University of South Carolina Libraries
CHILD LABOR BILL1 Defeated in ik Senate After Debate, For and Against. i JpiO DISPE.NSARV LEGISLATION VET. Measures That Have B;cn lntroiiuc.-d ! and Bills That Have Been Hnactcd ^ Into Laws. SENATE. Sixteenth Day--Lt Gov.Scarhnrongh >?alled tho senate to order at It o'clock 1 and after roll call, pravor was offered1 by Rev. J. b. Mafcaffey. Tim following new bills were intra- j I ?C!>d; Aid-rich, to et'thorize the erection cf; a momunont to the women of the Con- j fcderacy on the State house grounds; to amend tho law in reference to vin- ; fotirm of laborers' contracts; commit- j tr-c, proposing au amendment to the j institution to provide for dra:naga of . swamp lands. Also a bill to create a | drainage commission; Aldrieh. to au- j thoVise Clemson college to build a railroad from the co!!eg-> to Calhoun sta- j tin?; Sullivan, to amend the law in i reference to obstruction of streams; ! to include a portion of Abbeville in I Anderson county; to amend concealed j weapon law; Areh?r. to regulate the 1 admission of inebriates into lunatic : asylum; Oonnor, to fix the salaries ot county treasuries; Sheppard's bill to ' amend the act in relation to the location and Di.trr.03 of precincts was assed. Baect's fcouso bill granting to the United States the title of this State and jurisdiotion over certain lands on Sullivan's Island for military purposes was passed; Grubcr's bill to amend the law fixing tho time of the free public schools w-as made a special order for Thursday instead of being taken up; tho same was done in regard to Mr. Sanders' house bill in relation to suits on fire Insurance policies: Gray don's dispensary bill was jtnen taken up for its second reading. Senator Henderson cnovod that the special order be discharged and be made a special order for Friday. He did not thir.k the sen ate was ready to take up this matter I now, and that all the dispensary bills i should be considered together. Gray don I opposed this motion, declaring that there was no use for delay, and he thought the matter should be disposed of. The bill under consideration and the Appelt bill are directly antagonistic. Graytlon stated that he did not wish to lkive a vote at this time, but merely wished the bill to be read. On this understanding Henderson withdrew his motiion and the clerk prc"wee:M to read the bill. ) Wl.en the reading was completed Senator FJheppard offered an amendment making the salary of commission?r Iff.900 instead of $3,000. Seventeenth Day.?The Senate morning session was devoted to two edu- ; ?luiia nno introduced bv Sena- i tail'/UCU Uil.u, X...X tor Gruber to lengthen the free school term nud one by Senator Brown to "make education compulsory. Both were defeated after argument. The following new bills were intro<1 iced: Sullivan, to amend the free school law; Mower, relating to duties of county auditor; Ragsdale, to require railroads where two lines pas3 through | a town to connect tracks for the inter- j change of passengers and freight; i Mower, to require keeping of records ; of criminal statistics. An unfavorable report was presented , on the bill to regulate mutual insurance companies. The report was adopted and the bill rejected. An unfavorable report was presented on the bill to prevent a teacher being a school trustee. An unfavorable report was made on the bill to provide for sale or lease of penitentiary farms. The bill went on the calendar. An unfavorable report was also made on the bill to amend the Jim Grow car law. The bill was made a special order for Saturday. Senator Marshall withdrew his biii to authorize penitentiary directors to take up the Ragsdale note3, involved in the Neil scandal. The senate took up the special order which was Senator Gruber's bill to J amend the school law. changing the rain'mum term from three to six | months and increasing the appropria- \ tion from the dispensary profits from $75 to $150 for each school. Or. Senator Sarratt's motion to tsrike out the enacting words of the bill, the ayes and noes were called for, ie3ultw. ing in the defeat of the bill by a vote of 21 to 7. The senate then took a recess until % p. m. The Senate session at night was lively and interesting. The dispensary was discussed at great length and a number of amendments to the pending bill were offered, all of which were voted down. Eighteenth Day.?The Senate con^k?ed at 11 o'clock. Lieutenant Govern^TScarbonough in the chair. The clerk called the roll and proceedings were opened with prayer. The following new hills were introduced: Barnwell, to amend the law relating to the powers of corporations; Hough, to amend the? law relating to drunken bosp and shooting on the highways so as to make the punishment more specific: Marshall, rrluing to pensions, being the bill prepared by committee of veterans and introduced at thc-lr request: Connor, to establish a reformatory in connection with the State dist??psarv: Manning, to provide for the sate of State penitentiary farms, the J DeSausure and Reid farm.