Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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VO. XI S. C, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1896. NO. 31. THE GENERAL ASSE1BLY. IMPOR t ANT PROCEEDINGS OF SEN ATE ANE HOUSE. Bins of Much Interest Considered and Dis posed of--Hard at Work. COLIXIA, S. C., Feb. 17. --The sen ate met at 8:15 tonight after a rest since Friday but was not in the mood to tackle the big bills and contented itself in going through the calendar, passing the bills on which there was no question and continuing the others. It was in session but forty minutes when an adjournment was had till 11 a. m. tomorrow. One of the second reading bills passed was the house bill to declare the liability of railroad cor porations for injuries sustained by persons while in their employ. The house did little at the morning session, the ronly matter of any inter est acted upon being the passage of Mr. Townes' bill to protect shad and sturgon daring certain seasons of the year. Josh Ashley's bill to build a court hcuse and jail at Honea Path passed. The house made one step toward ad juournment at night when it adopted a five minute rule on all measures not special orders. The result will be to pile on the spe cial orders, of course, but there is a pospect of making haste a little less slowly henceforth. Mr. Lofton's first bill was reconsidered and recommitted and the senate buuilding and loan bill, which it is claimed is the work of a foreign building and loan man intro duced as a kind of Trojan horse with aprovision exemptingthose companies from the penalties attached to usury, was killed. The balance of the night was spent on two county government bills, one of which was recommitted and the other, relating to the salaries of supervisors; passed, with numerous amendments. COLmBIA, Feb. 18.--'he chief de bate today was on the election law. Mr. Manning spoke earnestly for his Australion ballot bill. Mr. Bacot then moved to strike out the enacting words of No. 1591, the eight-box law to which the house re fueed to agree to. Mr. Tatum then moved to table Mr. Manning's substitute, which was agreed to by an aye and nay vote of 76 to 17, as follows: Yeas-Adams, Anderson. Ashley, Barry, Blackwell, Bowman, Breeland, Bramlett, Brown, Caruthers. Caugh man, Connor, L. S.; Connor, J. B.; Davis, C. M.; Davis, W. C.; Eadens, Edwards, Elder, Ellerbe, Finalea, Goodwin. Gregory, Hammett, Hardy, Harper, Harvey, Hiott, Hollis, Hollo way, Hough, Hunter, Humphrey, Ilderton,Johnston,Johnson,Kennedy, Kindard, Kirk, Lancaster, Lemmon, Lesesne, Leverett. Love, Magill, Mel lard, Miles, Mishoe, Mitchel, T. P. Mitchell, J. W.; Moore, Murray, Mc Intosh, McSweeney, Nunnery, Otts, Pickens. Pollock, Prince, Rainsford, Row!and, Shuman, Skinner, Sturkie, Tatum, Thompson, Todd, Townsend, Thurmond, Tyler, Warr, Watson, Whitmire, Willhams, T. S.; Williams, L J.; Williams, Fred; Wilhamson, Wolff, Wyman- 76. Nays-Burns, Crum, Devereux, Dothage, Fowler, Lofton, Manning, Mehrtens, Mellett, Patton, Price, Pyatt, Sanders, A. K.; Sauiders, John G; Weston, Wilson-17. The eight-box bill was then taken up, and a motion to strike out the on acting words was voted down, The committee amemdments were then adopted, and a number of verbal amendments were added. Mr. Townsend then offered the fol lowing as a substitute for section 9, which was agreed to: Section 9. At the general election for the year 1896 and all special elec tions thereafter held up to Januay 1, 1898, the manaaers of election shall require of every elector offering to vote at such election, before allowing him to vote, in addition to the produc tion of a registration certificate, proof of payment of poll tax six months be fore said election of any poll tax then due and payable. After January 1, 1898, they shall reqmire of any elector offering to vote at any election, be fore allowing him to vote, in addition to the production of a registration cer tificate, proof of the payment of all taxes, including poll tax assessed agains't him and collectable during the previous year. The production of a certificate or of the receipt of the of ficer authorized to collect such taxes shall be conclusive proof of the pay ment of the same. Mr. Patton moved to amend section 11, requiring managers of election to post a statement of the result of the election in some conspicuous place at the polling place. Mr. Thurmond moved to table the amendment. Objection was raised that the require -ment was unnecessary and expensive and troublesome to managers. Mr. Thurmond objected that it would cause contests. Mr. Patton said that it would cause no more contests on a table than on a tree. His object was to protect the p urity of the box for the next three days until the box was opened at the court house. The amendment was then tabled by a vote of 50 to 23. Mr. Manning offered an amendment to provide for bi-partisan representa tion on the boards of commissioners and managers, consideration of which was interrupted by recurrence to the morning hour, during which the bill to repeal the senate free pass bill was reported favorably. r. Hardy by unanimous consent introduced a bill relative of the sale of liquor. When the hour for recess arrived a motion was pending to ad journ from Friday night until Monday noon. HOUSE NIGHT SEsSiON. KMr. Fowler's resolution to adjourn from Friday night until noon Monday was passed. NO BI- PARTIsAN REPREsENTATION. Mr. Manning's amendment to pro vide for bi-partisan representation on the boards of election comimissioners and election managers was the pend ing question at the night session. Mr. Manning said that the amend ment would not change the law and would be in the line of securing fair elections. Mr. Watson moved to table the amendment, saying that the charge of fraud was a reflection on any county, and the amendment was killed.. Mr. Anderson offered an amendment to provide for four boxes, which was tabled. Mr. Bacot offered an amendment to extend the time for closing the polls to 5 o'clock, saying that in the cities the early hour and the late hour were the nly hours that the laboring peo ple could vote. Mr. Watson moved to table the amendment, which was agreed to. Mr. Bacot