Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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PROSPECTS BRIGHT FOR HEALTHY SESSION South Carolina Legislature Convened Yesterday. IMPORTANT MEASURES ARE COMING UP With the Old Time 'Demagogic Uob Mos Out of the \Vi13 and Nothing for the Politicians to Harp ob The Ses sion Just Opening will Giro Oppor tunity for ^luch Good Work. With the whiskey question nppar ? t-ntly sidetracked aiifl other questions from which material results could never be obtained in the background, the prospects are that the sessions of the South Carolina "general assembly, wi tch commenced yesterday, will be one of the most Important held in a number of years, end one from which measures of a beneficial nature will bo obtained The indications are that'there will he many measures of importance in troduced and enacted into lavs. Among the most important matters that will be brought%beforo the leg islature wil'l bo that of Improving Jho agricultural conditions, reforms us to taxation, several amendments to the child labor law, an enabling act to ? carry out a general scheme for drainage, the" election of an associate justice, the ratifying of the consti tutional amendments with, reference to an increase in the membership of the supreme court and that provid ing for the assessment of abuttipg property for permanent Improve ments in sVveral towns of the State, a general revision of the present RChoel law, increased salaries for the state omclabs, the Tomans system, agricultural Sitgh schools, good roads, the election iOf two circuit.' judges, the election of a speakn-r, further IJ provision for tho work of the State Hospital for the Insane commission, and, ns usual, many measures of lo cal interest. Agriculture. At no time in the" history of the state has then- been manifested so much interest in agriculture. It is not thought tn.i any measure in the interest of the agricultural situation will meet with any great degree of opposition in the house or Sonate. c, \. Smith, lieutenant governor. Is the presiding officer of tho senate and it is practically certain that M. \j. Smith of Camdeir, will be the speak er of the house. He is a former speak er of the legislature with a long ca reer. M P. Ansel will retire as the governor of South Carolina ;on next Tuesday. ('. I.. Mease, the governor elect will be inaugurated on that day There arc a number of new members of botli bodies. Ansel's Message. * Governor Ansel has completed his message, but he has given no intima tion as to itia contents. He has stat ed that he will not ask that the 'exe cutive mansion ' be improved. He thluks that the State should devote all surplus funds to the Improvement of conditions .'it the State Hospital for the Insane. He will, however? for the fourth time, ask the legislature j to be more liberal with the State ofli " cials In the matter of salaries. Gov ernor Ansel Hunks that the salaries should be increased to what they were a few years ago. This Increase, if granted, of course, would not af fect any man now holding ollloe. Taxation. While Comptroller General Jones bus not yet completed Iiis annual re port he lias stated that he will make several recommendations. He will ask the legislature to create a tax commission, ^hose duty It will bo to handle all tax maUcrs and tako the place of the State board of equaliza tion. He will also ask that the in come tax law be abolished or that some means be given him to enforce the law. He lias "consistently recom mended the creation of a tax com mission for tho*past several yoais. tint the matter has never been give n attention by the general assembly', Education. The report,' of the commission I mined to ro.vise the school laws of, the State will ho ?ont to the general fassembly, jVfembors? of the commis sion declare that tho law is progros Ive, > ?. i ? r on:ci vative. Just what ohflnr.' s UlkYfl been made in tho law Is.not known. Tho report is very like ly to be sent to the legislature next Wednesday. For the past several I years the State has not maintained n I summer school Tor teachers. The I Peabody board of trustees recently appropriated or rather donated the sum of $1,500 for a State summer school for teachers to be held at Winthrop College. The legislature will be asked to give the sum of $5, j OOu addition for the suc cess of the '? summer school for teachers. A uni form scholarship law, npplying to *hi state colleges will be urged. These reports will cover the work of the state institutions for t!ie year. Last .summer the State Farmers' Union passed