-: Marshall, j resr.lution to authorize special hill to I grant, charter to Columbia I'nion D> J pot Company. Senator Archer object-1 cd to the immediate cons.deration of the r: solution and it. went to the cam- i mittee on railroads: (Iravdcn. to pr. vent municipal corporations front itr.posing licenses unless authorized v ! charter: Appelt. to fix the time for j holding courts in the third circuit. Henderson offered the following eon- : cur-nn resolution, which was adopted! without c' -.smt: Whereas, it is desirable that the ses- i sion cf the General Assembly sliai1 ; close at as early a day as possible and divers opinions have Iteen expressed j as to its constitutional limit, be it Resolved bv the Senate, the House of Representatives, concurring. That it is hereby referred to the committee on the judiciary in both houses to hold a joint session ot said bodies at an early day and report either jointly or separately. their opinion as to the constitutional limit of this srs-ion and as io the limit of the pay of the members j under the con-titution. Gravdon offered a resolution calling ! '*non Hip nhosi>lv*e f r ?" j formation why ail the royalty due tna j State had not been collected. The res- j olution quoted the resolution of the commission of 1S97 fixing the royalty at 25 cents per ton when the price is j not over $3 per ten and the royalty above that price 50 per cent, of the increase. He stated that phosphate j rock had been quoted in the last few months in the Manufacttuers' Record , at from $1 to $3 per ton and this paper , had also stated that South Carolina ths year should receve SSO.OOO to $100.000 in royalties, whereas the State only i received according to the inspector's J report. 34.933, the amount miued bring 121,073 tons. The resolution was re- | ferred to the finance committee. Marshall's child labor bill was then called up and Senator Dean moved to itrke out the enacting words: The bill is as follows: Section 1. That from and after the J first day of May, A. D. 1900, no ch'.M under the age cf 12 years shall be en:- j ployed in any factory, mine, or other manufacturing establishment of thiState. Sec. 2. The governor of this S:ate shall, immediately after the passage of ! this act, appoint, without salary or i onmnmcntim niio nr more inSDCCtorS i in each cirtuit of this State, who shall be authorized to vi.-it at all reasonable i times such factories, minrs, an 1 other I manufacturing establi hments. It shall be the duty of said inspectors to re- J port to the governor on cr before the ! first day of January of each year the names of the factories, etc., inspected, i and number of visits made and the number of violations of this act tie- | teeted; and. furthermore, to make complaint in writing of every such violation to the solicitor of the circuit in which the violation occurs. It shall then be the solicitor's duty, promptly to prosecute the party or parties concerned: Provided, the complaint in ; writing shall set forth the particulars ; of the alleged violation and the witnesses for the State. Sec. 3. E\cry owner, superintendent manager, or overseer of any factory, mine, or other manufacturing establishment. and any other persons in charge thereof, or connected therewith, who shall employ any such child contrary to the provisions of this act. : shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; and for every such offense shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not le3s than $ 10 nor more than $50, or be imprisoned not more than .10 days, or both, at the discretion of the court. After a great deal of discussion the measure was defeated. HOUSE. Fifteenth Day.?In the House of Representatives there was a long and hard fight over the proposition to reduce the privilege tax on fertilizers j from 25 to 10 cents a ton. This tax purports to pay the expenses of anal- | ysis, but is really put into the treasury of Clemson college. The bill passed after being amended by Mr. Stevenson , so that the tax will be 15 cents a ton. ; During the discussion there were in- i sinuations that Clemson has too much mnnov and is extravagant or is devel- j oping a tendency toward extrava- | gance. The Virginia-Carolina Chemi- j cal company was spoken of in uncam- , plimentary terms by several meml>esr I as the trust which controls the prices on fertilizers. Mr. Stevenson showed \ that Clemson's income this year was ! 