offered an amendment to provide that the election boxes with their keys. should be deposited after the election with the clerk of court, with their contents, said contents to be destroyed at the next election, which was agreed to. Mr. Bacot then offered another amendment to provide for the greater security of the boxes, but on Mr. Townsend's moving to table, the amendment was killed. The previous question then being called, the bill was passed to a third reading by a vote of 82 to 10; the noes being Messrs. Adams, Anderson, Gre gory. Manning, Mellett, Miller,Parler, Sanders, Weston and Wilson. The senate bill to declare the law in reference to commissioners and mana gers of elections was then taken up and passed. NO CONVICT COMPETITION. Mr. Finklea's bill to prevent the biting of convicts to private parties then came up, and Mr. Finklea spoke in support of it. After further debate, a motion to in definitely postpone was rejected by a vote of 47 to 41. An amendment of Mr. Ilderton's to provide that convicts should be sup ported by the penitentiary was reject ed. Mr. Tatum moved to amend to pro vide that the conditions of the bill should not apply to existing contracts which was killed. The bill was then passed to a third reading and Mr. Kaufman put the clincher on it. $2,500 FOR THE FAIR. The State fair appropriation resolu tion was then taken up as unfinished business, and Mr. Patton moved to re consider the vote whereby the house had refused to order it to a third read ing, and then offered a substitute res olution. Mr. Patton said that this resolution was for the encouragement of aigricul ture and stock raising. It provided that there should be no immoral shows. It was simply a question of whether a tax should be raised for the farmers of the State. The tax would amount to 1-68 of a mill, and would bring back $25,000 or $30,000 to the farmers of the State. There was no chance for any job, money-making or unconstitutionality. The vote was then reconsidered. Mr. Ilderton then moved to table the substitute, but the house refused to do so by a vote of 47 to 46. There was much discussion over the different amendments. Mr. Towhsend then offered the fol lowing to be known as section 31, which was adopted: Section 31. Each township as now or hereafter laid out and defined in the several counties of this State, and in those counties where there are no such townships, the parish as formerly known and defined, is declared 'a poll ing precinct. In all the cities and towns containing 5,000 inhabitants or more, where the same is divided into wards, each ward shall be a polling precinct; and in the city of Charles ton the polling precincts shall be the same as the voting precincts now es tablished in the several wards of said city by law. The voting places within these polling precincts shall the same as now or hereafter established by law: Provided, when there are more than one voting place in the polling precinct the elector for that precmect can vote at either polling place, to be designated on his certificate of regis tration by board of registration or su pervisor of registration. Mr. Bacot then offered the follswing amendment which was rejected: Section 1. [Up to and including Jan. L~ 1898, all male persons of voting age applying for registration who can read any section of the constitution of 1895 of this State submitted to them by the registration officer, or under stand and explain it when read to them by the registration officer, and not disaualified under the constitution or atherwise and any person who shall apply for registration after Jan. 1, 1898, if otherwise qualified, and who can both read and write any section of the said constitution submitted to him by the registration officer, o: can show that he owns and has paid all taxes collectible during the previous year on property in this State assessed at three hundred dollars ($300) or more, and not disqualified under the constitution or otherwise, shall be en titled to register and become electors and shall be separately and severally registered at the times and places -and in the manner and form hereinafter mentioned and provided for. And no person shall be entitled or allowed to vote at any election hereafter to be held (except as provided in section 12 of said article 11) unless he shall have been registered as hereinafter provid ed for and required, and shall produce and exhibit his registration certificate to the managers of election of the poll ing precinct at which he may be enti ted to vote, and, also, unless lhe be possessed of the qualifications for suf frage prescribed in the aforesaid arti cle II. Amend all other sectrons by corres pondingly changing the respeCtive numbers thereof. The bill was then passed to its third reading. COLU-IBIA, Feb. 19.-One of the first matters up was the substitute bill to give $2,500 to the State fair. This bill prohibits all immoral shows, and also gambling of any sort, on the grounds. after some debate the bill was killed. So there will be no appropriation for this year's fair. COUNTY OFFICERs. Mr. Bacot's bill relative to the ap pointment of county and other othicers came up next. It provides that ap ointments of this class shall be made by the governor on the recommenda tion of the delegation in the genera] assembly. Mr. Bacot, in speaking for his bill, used the arugment that it gave mem bers of the delegations a voice in the appointment of officers and prevented the appointment of men who had been rejecte.. On motion of Mr. McGill, who thought the law now on the books good enough, the bill was killed by a vote of 61 to 34. The report of the Clemson investi gating committee was then presented, and received as information and ord3er ed to be printed in the journal. The hour for recess having now ar rived, the speaker's gavel fell and work was dropped until 8 o'clock. : DISPEN$ARYCoDIOER The bill to provide for the election duties and compensation of a commis. sioner of the dispensary and of a State board of control and to further regu late the sale of intoxicating liquors in alties for violation of the dispensary laws, as ordered to a third reading, reads as follows: Section 1. That at the next general election there shall be elected