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erat Rn-t VOL. XLII. NO. 29 NEWBERRY, S. C., TUESDAY JANUARY 17, 1905. TWICE --A'WEV 15 AYA THE FIRST WEEK OF THE LEGISLATURE MANY BILLS RELATING TO DISPENSARY. Pirst Week Has Not Resulted in Much Real Work-The En grossing Department. Columbia, Jan. 16.-The first week of the legislature has not resulted in much real work by either branch, but the engrossing department has been heavier worked the first week than for a number ofyears during the same time This is caused by the unusual num ber of new bills which have been brought here by the new members and the old ones as well. There have already been more than one hundred and fifty new measures prepared and the end is not near in sight. It shows a great unrest throughout the state on many subjects and besides there are many new members who feel that they must do something and that the way to do something is to introduce new bills and change existing laws. There are already some six or sev en new bills proposed to amend the dispensary law. Mr. Brice has not introduced the original Brice bill but has another proposition to.amend the dispensary. Just what will be done of course cannot be even guessed at at this stage of the the proceedings, but I venture to say that I am of the opinion that this session will make no important changes in the present law. The reason for this opinion is the many divergent and conflicting rem edies or changes proposed, and at this session it will scarcely be possible to agree on anything. It shows that the people are dissatisfied with the law as at present administered and some change is certain in the near future. The report of the board of directors for the past fiscal year shows a more successful one from a financial point of view than in the his tory of the institution and more mon ey has been turned into the school fund than ever before. There seems to be a demand for some sort of marriage license law, judging from the number of bills in troduced proposing some sort of leg islation on this subject. Then there are a number of propo sitions to change the jury law, sever al bills having been introduced on this subject. I There are seven or more proposi tions to amend the state constitution. It is not probable that many of these will go through. One is to make the terms of circuit judges sixteen in stead of four years. Th.e bill of Mr. DesChamps regu lating the granting of free scholar ships in state colleges provides that the auditor must furnish the superin tendent of education with a certifi eate showing the amount of property assessed for taxation in the name of the beneficiary, the parent or guar dian and then the superintendent of education is to publish the name of the beneficiary together with the cer tificate from the auditor. The sentiment seems to be growing in favor of some sort of compulsory education law and I believe some one of the different measures proposed will be enacted at this session. The governor urges it in his message and several bills looking to that end hiave already been introduced. The celebrations of the centennial of the South Carolina college brought a large number of people to Columbia last week and the alumni and stu dnts of the institution have had a great time. It is something for a col lege to have a history of a hundred years behind it. A number of South Carolinians have had honorary de grees conferred upon them by the college. Nearly all of the college presidents in the state were made doctors of laws. The old solicitors in the engross ing department say that the first days of this legislative session have had an unusual number of new bills. Up to today we had written up one hundred and fifty new laws or suggested changes in existing laws. Of course many of these will never become law but there are those who feel that it is necessary to do something and who believe that doing something consists in introducing bills that it has always been the case that we have a great many measures proposed which never'go any further. Mr. Earhardt has introduced a bill to require all labor contracts to be indexed. The Newberry delegation has in troduced a bill to change the charter of the Newberry graded school so as to make the trustees elective by the people. It provides for only five trus tees, one to be elected by each ward of the town. * * * Mr. Higgins has introduced a reso lution providing for a commission to sit during the recess to revise the school law of the state. E. H. A. REVIEW OF THE WEEK. Legislature Down to Work-Much, Interest Centres in Dis pensary Measures. Columbia, January 16.-The gener al assembly today enters upon the second week of the session. It al ways takes several days for a legis latiire to get organized and down to work, but, while very little has been actually done so far, a large number of important measures have already been introduced and the foundations have been laid, as it were, for the work of the session. There are a number of new members both in the house and in the senate, but a large number of those who-have seen much service in the legislature remain, and the machinery in both houses is run ning smoothly. The chief interest in the session so far centres in the agitation of the dis pensary question. The Blease reso lution, proposing to appoint a joint committee consisting of two senators and three members of the house to conduct a sweeping investigation in connection with the dispensary, has been set for discussion on Tuesday. The scope of the proposed investiga tion is clearly set out in the resolu tion, a part of which, while it has al ready been published ln The Herald and News, is given herewith: (a) Whether or not it is a fact that houses represented by agents