The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-05
A DISPUTE OVER QUORUM.
The Accuracy Of the Clerks Count
Questioned.

# the Complaint Proves Well Found
ed. Yesterdays Business in the
Lower House at Atlanta Will Have
to Be Done Over Again-The Bill
Regulating the Oil inspectors Re-
considered - Proposed Changes in
the Criminal Laws.
Atlanta, Ga, Nov. At is likely that
the House will have a kick on it's hands
when it meets Monday on account of the
session held to-day. When the clerk
called the roll this morning he counted a
Quorum, and the regular order of business
was taken up and carried through until
u o'clock when a motion to adjourn pre-
vailed. The accuracy of the clerk count
has been called into question, and the
claim is made that there was not a quo
rum present at any time during the SEES
sion. This claim comes from the element
which is opposed to the annexation of
West End to the city of Atlanta.
The annexation bill was, among sew
eraI important ones, put through
the House this morning, and the fact that
there is some stubborn opposition to it
brought about the dispute over the quo
rum question. At any rate, if there was
a quorum on the call of the roll, the quo
rum disappeared, as it were, very shortly
afterward, and there is no doubt that
much of the days business was done
irregularly. If the West End contingent
makes the issue Monday the whole days
business will be called into question, and
in order to set at rest all dispute over the
measures considered to-day, it will all
have to be done over again.
REGULATION OF FEES.
After the reauing of the journal, on mo-
ton of Mr. O'Neil, of Fulton, the bill reg
ulating the oil inspectors, passed yester-
day, was reconsidered and then tabled
In case of a dispute over the quorum
question, this bill will be invalidated
Another bill passed was TO authorize
the mayor and council of Waycross to issue
bonds to the amount of 900.
Mr.. Fleming of Richmond, introduced
a bill providing for a tax of $500 on all
dealers in green and dressed meats. This
bill is intended to get at the dealers in
western meats which the cold storage tax
law failed to touch after two years fight
ing in the courts.
Mr.. Howard, of Baldwin, is in favor of
admitting both males and femals into the
Normal department of the Girls Normal
and Industrial college at Milledgeville,
and to-day introduced bill for that pur-
pose, and also to authorize the faculty to
confer collegiate degrees.
THE CRIMINAL LAWS.
Gov. Northen to-day transmitted to the
House, officially, the recommendations of
the recent convention of superior court
judges, relative to notifications of the eX-
listing criminal laws. Following are sa-
ient extracts from the recommendations:
The law should be so changed as to
allow defendant in a criminal case to
testify in his own behalf on his trial.
also the husband or wife to be a com
petent witness for each other, and such
evidence to be weighed by the jury. In
such cases the state to have the right of
cross examination, and the failure of
defendant to testify not to be argued
against him. This is the law in most of
the states of this union, and it is the rule
in the United States courts.
There should be a revision of the code
by a committee of three, elected by the
legislature. This revision should see to
1t that the code contains all the statutes
of force and leaves out what are not of
force. The code of the city of Savannah
and all references to text books and
references to reports other than our own
supreme court reports, should be ex-
plunged References to our own supreme
court reports should be comprehensive
and full. If the matter should make a
cumbersome book in one volume, it should
be printed in two volumes-a civil code
and a criminal code
Our committee is of the opinion that
there should be such legislation as will
require the more speedy determination
OF cases that go to the supreme court.
This has worked well in criminal cases,
and no reason appears why it should not
apply to civil cases As much as a wear
frequently intervenes from the trial of
case in the court below until it is brought
back for further consideration. In our
opinion all cases that reach that court
ten days before the final adjournment of
the term should be heard and disposed Of"