by the qualified electors of this State an addi tial officer to be known as the com missioner of the dispensary, to hold cllice for a term of two years and un til his successor shall be elected and qualified, upon whom, with the board of control hereinafter provided to be appointed, shall devolve all the pow ers, duties, responsibilities and liabil ities of the management of the laws of the State as to alcoholic or spirituous or malt liquors or wines, generally known as the dispensary laws; said commissioner to receive a salary of $1,800 per annum, to be paid from the profits of the dispensary. Sec. 2. That the general assembly at its next session shall elect Live m-em bers of a board of control, competent and qualified electors of this State, who, with the commissioner of the dis pensary as their chairman ex officio, shall constitute and be known as the State board of control, who shall se lect their chairman and as such have the powers, control and management, and be subject to all the responsibili ties now provided by law for the reg ulation and control of the use, sale, consumption, transportation, disposi tion, receipt, delivery, storing or man ufacture of alcoholic, spirituous or malt liquors or wines, generally known as the dispensary laws, said five members to hold office for terms of one, two and three years, and un til the appointment of their success ors; said successors in otlice to be elec ted immediately upon the expiration of each said terms by the general as sembly of this State theu in session, and with all future successors in office to be elected for terms of three years, respectively, each position to be filled immediately on the expiration of the incumbent's term by the general as sembly of this State then in session - And if by reason of the death or resig nation of a member or members there occur at any time a vacancy or vacan cies in said board of control, the gov ernor shall appoint a substitute or sub stitutes who shall serve out the unex pired term. The said board shall meet at least once a month in the city of Columbia, at the office of the commis sioner of the dispensary, and oftener on call of the chairman, and each member shall receive the same mileage and per diem as a member of the gen eralassembly for actual days of ser vice and actual miles of necessary travel in the discharge of the duties of the office, to be paid from the profits of the dispensary. Sec. 3. The State board of control shall elect a clerk, who shall receive as compensation for his services a sal ary of $800 per annum, to be paid from the profits of the dispensary. Sec. 4. That on information given to the county board of control that any county dispenser has, in violation of his oath of office, sold or furnished intoxicating liquors to any minor, in toxicated person or person who is in the habit of becoming intoxicated, or has failed to make full and accurate returns as required by law, showing the true signature to every request for liquor by him received and granted; that on such information given it shall be the duty of the solicitor, on due notice from the said county board of control, to bring suit in the name of the county for $200 damages on the bond of the said county dispen ser, against the principal and su reties of said bond. for which said principal and sureties shall be liable jointly and severally, together with all costs and judgmeints pertamn ing to the suit. And on judgment given against him the said county dis penser shall be immediately deprived af his office as dispenser and his prin etpal and sureties aforsaid shall re main further liable, jointly and sever ally, to the extent of their bond, to all civil damages, costs and judgments which may be obtained against the principal in any civil action brought by wife, parent, guardian, employer or other person under the provisions of the law; provided, that if the said county dispenser do show to the satis faction of a jury that the said intoxi cating liquor was obtained from himt by the infant, intoxicated person or persons in the habit of becoming. in toxicated by fraudulent and deceitful representations, said county dispenser shall have judgment and the person making such fraudulent and deceitful representation shall be guilty of a mis demeanor and be fined not less than $200 or imprisonment for not less than six months. Section 5. That this act shall be a public act and shall go into effect im mediately upon its approval by the governor, and that ill acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act be and are hereby repealed. Fifty Milners Killed. NEWCASTLE, COL , Feb.- 18.-The Vulcan coal mine, located in the Hog Back, just below town, was complete; tely wrecked and set on lire by a ter ritc gas explosion shortly after 11 oclock today. A bout 50 men, includ ing firemen and coal operators, were in the several rooms along the slope when the explosion occurred, and so great was the detonation that not a a single man could have survived the shock, the gas or the fire which imme diately ensued, With the exception of a few bosses. the killed are Italians, but in the con; fusion and excitement it is possible at this time to make a complete report or the names of unfortunates. The town of Newcastle was shaken as if by an earthquake by the exolosion and a dense, black cloud obscured the site of the Vuican mine and workings, in dicating only too plainly what had occurred. The entire population rush ed to the scene to behold the surface work-men, in the midst of a thick cloud of dust, tr-ying in vain to start the work of rescuing their unfortu nate fello w-luorers within. The earth had settied perceptibility near the hillside, and the dense volume of black smoke issuing from crevices in the upheaved mass gave evidence that the coal vein nad surely been set on fire by the explosion. Women and children rushed shrieking to the scene. adding to the confusion. Severe Cold Wave. N Ew XORK, Feb. 17.