who are near relatives of the members of the board of directors receive large or ders at each purchase. (b) Is it a fact that members of the board of directors are, or have been, agents for certain wholesale houses, from which large purchases are made? (c) Is it a fact that parties to whom large orders are given are not whole sale dealers but brokers, and that the orders are filled by third persons, thus making the state pay the commissions of the middle man? (d) WVas it necessary to purchase the large quanity of liquors ordered in December, 1904. to fill demands, andl especially the new and fancy goodics purchased which is unknown to the trade? I(e) Are the extraordinary heavy purchases made necessary to the best business interests of the dispensary system? (f) What is the financial standing of the business ,and is it run on the best principles for the interest of the law as originally passed and amend ed? (g) Is it a fact that the state, through the dispensaries, is violating the constitution of 1895, in that it is selling whiskey in less quantities than one-half of one pint? (h) Is it a fact that the state is sell ing 5's in case goods to its custom ers and charging them for one quart? (i) Is it a fact that certain agents are travelling over the state and offer ing special inducements to county dis pensers to "push" certain brands of liquors, and if so, is it a fact known to the members of the state board of directors? (j) Is it a fact that certain require ments of the aw are dispensed with by the county dispensers by order of, or by the consent of, the members of the state board vf directors? (k) Has the whiskey which has been recently purchesed been ordered out from the dealer or is held in re serve for future delivery? (1) What is the indebtedness of the dispensary for liquors which have been bought but not delivered? It was thought this morning by sev eral members of the general assem bly that the resolution would proba bly pass. Senator Raysor has introduced a bill which carries out the suggestion embodied by Governor Heyward in his annual message, except that he proposed that the state board of di rectors Vhall be app9inted by the gov ernor, shall meet weekly, and shall be paid $1,5oo per year. Senator Brice has introduced a bill, which is practically a local option measure. It requires an election and the decision of a majority of the qua! ified voters of a township city or town before a dispensary can be es tablished. and if the people vote against the establishment of a dis pensary then those already existing are to be abolished. The bill purposes to change Section 7 of the law so that it shall read as follows: Section 7. There may be one or more county dispensers appointed for each county, the place of business for each to be designated by the county board of control, but the state board of control must give consent before more than one dispenser can be ap pointed in any county. and when the county board designates a locality for a dispensary, twenty days' public no tice of which shall be given, it shall be competent for a majority of the qualified voters of the township in which the dispensary is to be located to prevent it location in such town ship by signing a petition or petitions to the county board requesting that no dispensary be established in the township. Any incorporated city or town may secure the establishment of a dispensary or dispensaries within its limits in the following manner: Upon the petition of one-fourth of the qualified voters of such town or city, as shown by the registration books of the same, an election either upon the establishment or removal of dispensaries therein, being filed with the intendant or mayor of such town or city, he shall order an election, submitting the question of the "dis pensary" or "no dispensary" to the qualified voters of the town or city, which election shall be conducted as other special elections, by managers appointed by the town or city cover ed, and if a majority of the ballots cast be found and declared to be for a dispensary, then a dispensary may be established in said town or city, but if a majority of the ballots cast be found to be against the dispensary, then no dlispensary shall be establish ed therin, and any dispensary already established shall be closed. Elections under this section cannot be held of tener than every four years. No dispensary shall be established inany conty,ton or city wherein the sale of alcholic liquors was pro- i hibited prior to July 1. 1893, except 1 as herein permitted. Provided, that, where dispensaries have been estab- i lished in such county. town or city they shall remain established until re- ( moved or closed as permitted in this act. Provided. a dispensary shall not be stablished in any town or or munici palitv without a majority vote of such I :!wn 4or municipality in favor of such t %tablishment. t The question of compulsory edu- < cation promises to receive a great t ..al of consideration at this session i f the legislature. and a compulsory i -lucation law of some kind is being %--ry strongly urged. Already com pulsory education bills have been in- t troduced in both houses. I There will, of course, be a great f deal of discussion in regard to the I state's financies. Bills have been introduced in the f senate to reduce passenger fares to I a and 1-2 cents instead of 3 cents. Representative Joshua Ashley's bill I to abolish the department of immi- I gration has created but little interest. Even those who fought the creation :f the bureau do not want to pull it lown, now that it has been establish !d. So far there have been no discus ;ions or debates in either house, and It is impossible yet to reach any con :lusion as to the feeling of a majori