The herald and news. (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, February 10, 1905, Image 1
VOL. XLII. NO. 36 NEWBERRY, S. C.. FRI DAY F BlL-UARY 10. 1905. TWICE A'WEEK, S1.50A Y
PROCEEDINGS OF THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HOUSE PASSES LOCAL OP
TION BILL.
Senate Passes Ten-Circuit Bill With
Amendments-Bill For a State
Reformatory.
Special to The Herald and News.
Columbia, February 9.-The end
of next week will witness the close
of the session of the general assem
bly and both houses are this week
hard at work. The senate has pass
ed the ten-circuit bill and sent it
back to the house with amendments.
The measures of most general inter
est, probably, in the house during the
past several days were the Toole bill
to allow each county to vote for pro
hibition or dispensary, without the
provision imposing a tax upon a
county voting out a dispensary, the
measure being practically the same as
the original Brice bill of last year,
and Mr. Patterson's bill to establish
an industrial school for boys and to
provide for its government and main
tenance. Both bills were passed by
the house. The Toole local option
bill received its third reading in the
house on Wednesday and has been
sent to the senate.
The Ten-Circuit Bill.
. The ten-circuit bill, which was
passed by the house last week and
sent to the senate, provoked a great
deal of discussion in the latter body.
The bill was finally passed by the
senate, but was amended in a number
, of particulars, several of the propos
ed new circuits as constituted by the
house being changed, and the num
bering of the various circuits being
changed. The section providing that
no special terms of court shall be
held was stricken out by the senate,
as being in conflict with the state
constitution.
The bill as it passed the senate now
goes back to the house with the
amendments. The house bill was
publish in the last issue of The Her
aid and News. Following is the bill
as it passed the senate and as it goes
back to the house:
Text of the Bill.
Section 1. That the state be, and is
hereby, divided into ten judicial cir
cuits, composed as follows:
The 9th circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Charleston, Colle
Sand Beaufort.
The 1st circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Berkeley, George
town, Dorchester anld 0Orangeburg.
The 2d circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Hampton, Aiken,
Bamberg and Barnwell.
The 3d circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Clarendon, Flor
ence, Lee, Sumter and Williamsburg.
The 4th circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Chesterfield, Dar
lington, Horry, Marion and Marl
boro.
The 5th circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Kershaw, Lexing
ton, Richland and Edgefield.
The 6th circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Chester, Fairfield,
Lancaster and York.
The 7th circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Cherokee, Spartan
burg, Union and Laurens.
The 8th circuit shall be composed
of the counties of Abbeville. Green
wood. Saluda and Newberry.
The 1oth circuit shall be composed
of the colties of AndArson. Green
ville. Pickens and Oconee.
Toole Local Option Bill.
The Toole local option bill, pro
viding for striking out the tax pro
vision in the present Brice law for
the enforcement of the dlispensary in
a countyvoing out the dispensary,
Mr. Toole's measure being practi
callv the same as the original Ir:ce
bill of last year, was brougI t : iin
the house on Tuesday morning. A
number of argunents were made dur
ing the morning session and the de
bate was contiaued at the night ses
sion, the house refusing to kill the
bill by a vote of -i to 68 and finally
passing it. Mr. Higgins voted to kill
the bill, Messrs. Earhardt and Tay
lor voting in the negative on the mo
tion to strike out the enacting words.
What the senate will do with the
measure remains to be seen. The
senate has already killed one bill very
much along the same line.
At this session of the house the
salary of the clerk to the historical
commission was reduced from $1,200
to $i,ooo. The reduction had already
been made by the senate.
Reformatory and Industrial School.
The bill passed by the house pro
viding for the establishment of a re
formatory and industrial school is
one of the most important matters of
the session. The proposition as it
passed the house carries an appropri
ation of $5,ooo and convict- labor for
the erection of the necessary build
ings. The movement, it will be re
called, was inaugurated some time
ago by Mrs. Martha Orr Patterson,
of Greenville, who has recently visit
ed a number of cities in the state, in
cluding Newberry, as the representa
tive of the women's clubs throughout
the state which have declared in fa
vor of the movement. The bill was
introduced in the house by Mr. Pat
terson, of Greenville, who is a son of
Mrs. Martha Orr. Patterson. The
vote by which the bill was passed was
decisive, the house refusing by a vote
of 20 to 77, to strike out the enacting
words. Of the Newberry delegation,
M-lessrs. Earhardt and Taylor voted
to kill the bill. Mr. Higgins's vote
was not recorded.
The bill as it passed the house
places the institution under the man
agement of seven trustees, three of
whom shall be women, besides the
governor, the superintendent of edu
cation and the attorney general, who
shall be ex-officio trustees.