-A cold wave of unusual severity has spread over this section. In this city the mercury indicated 1.04 degr-ees below zero, the coldest recorded here since the estab lishment of the Weather Bureau. At Saranac Lake the temperature was 49 degrees below zero, the lowest ever recorded there. At Genesee the fall since Saturday noon was sixty de grees, being 1h below zero to-day. Bos ton and other New England points METROPOLITAN 'O LICE. LIVELY DEBATE IN THE SENATE ON THAT SUBJECT. Mr. Barrwel Defends Charleston and esks the Repeal of the Law--Other Proceed ings. COLUMBiA, Feb. 20 -Special: The Senate today was the scene of a de bate which brought under discussion the metropolitan police system recent ly established in Charleston Mr. Mayfield called up his bill to amend the law in some particulars. Mr. Barnwell moved to amend so as to repeal the law now in force, saying that if his amendment prevailed he would offer another to defray the ex penses of the board of commissioners to the present time. Speaking to his amendment he said: The scope of the amendment just offered to the bill is to repeal the po lice act of 1894, commonly known as "the metropolitan bill," and to pro vide for the expenses up to date of its repeal incurred by the police commis sioners lately appointed under the provisions of that act for the city of Charleston. When this body has before it a bill seeking to put further burdens upon the city, and unnecessarily taking from the chief city of the State the power of administering its ovn police. it becomes my duty as a senator either to give my sanction 'o his act of in justice or to express my dissent aw vigorously as it is in my p)wer t) do. A year ago, when the original bil. was on its passage, it was maintained by its supporters that it would nevez be necessary to enforce iL: that thE grant of the power to put the act in force would be sufficient to carry out the object designed,the supprestion of trafic in intoxicating liquors-but it is on record that such was not my view. It seemed to me almost self evident, that given enormous powers provided for by the act, there would be continual pressure brought to bear upon those in control of the machine ry to put it in force. The present ad ministration of the city was given no opportunity to enforce the act. Nc time was assigned them for trial. They were not put upon probation. Al though the personnel of the council differed almost totally from that of the previous administration, the ad ministration which had gone before, yet they were held responsible for ac tions in which they had no part and could not have prevented. The act provided for no distribution of the places on the local police boards among different factions, and accord ingly no such distribution was made, and Eo far as I am informed every member of the local board belongs to the party in an insignificant minority in the city over which they now bear tnidisputed sway. I challenge the sup porters of the act last year to find for me, in all of the statutes of the States of the Union, one which would com pare with this, and the challenge was not accepted for the very good reason that none such could be found, and today senators are asked to sustain this law and to continue this undemo cratic and unjust law; nay, you are asked to intensify it, for although the amending bill covers nearly three pages, there is not a word in it which does away with the harshness of the riginal act, and not a few of which add additional burdens upon the city. Do senators know that there is not line in the original act which re uires the enforcement by the police ommissioners of the ordinances of the city? Not a word which requires them to report to the city authorities which support them? Not a sentence which permits the city authorities to inspect either the proceedings or the accounts of the police board? Nor any ntimation that the city authorities ave anything whatever to do with the affairs of the board, which is harged with the peace and good or der of the city? The property holders of the city must view with alarm the fact that their police officers are independent of their will. It is the duty of the police to report all infractions of the build ing laws of the city passed for the preservation of the city against the mproper construction of its dwell ings. They are also required to re port as to the lighting of the city and for failure of the contractors to carry out properly their obligations. In these and numerous other instances the police department and the govern ment of the city and the welfare of its citizens are closely intertwined and bound up. There is not a word in the act nor in the amendment which re uires of the new police force to obey tne ordinances of the city or enables the citizens to enforce sucea obedience. Do you not think, benators, that it would have been proper and fitting that inasmuch as the general assembly as in session and this act could have been amended before it was put In force for the State ~arities to have sought some legal authority for em plying more policemea than the act permitted before they incurred that expense? And yet I am iniormed that although by law only one policeman to every 2,000 inhabitants areallowed. the present police board has on its pay roll many more. It is known to the senate that the city of Charleston has made no resist ance to this law. Neither in the courts nor by any open resistance have her citizens expressed their deep sense of injury at the insult to them isolied by the manner in which the law is put upon them and the manner of its enforcement. They have endured it with the quiet dignity and many for titude with which they have been ac eustomed to bear hlardships. When force, an irresistible force, has been brought against her she has submitted to the inevitable but wheth er in the minority in the State or in the minority in the nation she has never professed belief in opinions that she did not believe or fawned upon the hland that struck. Charleston has dared to differ with the majority of the State in politics, just as the State of South Carolina has often differed with other States and with the major ity of the L'nited States in poliuics. On the subject of the dispensary law there has been especially a great dif ference of opinion, not only as to pol icy of the law, but as to the methods of its enforcement, and, although I regret that any p~olitical form has ever been given to tile opposition to this lw, yet it is admitted