The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-02-20
COURT HOUSE STAYS.
Senate Passes the Davis Eight Mile
Bill.

Columbia, Feb. ia bill which
was ordered ratified by yea and nay
vote of % to 13 was the bill by Mr..
Davis of the house prohibiting the
location of any court house within
eight miles of any county line.
Senator McGhee, of Greenwood,
opened the debate. He expressed the
the greatest respect for Barnwell,
but said that he did not feel that the
bill was a local issue between
Ba-nwell and Blackville. He felt
that to pass This bill would
be to deprive the people of
the State Of constitutional
right to say where their county seats
should be. The constitution provides
that in the formation of new coun-
ties no new county line should be
nearer than eight miles to an esta b.
lished county court house, but that
within a county it left to the people
OF a county to say where the court
house should be.
Senator Bonham said that the bill
carried out the spirit of the consti-
tuition. That it was the purpose OF
the constitution tc prevent the State
from being cut up into very small
counties. 1t said to every town in
that if it wished to be county seat it
must get it's territory eight miles
from any other county seat.
Senator Wharton said that the bill
grew out of local fight and that the
legislature should take no part in it.
Senator Laney, speaking for the
committee which had reported the
bill, said that he thought the bill
proposed a wise policy, and that old
county seats should not be disturbed.
Senator Marion, of Chester, said that
there was more than local fight in
volved. The supreme court had held
in Glenn VS.. Massey that the legis-
lature had the power to define coun-
ty limitations unless the constitution
did not intervene here and it was en-
tirely proper for the legislature to
PASS the bill which he favored doing.
Senator Banks pitched his speech
on the world war which had resulted
in a victory for democracy, and he
thought the majority of the people
in county should determine where
their county seat should be, and that
If two-thirds of the people in any
county wished to move their county
seat they should be permitted to do
so.
Senator Hough said that the prime
reason for a constitution was to pro-
tect minorities; that it was not right
that people should be compelled to
20 from one end Of county to
another to reach their county seat;
that county seats should be centrally
located.
Senator Ridgell took the words of
the constitution as his text. 1t for
bade new county lines from running
within eight miles of an old county
seat. It permitted two-thirds of the
people of county to say where their
county seat should be.
Senator Johnstone said that when
the committees of the senate were
constituted those best fitted to serve
on a committee were selected. In
the case of the judiciary committee
there were 80 many good lawyers in
the senate that no distin ction could
be made and all were put on the jul
dietary committee. That when the
judiciary committee said that ther',
were no legal barriers to a bill the
best authority in the senate had
spoken and the senate must be con-
tent. He then told of the part Barn
we'll had played in the history OF the
State, speaking eloquently of it as
place which contained the ashes of
General Hagood. That while history
taugh philosophy it also taught SEN
timent and the sentiment clustering
around such historic places as Barn
we'll should be respected. That
Barnwell court house was not To-
cal matter. Barnwell had earned it's
rights in peace and in war.
The bill passed it's third reading
and was ordered to be enrolled for
ratification