Section 4 of the bill provides:
"Section 4. That it shall be the duty
of such school, and it shall have the
power, to receive, care for and pro
vide f' r the welfare of white boys be
tween the ages of 8 and 16 years.
who, because of their conduct and
surroundings, are likely to become
base or criminal, or hurtful to the
state or to the best interests of so
ciety, and who may be committed to
said school by a judge or magistrate,
under the provision of this act, or
who may be voluntarily committed
to its keeping by their parents or
guardians, or the persons having
such boys in charge, who having no
parents, guardians or other persons
to care for them, may voluntarily
commit themselves to its keeping:
Provided, said board of trustees may,
in their discretion, require the pay
ment of reasonable sums to provide
for the maintenance and tuition of
boys voluntarily committed. That
any commitment under this actc,
whether by Judge, magistrate, par
ent, guardian, or by any person hav
ing in charge the said boy, or by the
boy himself if he have no person to
care for him, shall be full and suffi
cient authority to the trustees, offi
cers and agents of said school for
the detention and keeping therein of
the boy so committed. That any
bov committed to said institution un
der the provisions of this act, ex
cept upon a conviction of crime, shall
he kept therein until he arrives at the
age of 21 years, nnless sooner dis
missed thereirom by order of the
board of trustees, or of the governor
of this state. That from the tine of
the lawful recepiion of anyv boy into
said institution. and during his stay
therin. aidl institntion shall have ex
cj~.iVL are cL''t ;Lllad ontrol (if
aild boy, and.( .said -zad l,all cat.:
said bv to be in :-truct e! in such
branches of useful knowledge as may
be suited to his y-ears and capacitv:
and said 1)()ard shall also cause said
boy to be taught a useful trade or
other means (I earning an honest
]Iliiood.'
Arranging the Circuits.
The house has passed a bill to pro
vide for ten solicitors and to make
their circuits conform to the ten
circuit bill which passed the house
and was sent to the senate. The sen
ate having amended the *en-circuit
bill, rearranging the circuits and re
numbering them, it would appear
that the bill passed by the'house pro
viding for additional solicitors and
making their circuits conform to the
new bill would have to wait until
both houses agree on the ten-circuit
bill.
No Marriage Licenses.
The house has killed three bills
looking to recording marriages and
getting licenses for marriages.
The house has passed a bill requir
ing railroads, when ordered to do so
by the railroad commissioners, to
maintain at all passenger stations
and other places where people are
taken on and put off of cars, two sep
arate and distinct water closets.
The house ~d.scussed the ten-hour
labor bill at some length on Wednes
day night, but did not reach a vote.
The General Appropriation Bill.
The following are the important
items of 'che general appropriation
bill: Executive department, $92,830;
judicial department, $65,300; health
department, $17,145; tax department,
$60,500; educational department, $141,
848; charitable and penal instittitions,
$185,896; miscellaneous, $96,471; pen
sions, $200,000; interest on debt,
$285,ooo. Total $1,148,991.
A fund of $2,500 was recommended
for the governor for enforcing the
law in extraordinary casces-prose
cution of lynchers, etc. The comp
troller general was allowed about
$2,500 more on account of extra work
in his office, caused by franchise tax,
etc.
For support of militia, changed to
$15,000 from $8,ooo to meet the re
quirements of the Dick law. State
hospital for insane increased $5,ooo,
and deficiency last year $12,ooo.
Cla:ms. $8,000. Last year was $14,000.
Supervisors of registration is reduc
ed $6.150. Election expenses reduc
ed about S2o.ooo. Historical com
mission $2.500 for fireproof shevles
and furnishings; same amount each
for office of secretary of state and
comptroller general.
Two of last year's large amounts
left off are: Hampton mounmen1t,
S20ooo: heating plant Citadel. $1o,
oo0.
South Carolina coIlege, $34,650, and
$3,280 for scholarships. Winthrop
$55,368, scholarships $12,400; insur
ance $2.400. Citadel $26,250. Color
ed college $7,5,00
Miserable Weather in Columbia.
The ground here is covered with
ice and the weather is very cold.
J. K.A.
A Fine Opening for a Young Man.
Youth's Compnaion.
"Yes," said Mrs. Malone to the old
friend who was picking up threads
of family history. 'my Bobby, he's
traveling with a circus now."
"Pretty hard work, isn't it?" in
quired the interested caller.
"Never a bit of it." returned the
onrotd mother of P'obby. "He'Cs liv
ing like a gentleman. be is-hands in
is~ pockets, as ye might say-for ti's
a h:md - ome salairy he gets, and every
blssed thing he has to do is to lay
lis h11ead iln the liUn's mouth a mnatter
,f sme' two or three times a day or
thr-bout"
AR. GANTT'S ANSWER.
The Secretary of State Replies to the
Legislative investigating
Committee.
1!b1)Ia. Febr;iary 9 - crear
1)f . hate J T. Gantt. has sent to
di e ci al as.I 1 and hall d d the
pre-.; tle f i ig statel'eIt in J -
tificatLion of his administratioi of the
office and the correctness of his rec
ords. books and accounts:
I beg to submit to vou herewith a
full report of the finances of the of
fice of the secretary of state. and a
detailed itemized statement of all
official receipts and disbursements
during my entire term in office.
"I beg to inform you that I have
this day placed in the hands of the
state printer, as a supplemental re
port to the general assembly, a full,
accurate and complete list of the
persons or corporations who have
paid any fees to the office, which in
its every detail proves the statements
handed you herewith to be correct.