ty of the members in* regard to the mportant questions which will be up I or consideration and discussion. It s not generally regarded as probable t that any radical change will be made n the dispensary law at this session, < t being stated that of the number of t measures which will be urged it I would be a hard matter to agree on iny one during the present session. [t seems probable, however, that .here will be some dispensary legisla tion in the very near future. What t :hanges will be made in the law it is, I >f course, impossible to predict. Sen itor Tillman's speech at Gaffney has set the friends'of the dispenary to work to improve the system, if possible. Its enemies ar proposing a number of i :hanges, of course. But, while the T nvestigating committee provided for t in Mr. Blease's resolution may be ap pointed it does not seem probable that at the present session any radical I :hange will be made in the law. J. K. A. , 1 THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE. Dr. J. A. B. Scherer Fills Pulpit of Central Methodist Church-A Strong and Practical Sermon. Dr. James A. B. Scherer, president of Newberry college. delivered a strong, forceful, and exceedingly practical sermon at the Cent,l~ Meth odist on Sunday night. Us subject was "The Homage of the Wise." His text was Matt. 2:1. The following is a brief synopsis of the speaker's rearks: There came wise men. Who were they? We do not know. Some think1 that they were kings, others that they were simply scholars. Some think that they were rich, others that there were somewhat poor. We do not even know how many there were. Certain great teachers have believed that there were twelve. It is now commonly supposed that there were three. because three gifts are men tioned. We do not know who they were, but we do know that they were wise men. How do we know that they were wise men? Not because the scripture calls them so, for the word "magoi" may be variously translated. We know that they were wise because of what they did with reference to the Savior. They were led by a star, the story tells us. The astromomer Kepler cal culated this star, which is as truly natra as an of the others but it was ised of God for a divine purpose. The vise men believed that it was God's tar. so they followed it. The first eason why I know they were truly vise is because they had an eye for 3od's token. Have we? God often sends signs o us men, but we have not always .n eye for them. We know how to liscern the face of the heavens, but ve cannot discern the signs of the imes. We are interested in the eas ern war. for example, because of its ommercial possibilities, but are blind o the christian opportunities which t presents. We talk about the pre ,ailing lawjessness in our country, but re blind to its manifest token of hristian indifference, for if the chris ian citizenship of this country were ight, then the country would be right rom Maine to California, and in iorth and south alike. To bring it loser home-I am stricken with a ever. The physidians battle for my ife. For weeks the issue is in doubts nd at last they win. Let us also tope that the good God has also ieard the prayers that have been sent ip for me. I become convalescent. have to lie there in bed and think. nd when once I begin to think about piritual matters as much as I think bout the weather, then I see very learly that this sickness is a token >f God. It is a sign that life is un ertain but death is sure. Then the ,ood God makes me well again. I o to my work and become too busy o think. His tokens 'are forgotten vhile I give myself to the study of he stock reports. Now let us go back to the wise 'men )f the east. They have come almost o the end of their journey after per aps two years of wandering follow ng the sign in the sky. We find them ow in Jerusalem searching the Old Pestament. The star has led them o God's word. And this brings us o the second reason why we may ow those men were truly wise. Phey had an ear for God's word? 4ave we? Do we make it the man of ur council? Is the family altar erect n our home? Do we honor God's vord before our children? Do we >ractice it in our daily life? Do the eachers really teach it in the Sunday ;chool. or do they play at teaching. f we would be truly wise we must ave an ear for God's word. Led by the star and also by the cripture. the sages finally reached ethlehem. and found the child with is mother, in a certain house. Then hey spread their trophies at His feet nd worshipped him. The third rea con why I know they were truly vise is because they had a heart for ;od's Son. Have we? How foolish it must have seemed o the outside world to see those vise and weary strangers bowing lown in worship to a homeless little )aby! And yet they were wise. They mew that he was a king who did not ieed garish finery to make him glor ois or a throne to make him royal. They worshipped him as the eter al God who could well dispense with our poor human accessories of -plendor. The world still says, just i it said then, that it is foolish to ive real homage to the Savior. They 10 not say that it is foolish to go to :hurch, or to be called christians. hese things are fashionable now-a lays, but they are often something rery different from the real worship >f Christ. The world still says that t is foolish to take him exactly at is word and make the Golden rule :he rule of our useless life and inter ~sts. But God tells us that if any eem to be wise among you and de ireth to be truly wise, let him be ome a fool, and he may be wvise. hall we listen to the world or to od? Daniel. the teacher of the an :ient wise men, tells us that if we seek the wisdom of God, then "they hat be wis shall shine as the bright ness of the firmament and as the