a resolution, which asked that the number of free scholarships to Cleinson college be increased, ("bun sou college is now receiving approxi j mntely $240,000 from i\u fertilizer ! tax. The number of scholarships has , not been increased since the amount WR3 only $150.000. There will bo : many measures of minor Importune '-I tho education system of the Btate it i roduced. Lahor Laws, Tho South Carolina commltlce on child labor will urge the ptissr.go ? >' | n law to eliminate. ;.n children under 12 years (if nge from work in the I manufacturing plants cd' the state. A birth and registration law will he J asked. This law is considers dessen. ' tlnl by tl.e committee to the proper ! enforcement of the child labor law. It will also be asked that children i! . ler Hi years of age be exempted from night work. The present child labor permits tin1 working of chil dren under 12 years of age under cer tain exemptions. The reports, from the textile department of the State shows that the child labor law has been most successfully enforced dur ing the past year. There has been no friction. Asylum Commission, The commission charged with re lieving the conditions al the State hospital for the Insane was appoint ed for only one yonr. This commis sion has formulated its report, which will give the work that has been done during the year. It Is expected that the legislature will provide for u re appointment of all of the members and that some sort of a measure as to additional funds will be passed. The resolution authorized that only $10<>.n(:0 be spent for the work of Improving conditions. Finances. A question that is always import ant to the legislature is that of finances. Last year the general as sembly authorized the State treasurer to borrow $550,000 fol the running expenses of the State government. ? Whether Ibis amount will have been increased or decreased for l - * 11 will ' not be known until tin- estimate has been made by the comptroller gen eral. The levy last year was live and three fourth mills Tho gene ral as sembly will determine the levy for this year. A. Dispensary Commission. Wlikt%lll he possibly the last re port will bo-submitted to the legisla ture by the dispensary commission, wMch was created over three years ago. The report of the commission will show tha* approximately $500, 000 has been saved to the State by the work of the Commission and At torney -General Lyon. The commis sion will very probably he disbanded by tyie legislature as there is little left to ho attended to. I nder normal conditions and hai ring a deadlock the general assembly will be in session for forty days. The members will very likely take a trip to Winthrop College on January 1'.'. It. is not lik\ly that another trip will be made Spgrtnnburg Herald. ?\,_ TlIF WARF SHOALS CASK, The Appeal of the Local Stockholders will be Heard in the Supreme Court Next Week. Tho case of .1. 0. C. Fleming, et al \s. ltenj. Riegel et al, commonly known as the Ware Shoals case, will he heard in the Supreme Court at Columbia next week. The 8th Circuit docket, will be taken up on Monday and it is supposed that this case will be given first attention. .Messrs. R, L. Coopt r, A. C. Todd and r. P. McCowan will appear for tho plaintiffs-appellants and Messrs. Crier & Park and Cothrnn, Dean & Cothran will appear for the defendants-re spondents, the Riegels. The attorneys on both sides have presented voluminous br'ofs and the case will bo elaborately argued. WIENS FINANCES HEWED B\ INES Alleged Shortage to Be Re ported to the Legislature. REFERS TO RECENT AUDIT OF THE BOOKS Discrepancies Chnrgable (o Two Ad? ministrations, Covering a I'erlod from lsi)s I? 1900. Inclusive Comp? (roller General ?III Make Iteeoin mcndntlons. The following, relating to the mud 1 died affairu of%iaurens County's fi nances and the\ft-nttempted (?Torts ? to clear up the situation, is ropro 1 duced from the Columbia Stale: Comptroll r General Jones will re. port n shortage of ov< :? $8.000 in th ? finances of Lnurens county Ip the gen orsl assembly, In this connection I will have several recommendations n.V to the special cxnmlnnth us of books of ill" counties by auditing companies, According lo tho report of Lho com I trollur general, which covers an Inves tigation on the part of auditing com ] pany and his oillce, the shortages oc curred during the administrations of Messer Hah!), ex-county treasurer, ami j J. II. Copeland, deceased. The short ages ar?? alleged to have occurred dur j lug the past several years there being charged to Babb the sum of $0,546.93 1 and to .Mr. Copeland the sum of j $5,057.40. Discussing special reports by audi ting Companies on the finances oj counties. .Mr. Jones has the following to say: "An examination of the reports of these experts show thnt such exami nation of the reports by these experts are of little value, because such ex perts arc, not familiar with the ordi nary administrative law governing the condmt of affairs to be investigated, and on that account can not properly check up or verify even the settlement sheets, much less make up an accu rate statement of the legal charges against the county treasurer and the I credits to be allowed.'' The alleged shortage In I.aureus ' county is reviewed as follows by the comptroller general: Laarens Count}. "During the past year . h cxumlnn ! lion Of tb< books and aCColl its of tin county treasurer of Lnurens county I between tho years is:>s and 1906, In clusive, at an expense of $1,200, was made by experts appointed by the governor, under tho provisions of a joint resolution of your honorable body, approved February, 1910. "These experts commenced their work on July 20, and llrst reported that they had completed it on Septem ber L'O. In their report, dated Septem, her 24, those experts said: " In order to make a complete and thorough audit of the books we de cided to check the duplicate of tin? treasurer, together with the tax re ceipts, thus showing the taxes col lected for the different years. " 'We also cheeked with tho books the dispensary receipts, lines and II j censes collected and money borrowed. " 'We also checked the dlsburse ' ments. We were Impressed with the i fact that the two treasurers. Messer Babb and J. H. Copeland, whose ad ministrations this audit covers, made ever) effort to charge themselves with every dollar that passed their hands, and we believe that they did so charm' themselves. " We wish lo state thnt on acounl of the lack of system and manner of bookkeeping, it Is almost impossible, after a lapse of BO many years, to gather from the scattered records every item of both debit and credit, and could this be done, it is our opin j Ion that the records would then show l every dollar properly accounted for." "They reported thai there was $600.86 to l>e accounted for by the, county treasurer, of which they gave to the State $1 IJ.10 and to the County $200.28 nud school $2.r>7.:'.S. ' Certain lecounts not Charged. T pon their filing the above report With the governor. the comptroller general called bis attention to the fact that they had failed to charge to John li Copeland, as county treasure, in 1906, the Hem Of $5,500, borrowed moneys, pointed out in tho comp trolier general'!; report for 1906." This j (Coinin.led o'. page four.? MONLiMENT UNVEILING ON UTS BIRTHDAY' Program Announced for Clinton Unveiling. GENERAL BON HAM TO MAKE ADDRESS An Interesting Program Has Been Vnnounccd for Um Cercmonh < ut Clinton when the Monnmenl Krect. ed by the Daughters of the Confed eracy will be Turned over to the City. Clinton, .Tan. 9.?The program lias I boon made for the nnvcillng of the ; Confederate monument oh Thursday, January 10. The exercises will bi gin i at 10 o'clock ami will bo held p rtly I In Copelend's Hall und partly on the square around the monument. Mr. A. 13. S|)encer will be Master of Cere \ monies, Dr. \V. A. &bnnds. Marshall. 1 he music will bo rurnlsh* d by the Prcahytcrian college Olco Club. The I address will be delivered by the Hon. M. L. llonhnm of Anderson. Follow ?ing is the complete program: Music A Southern Medley. I Opening Prayer -Row Harrison Fow ler. Song Sine Me a Sonn of the Sunny South. Address by Ooji. Bouhnm. Music Tenting on the Old Camp (?round. March to Monument. Unveiling by 12 hoys and girls Presentation to the town?by the Rev. Dr. Jacobs on behalt of Stephen I). Lee Chapter. Acceptance?by the Dev. .1. E. Mahaf fey on appointment of Mayor McMil lan. Benediction?Rev. Harrison Fowler. Following (he exercises the ladies 1 will serve lunch to the veterans in the ! City ball. The chief social event of the week will ho the marriage on Wednesday evening, in the Firs! Baptist church of Mis* Sadie Phllson, daughter of Mr. ' and Mrs. Samuel F. Phil son, to Mr. . Walter Anderson, of Koldvllle. The ; Rev. ('. Lewis Fowler will officiate. ' Following the ceremony n reception I will be given by the bride's parents (o a large number of guests, i Owing to some delay in tbo Instal lation <?!' the beating plant do grad ed school building will not bo ready I for occupancy before January Kith. The youngsters an- onjoying their unusual mid winter holiday to