Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-25
CAROLINA SENATORS
IN SHARP TILT

COLUMBIA. S. C., Feb. 23.-Sen-
ator Niels Christensen, of Beaufort,
reading from Wednesdays Greenville
News an account of the debate in
the senate on his resignation from
the craftsmanship of the finance COM
mittee, and referring to the state
ment of Senator Bonham. of Green
vile, that his remarks were re-
Election on the senate and that II
he had not resigned from the chair
manship of the committee, the SEN
ate ought to have asked for his resi-
gnation, said that on that issue he
would accept the challenge of the
senator from Greenville.
The statement by the senator from
Beaufort came as the closing SEN
tence Of a lengthy speech which he
made on the income tax bill in which
he referred to the reasons which had
prompted him to make the statement
in his resignation that business had
won in the senate against agricul-
ture in a crisis when agriculture is
in desperate straits"
, B0nham Replies
Senator Bonham, of Greenville,
arising to a question of personal
privilege, said that he had not said
that the senate should ask for the
resignation of the senator from
Beaufort as a member of the senate
and that he would not accept his
challenge on that issue, but that he
would accept a challenged on any
other issue which he might think of.
situation ended
by a motion of Senator Young, of
Charleston, to adjourn, which was
adopted.
Senator Christensen in the cour@,
of his remarks read an editorial from
The News and Courier, which edl-
torial, he said, first drew the lines
between business and agriculture IN
the senate. This editorial, he said,
was to the effect that business was
being opposed in the senate in be-
half of the farmer. He referred to
this as a call to business and said
that business answered.
The first danger signal which he
saw, he said, was when such great
difficulty was experienced In gettlng
the CORPORATION tax bill through,
only after a long struggle ana ny
the close vote of II to 16.
Then came the income tax bill, ana
the insurance people sent their
ablest and most highly paid lawyers
and demanded that their mortgages
be exempted from the provisions OF
the bill, saying that if they were not
they would call every one Of them in
the state amounting in round figures
to $26,O0O,O00. Their demand was
complied with, he said.
Then came the hydro-electric pow
er tax, he said, and here came the
representatives of the power COM
panies. He said the impression made
upon the members of the senate IL
nance committee, and in this state
ment he was backed up by Senator
Duncan, of Union, was that if this
tax was imposed the companies
would stop the development of the
hydrO-eleCtric power in the state.
This bill was killed.
Then came the luXuries tax. Rep
resentatives OF the tobacco growers
appeared before the committee and
stated that they feared that if this
bill affecting tobacco was passed the
"big five" would retaliate on them
and reduce the prices paid them for
tobacco. The luXuries tax bill was
reported unfavorable
The Farmers Burden
The senator from Beaufort declar-
ed that if the senate was going to fly
away from every proposition because
of these things that no just and
equitable system of taxation would
ever be provided, and the farmer
would have to continue to bear the
burden.
Ehe senator then made his refer
ence to Senator Bonham's statement.
He said that when he had said that
business had won against agricul-
ture in the senate at time when ag-
rlculture was in desperate straits he
had expressed his convictions and
that If the senator from Greenville
Wanted to challenge him on that is
sue, he would accept the challenge.
Senator BOnham, in reply, said
that he had not questioned the right
OF the senator from Beaufort to his
convictions. He said that he, along
with other, senators, thought that
the statement of the senator from
beaufort was a reflection on the
BODY and that what he had said was
that II the senator from Beaufort
entertained the views he had said
that he entertained that if he had
not resigned from the Craftsmanship
OF the committee that his resigna-
ton should have been asked for.