102,000, leaving a balance of $10,000 on j hand, and if fertilizers are used ex- , t-msively next year the income will be : about $78,000, which ought not to crip- j pie the institution, ho contended. The following were introduced: Dean, a b 11 to provide for a tax cn dogs; Hoffmcyc-r. to form Pee Dee township, in Florence county; Dendy, to amend county government law so far as relates to roads, bridges and ferries: McLauren. a bill to separate | the tSate and county dispensaries; j Mobley, to make secretary of state a i member of sinking fund commission; Sawyer, to validate grand jury of Union; Bacot, to authorize Charleston county to borrow $4,000 to pay bark salaries: Moss, to amend law relating to landlords and tenants; Brantley, to fix fees of judges or probates; menaruson. to define duties of sheriffs in arresting escaped convicts; Ragsdale, relating to duties of telegraph and telephone companies; Thornas. relat ng to the harbor commission of Charleston; Lofton, to regulate appointment of subordinate officers: Weston, to provide for purcha e of 50 copies of South Cirolina history; Baoot, a bill to provide for the transportat'on of pa srngers to and from church by ralroads; Catighman. to authorize elections in towns to provide for issuing of bonds.; Coserove to amend the charter of Moul trieville: Patton, to authorize the sinking fund commission to lend money to the several counties: Mitchell, relating to the acquirement of land by the i'nited States government: Dean, to provide for pensions and a State pension commissioner. Sixteenth Day.?The House of Representatives passed a rather uneventful session. There was another dispensary bill introduced by Mr. Rogers?a substitute for that of Mr. Winkler. Mr. ilydrick's life insurance bill pisse.l and Mr. MeDow's hill to reduce the rate of ^interest was killed. The fertilizer tax bill passed second reading and was i sent to the Senate, as was Mr. Ashley's j bill relating to the granting of bail by magistrates. The first second reading bill to be discussed was Mr. Jenkins' to provide salaries instead nf fees for j county officers. Mr. Jenkins claimed j that the bill v/as Introduced in conformance with the constitution. He contended that the salary system in 1 his county had saved considerable | money, over S 1.000 per year. Prince | agreed with Jenkins in regard to the mandates of the constitution requiring : officers to be salaried, but the bill | needed perfection in some of its details ; and he moved the Kill be referred to a special committee consisting of oae , member from each county. This motion j was carried. Mr. Hydrick's bill relat- j ing to life insurance policies passed second reading after a fight. Mr. Reg-' ers" substitute bill relating to funds ' with which to provide school books at : cost to the public schools, was passed. The bill provides that the amount so set aside by the county board of education shall be and remain a permanent fund in the hands of the ccunty super- 1 ir.tendent of education, and shall he by I him used in purchasing and keeping on J hand school text, books for sale to pup;]s attending the free public schools p *-; ?nol. of oofiiol nnct Ol IllS CUlllJiy, IUI laou, ai av buai cr exchange prices, and shall be used for no ether purpose and in no other manner, and places where said school text books are kept for such sale shall b* deemed depositories, under the control of the State, as provided la the seventh article, or provision, in the contract made in 1S93 with the publishers of school text books. The House pa=sed Mr. Blease's bill requiring a disinterested party who can read and write to witness bill3 of sale and cTiatt(l mortgages. Senator Dennis' bill to require county supervisors to fix defective bridges within 20 days after wr"t- j ten notice was killed en motion of Hr. Hydrick. The following new bills were Introduced: Committee on public buildings To provide for the sale of the governor's mansion and the erection of an other: Rogers, to amend sections 31 and 36 of the school law; Dukes, to