the ut ' most. The third number of the Lyceum course was given by Mr. am! Mrs. Cox in the LMopla Monday evening before a large and appreciative audi ence. Some of the pupils and ex-pupils of the graded school presented "The Merchant of Venice. Up-to-date" Fri day night during Christmas week and cleared $1700 which will be used to ward the furnishing of the school ?Min used by Miss Sarah Copolnnd . in the new wing of the graded school building. The play was successfully presented Insl commencement as the tenth grade class play and its repeti tion' during Christmas wo< k was made pc sslhle by the fact that a number of the performers, who are attending college elsewhere were at home for the holidays. Among these were Miss. es Bmmle Robertson and Chloo John son of Winthrop, Louis Norman of the Spnrtauburg business college, Karl Davidson of Wofford. Hobt. S. Owens, for some time pas; editor of the Chronicle, has resigned and will go (ids week to the Universi ty of South Carolina to take up the study of law. Wilson W. Harris hits accepted the position of editor of the Chronicle and enters this Week on the discharge of his duties. Kin l,|llld Sale Mr. .i. N. Leak, the land '?'>"? vv 111 conduct a sale of five line residence 'ots and six business lots in Gfcy Court on January I-'Hi, tomorrow. Ail of these lots arc in lino neighbor hoods1 and most probiltiy they will sell readily. As Mr. Leak make-; things Interesting <>n sales days. It i expected thai a large crowd will 1)0 on hand to sue the hIiow and buy the lots. Mr. J. P, Phllson, of. Clinton, wart in the city Saturday on businc . ".j DK VTil OF MUS. BABB. Member of Prominent Lnurens Count) Kn in Ii) l>!< s ni ||or IIoiik* In Mis ?-??Iii i. Columbia, Mo., Dec. 27, Tho funi mi of Virginia Cooper Ruhb, v. pf tii? Into Rev. It. F. Dabb, \vho died Sun tiny iifi irnooh was h< Ul at 10 o'clock , ' tlii.4 morning at tho residence of her eon; i. G. Babb, 812 Virgin In avenue. M ? >, lhi.bb hud been confined to her bi i U r more tliun six months Und her do; Hi was due to old age and infirmity, i Slie was S8 years old. She is survived by lour children: , VY^.t. Ilabb of Wichita, Kau II. II. Dabb, (i Denver attorney; J. G. Rahh, srorctury of the University of Mis souri, and Mrs, K. B. Gentry, of ('<> lumbln, Two nous have died: Joseph Cooper Ruhb, a Confederate soldlor, who died n prlsono" of war in St. Louis, and Jnin? i Franklin Babb, who ( idled in 1^77. after graduation from the University of Missouri. W. J. Babb of Wichita. . und William Gentry of si. Louis, canto to Columbia y .? rdny to i'tteiur the fun.* oral. The ptdbbeiivorH wer? : Ii. t), I S(.vci'aiice. Dr. C W. Green, Dr. Walt er Mc.Nj '? Mill ??? !???? Woods? n Mosa', J. D. Thornton and Prof. J. S. An kc.ney. Burial wai in the Columbia ! eerotery. j Mrs. Ibil.li was i??-: - i i ii; Luurcns county, Soeth Carolina, October 8, IS22, At llic age of 21 she married It. F. Babb, who died In ISl'S. Tin y j moved to Missouri Just before the Civil War. and in I s71! moved to Co lumbia to educate their children. Mrs. Babb had been a member of tie- Bap tist church for more than fifty years, ; and of the church in Columbia tor thirty-eight years. On her lather's s-i* 1 >? she was de scended from a long line of Quaker ancestry, being the seventh descen dant of William Cooper, a friend of William Pent), and one of the founders of the Pennslyvanla colony. Her grandfather, Jeremiah Cooper, emi grated from Pennsylvania to Virginia about the time of the Revolutionary War. where he married and reared a family of twelve children. Her father, Joseph Cooper, emigrat ed to South Sarolina about 1810, where he married Sarah Franklin, a near relative of Renjamill Franklin. Of their fifteen children Mrs. Babb was the tenth child and the last survivor. - University Mlssourlan. AN ASSOCIATIONAL CONFERENCE FRIDAY Lxcciifhc Committee Bus hnited Rep rcsi'iifutUcs of \ll Baptist Churches of ( oiiuf) to Meet Here Purposes of Conference? There will be held at the First I Baptist church on Friday, January Ul, an assoclailonnl conference, called by the executive committee of the Lnurens Baptist association. Instead I of being the regular annual meeting ? of the executive hoard, it was decided to Invite one or more representatives of the thirty Baptist churches of the j county to meet with the hoard on this j occasion for the purpose of mapping out the work of the churches in this association during the current year Tito conference will ho presided lover by Clias. B. Boho, chairman ot the O.VOeullVO board, and will open with devotional exercises, led by Rev iL L, Baggott, pastor of Chestnut Ridgo and Rnbuil Creek churches. \i ll'.I'.n adjournment will be taken for dinner which will be served by a com mitteo of ladies in the basement ot [the < hurch, Tho program, as prepared by the Commit ice, is as follows: 10,80 Devotional. Rev. II L, Rllggotl lino ?'The Needs of Our Assochl tion," Rev. J. A. Martin. W. C. SVhar ton. IL30?The Possibilities of Our As 1 SOClatlOll, Rev. C. Lewis Fouler. 