OUR LEGISLATIVE
WEEKLY LETTER
Columbia, Jan. 14th, 1918.

| Soioiliula, Jan. 1fln, 1910.
Editor Manning Times:
Both houses of The General Assem-
bly, met at noon last Tuesday, but
was unable to comply with your re-
quest for letter last week in time
for the issue of your paper, and am
afraid l shall not be able to write
you much of interest this week. 1t is
so early in the session snat nothing Of
great Importance has. been done yet,
and too early to do much in the way
of forccasting.
! On the first day the resignation of
Speaker Hoyt was accepted, as he has
moved to Michigan, and Hon. Thos. P.
Cothran was elected speaker. Mr..
/ Cothran is a man of about SIS years,
is son of the late Judge James S.
Cothran, remembered by many Of our
| citizens, and Is man who would fill
with ability and grace any position in
the judiciary from chief justice of the
state down, or any position in the cx-
ccutivc department from governor
down.
We have got right down to work.
There were many measures in the cal
endar left over from last session, and
already numbers of these have been
disposed Of
! We have already begun holding
night sessions, though the comforts
| of the building are bad, owing to poor
hcat from scarcity of coal.
1t is a matter of gratitude and
thankfulness to the Almighty that out
: Of 124 members of the house and 44
| members of the Senate, death has not
claimed single one since the last
y! session., though there are perhaps Is
TO 20 aoSrntces. some in France, and
more stl. l., An:cric& getting ready to
,rake the sacrifice cf theii lives Il
necessary for our great liberty lcvinr
country. All home to these gentle
men. regardless of whether they are
reformers in administration men, pro-
hibitionists or even liquor advocates,
nan suffrage.
1t is pleasant to meet in Columbia
once each year and renew acquaint-
alces with men from all over the
state, but this session is quite differ
cnt from some l have attended in
years gone by, due TO circumstances
brought about by the war. Expenses
are extremely high in Columbia now,
nor can one get the comforts that
used to be available. Coal and wood
are scarce and the state house and no.
tells and boarding houses are poorly
heated, and the fare at the boarding
houses is only ordinary. | was un-
able to pay $4.00 anil $500 day at
the two swellest hotels, SO am stop
ping at one of the medium grade no.
tells at a special rate of $500 per day
with two in room, and for two days
out of four last week we had no su-
gar on the table at dil. Part of the
soggy, unrefined beet sugar,
almost black, and l never saw any
just like 1T before. | went out to a
grocery store and got merchant to
scrape his barrel and sell me pound
of it to bring home to show my young
stcrs that they were not being sub
Jectcd to hardship in not allowing
them to dip SO heavy in the dish Of
granulated sugar, and when I left the
grocery store the proprietor asked me
not to say anything about where l got
it.
Governor Manning delivered his an
nual message before a joint assembly
of the two houses last week, and it
was almost distinctly war message.
There were number of good recon-
mendations in it, real constructive
measures, but .hc body of it dealt
with war conditions and things aris-
, ing out of the war.
| He recommended enforcement of
the duties of Clemson College and the
Department of Agriculture, Com
mcrcc and labor, where they have
been overlapping, dcvolving the du-
ties of instruction more particularly
to the college, while the Department
! of Agriculture should devote it's en-
ergies more in the direction Of market
ing and commerce. Another recon-
mendation of the governor is the con-
solidation of the offices of Bank Ex-
aminer and Insurance Commissioner,
putting both departments under one
head and the saving Of one state Of
flee.
| The governor also recommended q
series of enactments along the line of
curtaling vice, all of them commend
able in the objects sought to be at
tanned, but one or two of them i'm
practicable of enforcement and dan
gerous in the practical application.
But all in all the governors address
was rather an able paper.
The game warden mess and mix
up has provoked big stir already
over in the senate, but the row has
not reached our side yet.
One of the big questions which will
come up will be whether South Caro-
lima will ratify the proposed amend
ment to the United States Constitu-
tion on the liquor question, and
whether the Legislature itself will
handle the matter or refer it to the