on all hands that in the endeavor- to enforce it more liberties have been taken with the privileges of the private citizen than any otner law which has ever been placed upon the statute books. Our city is undergoing, perhaps, the great rice planting interest, which for many years poured its gcIden harvest into her lap, is languishing under the effects of cheaper foreign and domes tic markets. The sea island cotton in terest is suffering in almost exactly the same way and the phosphate in terest is at its darkest hour. The fac tcrage business has almost come to a close and nothing but the frugnl hab its of her people and the savings from the hard-earned money of former years saves her now from disaster. Loaded down with debt contracted be fore the late war for railroads which went down with disaster with that struggle and more stripped of her re sources by that war than any other city in America she has only by dint of hard labor been able to meet her creditors without repudiation and to hold ip her head above the waves. Where is the industry in South Car olina today that is not more or less aided by her means, her skill and her money? I have faith in the city. I have faith in her brave men and fair women and believe that she will re cover from the present period of ap parent depression; that she will either make or find a way again to fortune and I am not, I think, asking too much of th representatives from other coun ties whose fame as Carolinians I do not mean to cast doubt upon, because I stand up in defense of Charleston that they will not add one other bur den to her miss fortune. Mr. Mayfield said that he concurred in what the senator had said about Charleston-the State loved Charles ton and she was not dealing with ene niies. But South Carolina was bigger than Charleston and had passed laws for the whole people. Charleston alone had refused to pass an ordinance making it unlawful to sell liquors ex cept under the dispensary. When the people of the State heard that Charleston had been destroyed by an earthquake, there had been sympathy for her in every heart in the State. They sympathized with her in the loss of the phosphate industry, but the dis pensary system did not bring ou these things. They had refused to pass an ordinance of the city to prohibit the sale of liquors after they had agreed to do so. Mr. Earnwell stated that the coun cil had held a meeting and decided to pass an ordiance to that effect, but up on the advice of the city attorney that it would be illegal, did not do so. Mr. Mayfield, continuing, said that he had been informed that the city at torney had prepared the ordinance. He was surprised that so learned a man should draw such a bill and then give it as his opinion that it could not be enacted. ,Mr. Barnwell said that he thought ayor Ficken, drew the bill, and cer tainly not the city attorney. Mr. Mayfield said that while they would promise to enforce the law, the oficers could say, "We are not requir ed to enforce it." The law had not been enforced, and a board consisting of gentlemen of high standing had been appointed and the law put into criect. The best people of Charleston favored this law. Mr. Barnwell-The most uncompro mising opponents of the law were on the other side from Mr. Smythe in the last election. Mr. Mayfield said that the law would pour gold into the coffers of Charles ton. She had had her trial and it was too late now for her to ask for a new o~e. - Mr. Barnwell said that they had re fused to take his p ledge that the law would be enforced (made last year) if the law was not passed. Mr. Mayfield said that the governor had been comnpelled to put the law in force after seeing that it would not be ecrried out. Mr. Watson said that while he had not changed the position he had taken last year, and believed there were 20 towns in the State that needed the board if Charleston did, he would move to table the motion of the gen tleman from Charleston to put an end to the debate. Mr. Buist said that the position taken by his colleague was eminently cor rct. The positicn taken at the last session involved vital principles. He then spoke at some length about the need of reformers in pary primaries, which he held would be brought about b y the adoption of a system of registra tion, for which purpose, it will be re membered he had introduced two bills, which were killed in the house. He endeavored to impress upon the senate the fact that the faction of the Charleston Democracy with which he was identified did not endorse to'police board or the dispensary law. There was no local politics in that, he said, and he wished it heralded abroad that no one had said that this law was put ito force by the reason of the success of one or the other of the factions. The law was simply the effect of one sided politics ia South Carolina. He would vote for the repeali of this law as he would for the repeal of the dis pensary law if it camne up again. Mr. ~Etird spoke in opposimon to repeal. lie desired to say that those men who constituted the majority in South Carolina would always submit to the will of the majority. If the day ever came when he and his party would be in a minority, he would not be found kicking against the will of the majority. Mr, Ar K'-:- said that if no one would throw a' y aght on the subject under debate, he hoped the gentleman from Edgeield would renew his miotion to table. Mr. Watson then renewed his mo tion and the amendment to repeal was abled, the following gentlemen vot ing no: Barnwell, Buist, Dennis, Kirkland, Moses, Mower, Sloan, Turner and Verdier. Messrs. Finley and Harrison, who were absent fromi the hall, r :turned at this instant and asked to be recorded as noting "no," making the noes 11. Messrs. Watson and Norris, who voted against the bill last year, voted against the repeal. On motion of Mr. Barnwell, section 2, providing for the employment of additional counsel by the board, was stricken out. A conference committee was an nointed on a bill to exempt certain portions of Anderson and Williams burg counties from the provisions of the general stock law. A NEAT COMI'L~IMENT. Mr. Finley then rose, and in present ing a magnificent gold-headed cane to the president on behalf of