regulate the freight charges of common carriers: Jenkins, to amend the notary public act: Theus. to prohibit formation of trusts: Magill, to require catalogues of State institutions, etc., to be printed by State printer: Senate bill to allow Abbeville to vote bends to the Black Diamond Railroad. There j was an unfavorable report on Mr. Estridge's 1)111 proposing an election to eliminate the an'i-lynehing clause from the constitution. The judiciary com- j mitlee reported a substitute for the bill j to reimburse the Carolina National Bank for two of the penitentiary notes. Mr. Caughman's bill to authorize Saluda county to buy the railroad material on the line between Batesburg and Perry was reported unfavorably. Ma- , jority and minority reports on the Senate broad tire bill. Favorable on Mr. ; Dean's dog tax bill. Seventeenth Day.?There was quite i a lot of discussion on the bill to prevent the shipping of shad from the ; Siate. The bill was killed. The following new bills were intro- [ duced: Stevenson, to provide for the admis- J pion of inebriates to the State hospital for the insane: P3tton, to authorize \ use of skilled convict labor for the use J of South Carolina college: also, to fix the time for holding court in the fifth ; circuit: Gant, to prohibit the sale of . brooms made by convict labor unless \ they arc marked "convict make:" E. j R Pai/sHpla rvrnviHinc an amendment ; to the constitution providing divorce for dultery; also, to provide for special school district No. 14. at Winnsboro; also, to require railroad corporations to build connecting links for interchange of freight when two or more pass through corporate limits of any town or city: Patton. to provide for a State board of homeopathic examiners: W. J. Johnson, to regulate the hearing of cases by the circuit judges of this State: N. C. Evans to require the keeping of a reeord and report of criminal statutes: DeBruhl. to fix amount of bond of clerk of court of Abbeville; Prince.to authorize the sale of the two State farms in Kershaw and Sumter counties; Theu*. to exempt Sumter and Hampton counties from the road law; Jenkins, to amend road law; Manning, to increase the salary of magistrate at VicColl: N. G. Evans, to repeal charter of South Carolina and Georgia railway company and to provide for formation of a new corporation and the management thereof; Bacot, creating a commission on the drainage of the swamp district of the State; also, pronnsine a constitutional amendment to authorize and empower the enactment of law providing for condemnation of land for drainage purposes: the two b.lis lasi named were prepared by the committee appointed to* consider the petition from Charleston business leagues asking that some steps be taken to reclaim the swamp lands; Peurifoy presented a small claim for a Saluda county official; Tim merman, to lic?nse "nomadic traders and fortune tellers, commonly called gypsies:" G. P. Smith, to authorize Laurens county authorities to issue bonds for indebtedness due Dec. 1000, on Greenville. Laurens and Spartanburg railroad bonds; C. E. Robinron, to exempt Easley and Pickens cotton mills from publishing ft cotton weighers' act; Gause, to provide for a fence in a portion of Williamsburg and Florence counties: Estridgo, to repeal an act creating graded school district at town of Kershaw. Eighteenth Day.?The House of Representatives passed Richard's bill exempting graduate? of the medical college at Charleston from examination by the State medical board. Rut the bill as it pissed was so amended that it exempts the graduates of all othnr I meftxai colleges 111 timer oui.es .vjiieii the State board may cousider reputable. The anti-cigarette bill was killed. The firs: attempt to kill it failed by two votes. When the bill was amended ?f> as to admit the importation of cigarettes the House changed its friendly attitude and killed the bill. , There were several new bills introduced, among them W. J. Johnson'a to provide for the establishment of a fertilizer factory at the State penitentiary. ? Four bills passed third reading and were sent to the Senate: Lofton's, to protect clams in the same manner as oysters are now protected: Ashley's bill to provide for the analysis of fertilizers for the purchaser; Magill's bill to require persons to apply to tho nearest magistrate for bail, and Baaot's to authorize a loan of $4,000 to Charleston county for salaries of county officials for January and February. Several claims were acted upon, the majority being killed. Mr. Epps' bill to prohibit the sale or giving away or importation ior saie of cigarettes, cigarette papers or substitutes therefor was killed by a very narrow margin. 