"In doing so I 'beg to make the fol
lowing sta-tement in reply to the re
port of the committee appointed to
examine the books and accounts of
my office:
'I have been continuously, since
the appointment of the' committee,
willing and anxious to make up and
present this statement to them, hav
ing offered to do s,, upon their first
visit to the office, but was informed
that they -desired the papers of the
office turned over tothemwithout any
checking. verification or statements.
in the condition in which they were
at the time. Presuming -the commit
tee competent to come into the office.
take the books, make tip a correct
statement of its affairs, -the entire pa
pers and books of the office were
turned over to them; they were fur
nished a key, which the chairman re
tained for three months, and was
used to gain entry to the office when
none of the clerks or employees
thereof were present. This was per
mitted to allow the fullest and freest
opportunity for full and comprehen
sive investigation of the office. Dur
ing most of the time of the first in
vestigation I was confined to my
house by sickness. During the pro
gress of this investigation reports
were brought to me of statements by
members of this committe of a short
age in the office. Upon the conclu
sion of the investigation, with which
during the week prior to the filing of
pledges by candidates for state of
fices, I secured an opportunity to
state to the committee the reports I
hiad heard and asked that they state
to the public what they had found.
In resp9nse to this request the com
mittee published a communication in
which it was asserted that no books
were kept, which was false, and that
they had colleSted certain vouchers
from which they had made up a set
of books, which was equally untrue
as there is not now and never has
been any "vouchers" to be collected
and the original declarations and re
turns of corporations could not be
so designated, and principally from
these I understood the committet
had made up its statemen-ts. As I
was assured that the committee had
found nothing which they especially
criticized. I supposed the statement
they had sectired to be accurate. I
had repeated assurances given me
that no wrong had been found. Con
sequently my astonishmeiit at the re
markable statements made therein
was as pr6found as my surprise at
the partial, incomplete and inaccur
ate statement of the financial affairs
thereof .
"Whe~n redulced to its logical con
cusion and freed from the insinua
tion and( im: enido in which it is cloth -
ed, the report charges that no ade
,ate b..oks are kept. or proper rec
(Continuecd on Page Five.)
COMITTEE SEVERELY
CRITICIZES RECORDS
.N THE OFFICE OF THE SEC
RETARY OF STATE.
Long Document Filed in the General
Assembly by Committee Ap
pointed to Examine Cer
tain State Offices.
Columbia. February 8.-The re
port of the legislative committee, ap
pointed to examine the offices of the
secretary of state, comptroller gen
eral and state treasurer, which has
been submitted to the general assem
bly. criticizes the records as they
were found in the office of the secre
tary of state. The committee con
sister of Senator T. B. Butler and
Representatives Richards and Rains
ford.
The report says of some of the
offices:
"That they have examined the
book of accounts of the above named
officers and find the offices of state
treasurer, comptroller general and
sinking fund correct, with proper
vouchers, the office and the books
neatly and well kept, and the commit
tee, with pleasure, commend -the effi
ciency of the officers and assistants
in these several departments."
The report then recommends that
the comptroller general be supplied
with file cases for the ke,pin- of the
records of the office.
The report on the secretary of
state's office is in part as follows:
This office has not been included in
the examination heretofore, but last
year this additional duty was placed
on this committee, and it has been an
enormous, unpleasant and extreme
ly difficult matter to ascertain the ex
act and true condition of the finances
of this office-due to many reasons
which we will attempt to show later.
When we first went to this office in
April, 1904. we were informed that
we could conclude our labors "in ten
minutes" and were shown the bank
books and a mere statement of
amounts, aggregate, received in that
office, and amount paid state treasur
er. On insisting that we came for a
real examination, we were begged for
time to prepare books. etc. However
your committee went back to work
but soon found, on account of the ab
sence of books and in proper entries
of cash received, wvrong and improper
enteries made in the books furnished
which had been badly kept. Your
committee feeling the need of a
thorough examination adjourned, and
secured the services of an accountant,
Mr. 3. C. H oli. of Gaffney, S. C.,
and with his valuable assistance made
up a book of every item we could
find1 and was furnished by Mr. R.'W.
.\leCown, the assistant clerk, said
book being now in the possession of
vour committee. After adjourning,
and( beforo our return wvith Mr. Hol
lis, many erasures and corrections
were made on the books attempted to
be kept. The only way we could do
was to handle each declaration of
charter, return, application for notary
public-in fact, every paper during
Mr. Gantt's administration. Seeing
that considerable time would be con
sumed in this examination, we did
not feel justified in going back of his
term without express authority, so
we did not do so. but feel nowv that
this should be done by the ccmmittee
to be appointed.
in comparing the return of corp.or
ators to the charters *zat were re
corded, we found some unrecorde'd
and others erroneously recorded,
such as where a charter had been
granted in the sum of $15,000, same
was recorded as having been issued
in the sum of $50.000. This work we
did not complete onl account of a very
magaing fire in the oFice where prin
cipa:ll. all rec'rds were kept, and ,
sinc that time we have been unable