the em ployes of the senate made a very ap propriate speech. In accepting the cane, the president said: There are occasions in life when the tongue fails to adequatelf express the motins of the souli To us the lang uage of the song: "The heart feels most when the lips move not." In accepting this beautifuland valu able present at the hands of the ap pointees of this senate, I fail to find words to sufficiently express my high appreciation of the zift thus presented. I recofnize in this act the fact that they were moved not only by a sincere intention to honor me, but to approve of my acts as I walk among men. I appreciate it the more highly be cause it comes from the hands of those who are accustomed to labor and toil. My own hands have been used in that same way, as well as my fathers, for generations before me. In stepping down the declivities of life. this will be a constant reminder of the confi dence and esteem placed in me. When I have finished my course in life, I shall leave it as an heirloom to my posteri t 7 and trust that it may be an incen tive to them to act well their part in life. In accepting this gift, allow me to say again that I value it most high ly and to express the hope that those who have been prompted to this grace ful and generous act may be blessed with contentment and prosperity in this life and rewarded with joy in %he life to come. The.enate disposed of a number of bills of no interest to the general pub lic. HOT'SE POCEEDINGS. The House disposed of a mass of routine business. The bill relating to the public print ing was passed to its third reading. It reduces the prices about 20 per cent. The bill to purchase the farm adjoin ing the State hospital for the insane was passed. The House accepted the Senate amendment to the negro college bill, requiring that the faculty shall be composed exclusively of negroes. Resolutions were introduced request ing the ways and means committee to report the bill to create and regulate State depositories as soon as possi ole requiring the committee to be appoint ed to consider the bond of candidates for the position of printer to the State to meet on the 28th. Mr. Skinner moved to lay this on the table, stating his reasons, but fin ally withdrew his motion and the res olutions were adopted. The special order fixing the final ad journment of the general assembly was discharged until next Wednesday. The following was given out: "The committee on arrangements for the Charleston trip beg to an nounce the following programme. "Leave Union depot Feb-22, at7:05 a. m., arrive Charleston 11 a m. Up on arrival take steamer at Northeast em railroad wharf and remain on the water until 1:30 p. m., then visit the citadel, where a salute will welcome the guests. Inspect barracks, review and inspect drill and review of the cadets. Then participate in. grand re view of militia. Fourth brigade Then repair to Northeastern railroad. depot so as to leave at 7 p. m. and ar rive at Columbia at 11 p. M. The joint resolution to allow the board of directors ot the penitentiary to borrow money on the Reed farm and mortgage the same was ordered to a third reading Mr. Miller introduced a resolution that the superintendent of tne peniten tiary furnish the authorities of Claflin college 40 convicts. The bill to define in what manner towns and cities in South Carolina may increase or diminish their corpo rate limits was ordered to a third read ing. The bill to amend section 814 of vol ume 1 of the revised statutes, relating1 to the office of register of mesne con veyances for certain counties was or dered to a third reading. It provides for the election of the registers of mesne conveyance for Charleston and Greenville counties to be made by the people of the respective counties, and not by the general assembly, as here tofore. The bill to amend an act entitled "an act to fix the price of public ad vertisements," passed at the regular session of 1894. This bill fixed a rate for the insertion of public advertise ments, so as to prevent more being paid for an advertisement in large type than in small. The rate was fix ed at 5 cents per word. Heretofore $1 an inch had been p~aid for the first in sertion and 50 cents per inch for each subsequent insertion. The bill to repeal an act entitled "an act to prevent the use of a free pass, express or telegraph frank on any railroad by an y United States senator or member of congress from this State or by any member of the general as sembly of this State, or by any State or county official or by any judge of or court of record in this State," was next considered. Mr. Kennedy, who introduced the bill, said that he had done so in ob servance of the saying, "Equal rights to all and special privileges to none." When a representative is sent to the United States senate he is at lib-rty to use a free pass as soon as he crosses the State boundary, and in South Caroli. na he should also be allowved this priv ilege if the roads do not object. South Carolinians. he said, should have more contidence in one elected to a position of honor an:d trust than to bo, 2 law which prevents him from enjoying a privilege for fear of brib ry. IMr. Ilderton did not think such a law on the statute books was, by any m tens, a source of pride to the people of the State. It was a blot thcre, and should be wiped away. Mr. Williams said that the bill was passed by the farmers to show their independence, and a desire on their part to refrain from accepting the enerosity of any corporation. *Mr. Cooper asked Mr. Wiiliams if he intended to pay his fare to Charles ton on Saturday. He replied that he understood that the city of Charleston was to attend to that. A vote was taken to decide whether or not to strike out the enacting words of the line. The vote was 26 to 53. The bill was ordered to a third read ig. A Fiend Confesses. AULWsTA, Ky., Feb. 17.