80O POUNDS OF CHAIN. Uulqmi Penance Inflicted t'pon Himself by a Hindoo Fakir. The unique penances indicted upon themselves by Hindoo fakirs have been the subject of much comment by critics on Indian customs. All sorts of odd punishments devised to mortify the flesh have been described, but the oddest is that devised by Alinud Alii, an old Brahmin priest, residing near Okra. This old fellow, be is over 73 years old, carries S00 pounds of heavy chains about him. They arg suspended from his neck and waist, his wrist and ankles, and consist of every variety of chains from the small bracelet to the heavy ball and chain. What is his idea of this unique affectation is unknown. Not a word will he say on the subject, except that It Is ordained that he should wear them. Four years ago lie simply followed the other usages of the Brahmin priests, but suddenly he conceived it his duty to wear the heavy weight about him and since that time he has done so. He is a teacher of the Hindoos for miles around. All of them go to him for spiritual advice, and bring to iiim in payment for his comfort and prayers anything he demands of them. This is invariably the? heaviest chain they can find. It is in this way that he has collected his variety. At first lie wore but one chain, but gradually he has been increasing his load until ho now has the enormous weight noon him. it prevents him from moving about without the most laborious effort. He drags the weight behind, but rarely goes without the hut In which he lives. He can stand erect easily in spite of the weight suspended from his shoulders and waist. Thi3 i3 not greater than a hundred and fifty pounds. Each wrist bears a half hundred pounds. The remainer is all fastened to the ankles and only affects J him when he walks. Every hour of j the day the chains remain upon him. They are all taken oif at night. He sleeps on a hard board couch in which a groove is cut at the waist and neck. Into these the chains fit. The weight nf thf>m thf>n hnrnp hv the stomach and throat. The others, of course, | rest on the boards and do not affect him. The punishment would be devilish if it were not self-inflicted. As it is it is the most revolting outgrowth of religious fanaticism that is known of in India or anywhere else. DON'T WUKRY. a few of the Epigrammatist*' Shots at Woman's Chief Foe. Worry is the father of insomnia. Worry is forethought gone to seed. Worry is discounting possible future sorrows so that the individual may have present misery. Worry Is not one large individual sorrow; It is a colony of petty, vague, insignificant, restless imps of fear, that become important only from their combination, their constancy, their iteration. Worry Is tho traitor in our camp that dampens our powder, weakens our aim; under the guise of helping U3 to bear the present and to be ready for the future worry multiplies enemies within our mind to sap our strength. Wdrry must not be confused with anxiety, though both words agree in meaning originally, a "choking," or a "strangling," referring, of course, to the throttling effect iiuuii iuui v iuuai auiiv n;. large issues of life seriously, calmly, with dignity. Anxiety always suggests hopeful possibility; it is active in being ready and devising measures to meet the outcome. Worry is the dominance of the mind by a single, vague, restless, unsatisfied, fearing and-fearful idea. The mental energy and force .hat should be concentrated on the successive duties of the day is constantly and surreptitiously abstracted and absorbed by this one fixed idea. .4 L - NEW MILL AT CIIESTtR. The Wyile Hills Organized aad Sit* Selected. The Wylie >MiIl3 Company already has a capital of $100,000. This $100,000 has been subscribed in Chester and more will come from the people of that city. The application for a commission sets forth that T. H. White and J. L. Acnew are the comorators. The corporators named in the application are: George Gray, of Gastonia, N. C., John T. Augurs, T. H. White, Thos. J. Martin, and W. G. Nichols, of Chester. There is no more successful mill man in the South than Geo. Gray, of Gastonia, N. C. He will be president and general manager of the Wzlie Mills. , Mr. T. H. White, tbfc wide-awake and ! efficient cashier of the Exchange Bank, ' j will be secretary and