Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-08-14
FROM GEORGIA.
An Extra Legislative Session-StRte Bonds
RRd state Road Lease - Brown and
T0Ombs,

Toombs,
ATLANTA, GA, Aug. s.
The Legislature of Georgia is actively at
work, striving to complete the present ses-
sion in the forty days to which the law linn
its it, unless extended by a two-thirds vote.
A very large number of bills are on the cal
endar. Should the storm of adjournment
be severe, the legislative expedient is not
new to heave overheard such bills as cannot
be carried through. Such storms are not
frequent enough. One of the worst curses
of free institutions is excessive legislation.
Stability--or as my old friend, Jim Hal, of
Anderson county, termed it, stay ability
| in almost any shape is better than the new
er~ceasing and rapid mutation of this fast
era in governmental philosophy.
The chief subjects of legislative interest
here have been the action on the bond
question, and on the State road lease. Gov.
Bullock, during his administration, had
| signed as Governor railroad bonds of vari-
Gus companies to the amount of nearly
twenty millions of dollars. About five mil
| lions were signed without authority oflaw
These will not be paid by the State. Those
| signed under proper legal authority are rec
ognized as just liabilities. The celebrated
house of Clews, New York, hold most of
these illegal bonds.
The State road,lease is under discussion
| now in the House of Representatives. Gov.
| Bullock, under a law authorizing him to
| do so, let the State road (Western d Attain
| tic r. r. to a company composed of large
capitalists for monthly rental of S25, 900.
| Another bid was made at $50, 500 per
month, but the proper security for faithful
| performance was not rendered by the latter
company. The bargain was closed, there
fore, with the only party ready to comply
with the legal requirements. Gov. Joseph
| Z. Brown, now the President of the COM
pany, and others connected with the trans
| action, have been continually assailed with
! charges of malpractice in procuring the
| lease; and the last legislature appointed a
| special committee to inquire into the affair.
| AS usual there are two reports as the first
of the proceeding; the majority condemn
| ing the lease, the minority sustaining it..
| AS an exception to the general rule, the
| latter is vastly more popular and there can
scarcely be doubt that the lease will be
sustained by an overwhelming vote.
The subject of this lease was very near
| to causing q duel recently between eX-Gov.
Brown, and Gen. Toombs. The latter had
imputed to the former corrupt practices in
I procuring the lease. Ex-Governor b. re-
piled through the newspapers in scath-
ing letter of denial and denunciation.
Large Robert as late Oregon newsp-B
per styles him, talked of "pistols and cof-
fee''-sent a friend to Ex-Governor Brown,
to know if he would recognize the "Code
of Honor'-but failed to send o challenge,
although Ex-Governor b. distinctly init
mated in more than one way, that he
would " recognize" That is the present
aspect of the affair.
| We meet here q number of East Tennes-
seeans whose faces would look familiar on
! landscapes with Cumberland and Smoky
Mountains in the distance. We may men,
ton Col. Reuben Arnold, and his brother
Mr.. Pryor l.. Mynatt, Judge John l..
Hopkins, James Dever, w. M. Lowery,
II. t. Cox, Horace King, Billy Newman
a. NJ. Wallace, Campbell Wallace, Mr.
Stirchi, and others.
The elegant hotel known as the Kimball
House is the center of attraction on these
lively evenings after tea. A fine brass
band discourses elegant music in its centra
arcade. The flashing fountain sends w
its waters which fall into the reservoir
sparkling under the gas light like millions
of diamonds. TO perfect the gay seems, th6
forms of " fair women and brave men" are
seen in infinite variety of fineries. Stories
are told Of gay flirtations, and serious
match makings but we are too old and
too busy to listen to them, or repeat them
We hear that among these brilliant beings
are two celebrated authoresses well known
in the Southland but we name them moi
lest we make q mistake.
Atlanta is certainly fast city. Its pop
ulation is estimated at 5000, and it is
growing more rapidly than ever before
The weather is now delightful, but tel
days ago it was so sultry that we sought
our rural home, located farther South, fol
a brief space, in preference to these city