Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-10
LEGISLATIVE NOTES
Developments of Week as they Impress
Representative Bradford.
Fort Mill Times.

Fort Mill Times.
Monday night the ninth, and per-
haps the last week of the 1922 session
of the Legislature opened when the
senate met at s o'clock to hear report
ed from it's finance committee the gen.
eral appropriation bill for the year.
The bill carries many more thousands
of dollars than it did when it left the
house three three weeks ago, most OF
the increases being due to sums added
for the public schools. If the bill should
be adopted by the upper body without
material changes and then run the
gauntlet GS the free conference COM
mittee-composed of three senate
members and three house members
appointed to smooth out the differ
ences between their respective bodies
the chances are that it will be law
before the end of the week. Some weeks
ago The Times undertook to say that
the levy for the year would be- 10 mills
against the ~ mill levy for 1921. Since
that statement was made little has
happened to indicate that the levy
would be lower than that figure. On
the contrary, the people may be asked
to pay IL mills, due to the failure or
the senate to pass the luxuries tax bill,
the hydro electric power bill and to the
increases in the appropriation bill.
Much depends upon the men the speak
er of the house names for the free con-
ference committee. Apparently the
house made a sincere effort not only to
appropriate less money for the running
expenses Of the state this year but also
to tighten the burden Of taxation on
real property by passing number or
bills designed to raise revenue from
sources which heretofore have escaped
taxation altogether; but the efforts of
the house in this direction have been
largely nullified by the senate, which
was recently accused of surrendering
TO business at the expense Of agricul-
ture. Members Of the legislature are
elected on the assumption that when
they go to Columbia to legislate it will
be in the interest of the people, but
sometimes some Of these members for
get to show the people becoming de-
gree of gratitude for their commits
sions. The hydro-electric power bill
may be cited as an illustration Of this
forgetfulness The bill would have
brought into the state treasury several
hundred thousand dollars annually
from a source most people are willing
to admit should be taxed. since the
power companies are paying nothing
| for the use Of the streams which belong
to the people and from which they pro-
duce the power they sell the people.
But the lawyers and other lobbyists of
the power companies were ION the job
from the day the bill passed the house
until it was finally killed by the senate.
really unsubstantial argument to ad-
vance why the proposed tax was un-
just and would stifle the progress OF
the companies. And they got away
with it!-that is. they have got away
with it up to this time, but some are
hoping that the senate will yet see the
error of its way and pass the bill
Vain hope, apparently.
No governor South Carolina has hao
IN recent years has been as completely
unhorsed in trying to put over veto
as Governor Cooper was in the tax ex-
tension resolution last week. Tuesday
night the senate ovcrrode his veto 3:
to 3. the three senators voting to sus.
tain the veto being MeSsrs. Hart O