treasurer. These ! two gentlemen, together wH.h Capt. I John L. Augurs. T. J. Martin and W. ! G. Nichols, will compose the board of 1 directors. It is not the Intention of the promoters of thi3 scheme to build only : a $100,000 cotton mill, but they have decided upon a $400,000 manufacturing plant. Chester "has already raised $100,000 and will double this amount, and Northern capitalists have already prom| ised to double the amount raised here. There is no mill now building with a brighter prospect than the Wylla Mills. The site of the mill has already been selected: 3G7 acres of fine land known as the Withers place on Curry Creek. I just one and three quarter mliea from : the city hall has been bought. The ! plot of land is at the extreme end of Pinckney street and lies to the right of | the Seaboard Air Line Railway. It is a fine piece of property and the very place fc-r a big mill town. There is & : large hill of fine brick clay on the tract and the company will in a few days be: gin to make its own bricks. There will ; be no delay in building the mill, and It is the determination of the company J to have it in operation by October L The mill is named for one of Chester's greatest benefactors and for tho larg ! est Chester stockholder. Mr. Wylie : subscriljed $23,000 to the stook. There is no town in the State with brighter prospects than Chester. The new SprLngstein Spinning Mill is receiving its machinery daily and will be in operation in less than two : months. -r J There are other manufacturing industries and public enterprises being ; organized and operated thero, wihicU [ will be spoken of later. ' ' Factory Scandal. Edgefield. Special.?Sdgar Stalk, an infant ehii'ld of Mr. and Mrs. Major Aiken, who live in Factory Town, died so suddenly that foul play waa : suspected, and upon the request of sevI eral citizens an inquest was hold. Dr. Robert Marsh, who held the autopsy, testified that the vital organs indli h nrl A\cA ftvMTl CS'ldU l'Ui>.b bUU Vli.llt UMVI X4 1V-U ? . suiToeation and his medical opirioa was to that effect. Mrs. Brenner, the mother-in-law of Aiken, the stcpfa*hen , of the child, testified that Aiken haa threatened to take the infant's life; that he had said it was net his and ha intended to kill it The mother of th? infant testified that her husband and (herself lived amicably together and [ that he was kind and affectionate to | both herself and the baby, and she had I not the slightest ground to suspect that her husband had killed the child: that she had never heard him speak, about Lt but in terms of kindness. : Aiken testified that at the time he married his wife she was in a delicate oon: diition and, while he knew this, h? | loved her and therefore married her. [ He stated that he was attached to the baby and since its birth hal laboresl faithfully to support the mother and child, and that he never entertained | the slightest ill-'eo'ing cowards the baby. He denied most empbaticvily the charge made by his mother-in-law to the effect that he was going to kill the infant. There was tesuimmy siring to show that Aiken and iris wife did not live peacefully together and on one or two occasions bad separated. Aiken came from Columbia yesterday, where he had been working la a cotton mill. The other parties are employees of the mill here. The jury of inquest found that the child had been maliciously suffocated to death by a party cr parties unknown to tue iury. All of the money has been subscribed and the stock taken for the increase of $100,000 in the cotton mill at Darlington. It has not yet been decided whether It will be necessary to build an addition to the mill or -not. It la certain, however, that the working force will have to be increased and thia will bring more people here and consequently more money will be in circulaHnm, nn that in every way the fortune* of the town will be enhanced. / Telegraphic Briefs. The British steamer VenetSa, Libeled at Norfolk for an aggregate of $65.00? salvage alleged to have been earned by the tugs Stella and Robert Ctark, ia saving the steamer from wrecking on Sabine banks, on the 15t?h and 165Jh Instants. has arranged with the National Secretary Company, of New York, to give the required $75,000 bond, and will .leave for Hamburg as soon as the bond can be filed. Total bank clearings at the principal cities for the w*fcfc ending Saturday were $1,609,437,056, a decrease of 24.8 per cent Outside- of New York city $622,224,778,^a^decxe<3se of. 4.8 per cent. . . .