Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-01-14

lier, former flagman on the Southern
Railway, was acquitted yesterday on
the charge Of manslaughter. The jury
returned a verdict of not guilty after
brief deliberation. The case was the
result of a wreck which occurred near
Frost Station on February rs, 1918.
Locklier was flagman on train COM
ing from Greenville and it stopped for
repairs to a bursted air pipe. Train
No. AZ from Spartanburg crashed into
the rear end and telescoped a wooden
coach. Ten persons were killed out
right and four others died later from
injuries received in the collision. The
engineer and conductor on train NO.
AZ testified that they did not hear any
torpedoes explode to give warning
Locklier claimed that he set the tor
pedoes and went towai d his train when
the blow in signal was sounded.
The first session Of the seventy
third general assembly will convene
Tuesday. Many matters Of statewide
Importance are to be brought up for
consideration during the session,
which Is expected to run through the
customary forty days. Both branches
Of the general assembly are solidly
democratic; indeed, there has not been
an opposition member in the general
lowing the organization Of the house
and senate the first day Of the session,
the annual message Of Governor Man
ming, who retires from office on jan
uary 21, after having served four years
as chief magistrate, will be read before
both bodies. In neither the house nor
the senate are the elections OF the or
ficials expected to consume much time.
In the house the retiring speaker,
Thomas P. Cothran Of Greenville, is
expected to be reelected on the first
ballot, possibly without opposition,
and thus far no opposition has de-
veloped to the reelection Of j. Wilson
Gibbs as clerk. The presiding officer
Of the senate Is the lieutenant COVER
nor Of the. state, who goes into office
from the general election: ana there-
fore there will be no contest for pre-
siding officer Of that body. M. M.
Mann, Of Calhoun county, Is the retir-
ing secretary Of the senate. He Is Of
fering for reelection apparently
without opposition. Contests may de-
velope for reading clerk In both the
house and senate, but 1t Is not anticl-
pated that in either body will be more
than one ballot necessary to choose
this official. In the senate committee
assignments are made In the caucus
held the night before the session
opens, the personnel Of the house COM
mittees is selected by the speaker.
Senator Neils Christensen Of Beaufort,
will hold over as chairman OF the fin
ance committee, OF the senate and 1t Is
understood that Representative Brad
ford of York, ewill be appointed chair
man Of the ways and means committee
of the house, considered by many the
most important Craftsmanship OF the
general assembly. Both Senator Chris
tensen and Mr.. Bradford are news
paper men. Among the more impor-
tant matters to be considered at the
session are the joint resolution to be
offered for a constitutional conven-
ton; the issuance, in 1920, OF twenty
five million dollars worth OF highway
bonds, to be underwritten by the state;
reform in the tax laws of the state;
increased appropriations for the public
schools, including statewide compul-
sorry school attendance law; increased
salaries for state officials, and the ap-
plication Of the Military College OF
South Carolina (the CitadeD for
million dollar appropriation to in
crease the facilities Of the institution
January 21 is the date set for the In
auguration Of the new governor, ROD
ert A. Cooper, Of Laurens. Unless the
custom WHICH mas Deeu OpSSlNSo III eLiS
state for many years is changed. Mr.
Cooper will appear before joint
meeting of the house and senate In the
hall Of the house Of representatives,
take oath of office and Immediately de
liver his inaugural address from the
speakers stand. Mr.. Cooper Is expect
ed to make a number Of recommenda-
tions to the general assembly In his
inaugural and 1t is believed that he
will WELD great influence with the
members. One Of the things he stress
ed particularly in his campaign last
summer was better school facilities
for the commonwealth and his recon-
mendations along this line are awaited
with a great deal of interest. The
other state officers who were elected
last November and who will take oath
about the same time Mr.. Cooper be-
comes governor are: j. T. Lilies, Or
angeburg, lieutenant governor; sam
M. Wolfe, Anderson, attorney general;
w. Banks Dove, Richland, ,(re-electedD
secretary of state; Rutledge L. Os-
borne, Anderson, comptroller general;
S. T. Carter, Richland, (re-elected),
treasurer; John E. Swearingen, Edge
field, (re-elected). superintendent OF
education w. W. Moore, Barnwell,
(re- electcd), adjutant general; q.
Harris, Pendleton, commissioner of ag-
riculture; H. H. Arnold, Spartanburg'
railroad commissioner.