The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-10
4 LIVELY TILT OVER BONDS.
N1nT Members Against the Proposal
70 ISSuG. S36S,OOO.

Iegal-The prompt Payment OF the
Salaries of the Teachers of the State
the Object of the Issue-Two I'm
nortant Military Measures Intro
duced in the Senate.
Atlanta. Ga. Nov. 9.-The attendance
in the House. while slim, was somewhat
better this morning than on any day this
week. when there was not a quorum pres
ent half the time.
The special order of the day, bill by
Mr.. Ham, of Hall, to issue bonds for $685.
GOO with which to meet that amount of
interest on the states public debt, falling
due next January aud July, brought on a
warm debate The bonds are to be paya-
BILE in 1924, and to bear interest not to
exceed A. per cent. Mr.. Ham wants to
devote the sum appropriated for the pay
ment Of the interest to the educational
fund of Georgia, and to use it for the
prompt payment of teachers.
The House went into committee of the
whole to consider the matter.
Mr.. Bryan, of Floyd, opposed the bill.
He thought the people were already over
burdened with taxation. The proposition,
he believed would create an idle surplus
in Georgia's treasury. 1t was better that
teachers should discount their salaries
than for the whole people to suffer.
THE MONEY ALREADY oNHAND.
Mr.. Thomas, of Coweta, was also
against the measure. He stated that the
money to pay the interest was already in
the treasury, and that it was not alone, IN
wise but illegal to use the money for any
other purpose.
Mr.. Render, of Meriwether, argued
that the whole matter was unconstitu-
tiOnal The state, he said, could not in
crease its bonded debt except to repel in
vasion, suppress instruction or protect
itself in time of war.
Nh Fleming, chairman of the finance
committee, which recommended the pass
sage of the bill, stated that it seemed to
him that Hon. Clifford Anderson's legal
opinion should be better than that of any
member of the House. and that gentleman
had said that the measure was Constitu-
tiOnal. This opinion had been concurred
in oy ex-Attorney Generals Little and n
j. Hammond, When the poor school
teachers Of Georgia, he said, were put in
the balance on one side and an argument
without basis that the bill was uncOnstitu-
tiOnal on the other he would be with the
teachers every time. They were a class
of people who paid 100000 a year to
money sharks, because they could not
collect their salaries Georgia could never
expect to have an efficient set of common
school teachers until this state of affairs
was remedied. Every other ser
want of the state got his
salary with regularity. 1t was
a disgrace that should be wiped out. The
passage Of this bill before the House was
the only means Of accomplishing this pur-
pose that the state would have for several
years.
WANTS THE SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE.
Mr. Fleming wanted the supreme court
to pass upon the constitutionality of the
bill, if it was passed, before it should be
carried into effect. He was willing to
pay the expenses of this work himself, if
the money couldn't be gotten from any
other source.
Mr.. Smith, of Gwinnett, did not care
what the attorney general said. He
was in the legislature to
obey his constituents, and he
opposed the bill. 1t was all q matter of
politics to raise this bond question. Mr.
Fleming had once voted for DIR. Eeltons
higher education bill
Mr.. Fleming was up in an instant, and
pointing his finger excitedly at Mr..
Smith, endeayored to explain that he had
never voted to take dollar from the
common school fund. The memory of the
gentleman from Gwinnett he said, was
clear off.
MIR Smith interrupted by declaring
vigorously that the latter could speak all
day and never get tired, but that he (Mr.
Fleming could not consume his time.
Il Just want to put you right, said Mr..
Fleming warmly.
nECTARFn EAprr
''Well, I've got the floor, " was retorted.
The idea,' Mr.. Smith went on, of the
supreme court passing on the legality of
a legislative bill is a farce. l want to
know if this whole business is not
scheme to put a thick veil before the
masses of the people?"
Il want to know" said Mr.. Ham, of
Hall, at this juncture, what has come
over the spirit of the gentleman's dream,
that he voted for the bill last year, and is
against it nOw2'
I've been home since then" was the
answer.
a moment later Mr.. Wheeler, of Wal
ker, and Mr. Fleming had tilt.
Mr.. Ham couldn't see anything in the
question to excite the risibilities of the
House. In his Judgment, the measure
was the most important one that would
come before the present assembly. The
cry for help had long come up from the
teachers throughout the state, and it
should be answered In the course of his
speech, Mr. Ham said that the insinua-
uon had been made that somebody,
somewhere, was back of these bonds
with some sort of scheme" If anybody
anywhere has any such purpose he had
never preached him.
BRANCH DENIES ITS LEGALITY.
Mr.. Branch, of Columbia, commended
the motives of those who favored the
Dlll, but insisted that it was unconstitu-
tlonal. Ii had been railroaded through
last year and Judge Hall had moved its
immediate transmission to the Senate to
prevent reconsideration Fortunately,
ne said, it was killed
Mr.. Render, of Meriwether, moved
mat the House rise and report progress,
ana ask leave to sit again, and then the
OIL, on motion Of MIR. Smith, of Gwin
nett, was tabled, temporarily.
During the session Mr. Gordy,
OF Chattahoochee, offered
resolution providing for the
az journment of the legislature on Dec. 3,
winch would be forty days from the open
Ius OF the session. 1t was referred TO the
Committee on rules. Mr.. Gordy offered
lue resolution as the result of a confer
.uGe with a number of members. Speaker
atkinson is said to strongly favor it. Mr..
Noruy believes that the business on hand
yth easily be transacted during forty
Jays. That may require a few night