-Robert Laugnin, who on Saturday morning reported his house burned by m irder ers. who attacked him with knives, and whose wife and niece were burn ed in the building, has confessed that he was the murderer. He says he could not tell what put it in his mind to brain them with a poker while they were asleep. Blood was found on his shirt and it was the question by the oficers how he would account for that at the coroner's inquest which drew from him the confession. To prevent lynching it was arranged to TILLMAN AND HIS CRITICS. Demands that His Speech be Published by the Papers that Ahuse Him. The following letter from Senator Tillman was published a few days ago in the New York World: WASHLNGTON, Feb. 14 -My uniform rule has been to treat criticisms with silence. I break that rule now for a purpose, and that is to challenge those who have found so much to condemn in my recent speech in the Senate to a trial before the jury of their readers, in which I can have at least a show of justice. The New York Times edito rialli terms me "a filthy baboon," the New Yoch Evening Post "a political Anarchist." the World itself has used the word "blatherskite," the Philadel phia Record calls me "the chieftain of Anarchists' and the Globe of St. Paul says: "This fellow brings to the Sen ate the unsavory record he made in his Sttte, a character tattooed with dishonesty." These are a few of the parliamenta ry and elegant phrases employed by the polite and refined editors of some of the leading newspapers as applied to myself. They have not read my speech, they dare not publish it in full and, basing their criticisms upon a few garbled extracts in which I used strong language to express indigna tion and contempt, they ask the peo ple of the country to render a verdict against me as a coarse, brutal, igno rant, blackguard. All the words and phrases which occur in the speech to which they take exception do not exceed a dozen. They neither add to nor take from the argu ments .nd facts as presented. Not a single one of them is unparlamentary, and frequently, in the same Senate, language as violent, as coarse and as brutal has been uttered in the past by a dozen men whose names are written high in our country's history. If my language was unparliamenta ry and indecent, why did no Senator call me to order? If the charges were untrue, why has no Senator answered them, and why do my newspaper cri ics not even attempt to answer them? Is it uopsrliamentary and indecent to tell the truth' Are we sunk to that low estate that falsehood and treach-: ery and official dishonesty cannot be mentioned without calling down an avalanche of abuse and slander? What other Senators have whispered among themselves I have spoken aloud and in plain words. What a a majority of the people of the coun try have thought and felt I have ut tered. This is the sum of my offending, and the hireling editors and roporters who now degrade the so-called free dom of the press to so despicable a level may fl'tter themselves that they eceate and control pnblic opinion, but the thousands of letters that have poured in on me from every quarter of the Union, mostly from the North, and from men engaged in every pur suit in life, have given me assurance that the scales are falling from the eyes of the people and that the truth, bravely told, has a sweet and whole some sound. The American people as a whole, "the great common people," love the truth, and they love their country. They despise traitors and thieves and cowards. It is a large mass to move, but the leaven is at work,and the issue is joined, and the result will be known on the day of election. So far as I am individually con cerned, and so far as my speech is con cerned, I care nothing for the abuse heaped on me, and thank my critics for directing attention to my utteran ces. When my facts and arguments have been disproved I will apologize. Until then decency demands that men who abuse me for speaking the truth should let their readers see it and judge for themselves, or reserve their epithets for men of their own kind who dread the truth and love coward iee. If there is no need of reform, reform will not come. If I represent nothing but ignorance and anarchy, why was I elected Governor of South Carolina twice by such overwhelming majori ties? For four years as Executiye, fought and abused by corporations and banks and their hireling ne wspa pers, why did my State send me to the Senate by a vote of 131 out of a total of 160 in the Genera. Assembly ? Durino- these four years the State ad vanceJ in material growth and in crease of taxable values more rapidly than in any previous perio'd of its his tory. It spent a half million dollars in the erection and equipment of t wc of the largest colleg~ s for industrial, technical and normal training in the South-one for each sex. And the Constitutional Convention, with which I had a great deal to do, fixed constitutional taxes so as to double the free sc hool fund; the saloons have been banished from the State, vwhile three-fourths of the people, if not more, are firm supporters of the new method of handling the liquor tratfie. These facts, which are historyv, caanot be sneezed at nor obiite-rated.. Aar cdist-s don't write such historyv. I have never shrunk from the lash ings of newspaper scribblers in the arena of State politics, and I will not begin to do so in the broader tielId to~ which my commnision from the peo-j pe has tr-ansferred me. Itit be the, fate of this great R&-uble to sink to the level of Rome aben? the PraevCLri an guards were wo-at to puit the Em perorship up to th,- ighet bidder: if Cogress is to becomze or remam th C )-ardly tooi and parchl ,ssbie agenzt of the wealthy: if the Federal jdici arv are to undermine anid destry the~ Coutitution. as foret-.ld by Jefferson: if our liberties are to be lost through supine ignorance and venality, I, as a sen Juel oni the watca tower, holding, a sacred trust, canuot be coarged with haviug assiste d my country to its deg radation by giving a note of warni. B. R. T1Lttnx. Bold Bank Ro~bbers. SAN FRascisco, Feb. 18.