The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-01-29
Tax Commission Fight
Debate Begins on State Board OF
Assessors BAl-Measure Up
Again Next Tuesday.


adio,,rn the general assembly yester-
day until the summer months or ui,-
til the influenza epidemic has expeno-
ed its force was effectively stayed py
the house, which, by a vote OF % 70
"a. determined to continue dehper-
ations until the legislative program Is
concluded or until the contaglon pc
comes more menacing.
Ardent speeches on both sides OF
the issue were delivered, ana the
Ieath of Senator Nicholson had oone
much to intensity the desire to recess
until the summer. But the opposition
was so overwhelming that nothlns
like a stampede gathered force our
ing the half hour of debate. =.
Effort to take adjournment until
next Tuesday afternoon was contestea
with equal ardor. The vote to adjourn
until that hour was carried by a Vose
of II to 40. The point was then mace
that a recess for more than three
days could not be made without a
concurrent resolution. The house then
adjourned until s o'clock Menday
night. The senate returns TuesdaS
afternoon at 8 o'clock.
During the morning considerable
debate was given to the proposed
measure to create a State board OF
assessors, which would abolish the
State tax commission. The chief ar
gument against the passage OF the
bill was made by Representative Bel
ser of Sumter, who argued that the
movement was not in the interest OF
equalization so much as it was against
an equal distribution Of taxes. He
cited from the report Of the tax com
mission much good work that had
been done in putting millions OF dol
lars worth of property on the tax
books which had hitherto escaped
taxation. The hue and cry against
the tax commission, he said, was dl-
rected particularly against the chair
man of the tax commission. Passage
of the bill now before the house was
in the interest Of the large land hold
er, and offered no benefit to the poor
man. The main objection to- tax
commission was that those who had
been escaping their just proportion Of
taxes were now being made to share
in the distribution of the burden. De-
noon of the next legislative day.
The Davis bill to prohibit the loca-
ton of any court house within three
miles Of any county line was passed
to third reading yesterday. Efforts to
have the Barnwell court house re-
moved from Barnwell to Blackviile
led to the Introduction of this bill.
the latter place being within three
miles Of the Bamberg county line.
Mr. Davis also introduced bill
yesterday to establish Allendale coun-
ty, recently carved from portions Of
Barnwell and Hampton counties.
An unfayorabie report was made
yesterday on the Hart bill to consign
25 convicts from the State peniten-
t!arv to Winthrop College to assist in
the construction Of the new dorrni-
tory. The labor problem in Rock Hill
is acute, and the object was to rush
the contract as much as possible with
convict labor that the dormitcry
might be completed by next Septen.
Der. When it was ascertained from
the penitentiary authorities that the
convicts were not available, an un-
favorable report was made on the
bill.
An unfavorable report was also
made of the Horton bill relative to
pistol toting This report was first
adopted The author of the measure
finally got reconsideration of the vote
whereby the unfavorable report was
and the bill, unfavorabIy re-
ported, was placed on the calendar for
further consideration next week.