12.00 -The King's lUisIness, Rev. Win ?. Thayer. 12.30 Adjournment for One Hour. 1.80- Business Session. To Rebuild Itasors Bridge. V Will be seen in another ColllllDI of this paper. the supervisors of Lnu rens and Groonwood counties are making preparations lo rebuild the old Rnsors Bridge, which w . - wash 0(1 away in the flood Of I SOS Aft Will be ivmembercd the legislature at its t"?f ? luupitt, paf'sed a hill r fplli' hue the counties 10 rebuild 1,1 i bridge at n cost not exceeding 8l.fio.fi T| i< amount Will only allow tin \> ill i in'.-, of a wooden si i ilCtiiro. New Depo' Admiration o! Town and Public. IN ROUND NUMBERS TOTAL COST $25,000 Was Constructed by. flic* Columbia, Xewberrj ?'? Lauren- Ittiilwnj Com? im nj , It it ( Charleston .V Western ('arulina Will I'uy. (lull' the Cosl. The Lnurons union !(itIon is Mu lshed. This iiniioUnc.omout, at tho beginning of llio new year, is purtlou larly gratifying t-> the < lly of Lau rens, oml to the public generally It will doubtless hi received with keen pleasure. Thc'thiors havi been thrown open to the Iravviiii] iiublle, and <!::r li|g the pant few ?i v ! andreds ot! visitors I'.ayo i I > n linn i > inake an In: ;?? < tlon of i lie Inf< U\y v\ ?.i .is spaciou.'i and well j'nru lied wall ng ?.coins, private resi :. m dining end . ago rooms. kit i.i n ; id the *.iIS*? fereiil olllces. And a!i i-roimunee ic superb, grand! The new passengi'i Is l ion la locat ed hoi ween the trucks of tin Chnrlea lon ?'? Western Carolina railroad on Mu> weal and the Columbia, Ncwborry \ I.aureus road pn the south and was construoted by those two railway com panies, llio cost of building it being equally divided. The total cost ap j proximales $25,000. The building was planned by Architect lOcipiarl o< Columbia for the C. N R L. railroad company, and their design ine? ting the approval of tin* other railway people, it was agreed that tin building be dorn- by the Columbia people, with O. B, Harvey as general foreman and manager. It is a Hat.iron structure in shape and in all its appointments It was designed for comfort and con venience. It is of brick with stono trimmings, cement and marble floors, metal ceilings and roof, and provided ! with city water arid electric lights? ' in brief, it Is a thoroughly equipped, I modernly Oniuhcd mid furnished pas 1 seliger station which is ill once a cred - it to the City Of I.: i.nie (111(1 tile I WO railway Companies that united ju building it. LYCKI M \ I Ml!KM I (IMOIIT. The Naliie Neu. Zen hinders Will he tlie Attraction at t! < Opera (louse. The New /.? ?.;.:? ?!? s : hunt whom the advance im.: i.*< ; . very ooinple j.meniary, \v f 11 In the*i;?t!iteiio;i at llio Opera House tonight Tbb ii oho uf tiie city Lyceum t Hilbert and llio ! admission will he usual to thoso not meinhci's. This number comes under the city Lyceum eon:.- und Is not to I? ? confused with the Graded I School coin so. The New Zcaland< rs come highly recommended and doubtless will givo an attractive entertainment in ihn song and story of their nativi land. Dr. Sclmyer in ( inciuiiatl, 1 ? l>:\ Isiidorc Svhayer i- i,, Ciucin* mil i attending n < ni . ? - i; ! lee-* lures on the blood ? '? ?>"not:," te ! cently discovered by i mint lit Oer I mail physician who i . ? Mil ex periments have at':;.Hod lllilyoi al at teiiiion Dr. Schay.et will In ah! ni; from the city for abo .' ten da; ? On for The Legislature. The l .aureus deb gal Ion to the g< m ? al assembly., compost d of State Senator .lohn 11. Wharton. !(? pet ;<.'n(atlV<-H .lohn II. Miller. W. C, Ir'hy, .Ir., and .1. Archie Willis. \\ < n( to Columbia Tuesday morning and were present', for the convening i i.- leg! laturo (Jrny < onrt Personals, Oray Court. .Ian. ii After several rainy days, we havo ?'? pretty rood looking crop of wheat and oats. Miss Corrlo Mahon firtt i spending several weeks in Basley r< u ued homo last I'Vldny. Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Ihibb of !"?! i; community Were t ie .i itors of Mi' ? N'aiK y Owens Thursday Mr. find Mrs. Stows-it >*ri* 0 . \ is (I ': f. Ti m Mahon. Hundn,1 it,' (mil Mrs. I. VV. Ih . tu K ? u