-Three masked :nen eutered thte Market Street Bank, a small iustitution inte Spreckles building, shortly aftrr to a m. today and orderea Casa im- i Esu and Blokkeeper Iaytiurst to thrrow up their hanmds. H~opkiw. who wa at the counter, refused and oue robber ired, a ballet passing ha h1ead but striking neither oilleial. The robbers then elimbed through the hole in the wire screen at the cashier's window and seized the two bank oilicials and hu'sted them into the vault. A piece of carpet caught in the door of the vault and the robbers did not take ile to fasten the v-ault do:>r. Hastily dumping a pile of gold on the cashier's counter into a sack they escaped. Al though Market street was crowd ed with passing people the robbers made good their escape. It is supposed they KILLED HIS PLAYMATE A TWELVE YEAR OLD LAD TAKE AN OTHER'S LIFE WITH A BLOW. Jim Miller and George Demates Have a Difficulty with a Sad Ending--Demates Struck With a Saml Piece of Iron and His Heart Paralyzed. CoLUMBIA. S. C., Feb. 18.-A very sad killing occurred near the Con garee Mills yesterday at noon, when James Miller, a twelve year old white boy, struck another lad named Geor Demates on the heart with a smal piece of iorn, inflicting instant death. The boys were old playmates, which makes the death all the more unfortun ate. Miller and Demates both work in the Congaree Kill. They live across the street from each other, about one hundred yards from the mill. Miller has been in the city one week, having moved here with his parents from Charleston. Demates has been working here for some months. He is, perhaps, fourteen years of age, and like most mill em ployees of that age. is rather thin caused from the close work which he is required to perform. Miller is short and well built. Of course there are two sides to the killing, both differing widely apart, and as no coroner's inquest was held yesterday it was impossible to obtain the true particulars. The boys had some difficulty during the early part of the day. They en countered each other at the dinner hour, at which time the fight took place. When a Register reporter called at the station house shortly after Jim Miller had been locked up, he was found lying down in his cell on his back and seemed worried. He was called to the cell door and asked to tell how the killing hanoened. Jimn says the difficulty first arose from his slapping the face of a small boy who had been troubling him. Demates came along and wanted to continue the fuss. Demates asked him what businesss did he have quar relling with the child. Jim said that Demates cursed him and threatened to whip him at 12 o'clock, which he con sented to take if Demaies was man enough to put it on. He says that Demates and his brother came at him as soon as the mill stopped work and that both of them had something to fight with. Jim says they start at him, ki.ife in hand, he picked up a roller and threw it at Demates, strik ing him in the breast, but not until Demates had thrown a brickbat at him. The roller, which is a small iron four inches long, will weigh half a pounid This struck Demates on the heart, ancrie died a few minutes later. Mrs. Lizzie Abbeta sister of the dead boy, tells an entirely dlff nt tale from that of Jim. She says brother had nothing in his ban4 when he was following Jim, but only want ed to see what he was going to do. She says that Jim had twcorollers and threw one at Demates at the corner of the mill. George Demates was fol fowing when Jim threw the roller with deadly effect. The two boys were about thirty-two feet apart when the .aller was thrown. Mrs. Demates. the dead boy's moth er, says she saw them quarrelling and went out to stop it. Just as she got in a few steps of her boy he was struck on the heart and died before he could be carried in the house. Dr. Robert D. Earlte, who was visit ing a patient in the neighborhood, was immediately called in, but he could not do anything as life was then extinct. Dr. Earle says that the roll er struck the boy's heart paralyzing it, and causing instant death. Sheriff Cathcart and Coroner Roach were summoned but no inquest was held owing to the dilfculty of securing a jury. The inquest will be held at 12 o'clock today in the Court House. The killing caused something of a sensation among the mill employees, though no trouble was feared. Jim Miller did not seem to comprehend what be had done. He said, however, that he was sorry it occurred. He was carried back to jail until the inquest to day. Mrs. Demates wept bitterly as she lay on her bed and told the re porter how she saw her bcy fall dead at her feet. T wo of Jim Miller's brothers wit nessed the killing, besides several members of the Demates family. It will be a difficult matter for the Cor oner's jury to render a verdict from the condticting testhmony, which will be brought out on the stand to-day. Killed in the Hlouse. ~WAs1IIsToN, Fe b. 14.-The major ity againust silver in the House to day, when the final vote was taken on con currence in the Senate free coinage amendment to the tariff bill, was larger than that of yesterday in com mittee of the whole. Yesterday the motion to concur was defeated 190 to SQ, a majority of 110; to day it was beateni 215 to .9, a maj~rity of 125. The vote today was a record-making v':te and. couniting the pairs, but 37 out of :356 miembers were unaccount ed for. Pa rbaps a fe w absentees dodued, but most of tnem were una voiabl asent and were unable to seaepis nanalysis of the vote to dav shows tha-, 184 Republicans and :11 Democrats voted against con curreace. and 58 Democrats, 25 Re publicans and 7 Populists for concur rence. Ten Thousanid for an Eve. ALB.mN. N. Y., Feb. 18 -The Court of A1pp als today a t!irmed the decision of the !';ver cotut in the case of James H. Swieiwone of C'hi'ago against La Bou)tidrc~ Bros. of New York. While Mrs. Ane ie E. Smiarton was making a puresiase in the defendant's store, about ibree years ago, Mrs. Swinar toa was struck in the eye with a pin which a cash1 boy had shot at random vi i o a ruboer sling. She sued for 8. ,uu damages and her husband, .Jans HI Swinarton, sued for $25,000 for tihe loss of her services and for uncdical attendance upon her. The court awarded him $10,000 and La Boutilhier Bros. appealed the suit. Terrible Loss of Life. Taox, N. Y., Feb. 17.-Fire broke out in the collar factory of J. Stethei mire & Co., River street. this city, this afternoon. The greatest consterna tion prevailed amnonge the :3o0 girl em playes. Five of the girlsjumped from the fourth story windo ws. One was caught in a net by the tiremen. The other four were killed by the fall. It is believed that twenty five young women were burned to death in the