The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-13
Adiournment of the Leeislature.

The three reform laws OF the ses-
sion OF the legislature that ended
yesterday are the amended school
law. the registration law and the
I insurance law. There was very little
opposition 10 the bill amending the
school Law. Its justice was admitted. The
teachers Of the public schools had not
been dealt with fairly. They receive very
meagre compensation and 1t is only fair
that they should have their pay prompt
" when it is due.
The Venable insurance law vas enacted
in compliance with very general demand
from the cities. Property holders and
Others who require a great deal Of insur-
ance believed they were in the grasp Of an
insurance monopoly. and that they were
paying higher rates Of insurance than they
ought 10. They now have a chance TO get
insurance outside OF the Southeastern
Tariff Association. and before the legis-
lature meets again they will be in a posi-
ton TO judge whether or not the change in
the law is productive of the benefits they
expected.
OF the three reform acts that relative to
registration Is by far the most important.
As far as We are able to judge it is an alb
solutely non-partisan law The rights of
populists and republicans are as fully pro-
tected by it as are those of the democrats.
Ample opportunity is given to every one
to register who has the right TO do so. We
are confident that the people will be thor
oughly satisfied with it as soon as they
fully understand it.
Why the populists opposed is not clear
unless they thought it would lessen Mr..
Watson's chances of being elected in the
Tenth congressional district, where a
special election is to be held in the spring
by agreement between him and Mai.
Black. But why should it lessen Mr.. Wat
sons chances? He insists that he was
beaten by fraudulent votes cast in Rich
mond county. Under this registration law
it will not be possible to cast fraudulent
votes in that or any other county of the
district. Perhaps the populists are not so
much concerned about the effect Of the
law in Richmond county as in some of the
other counties of the Tenth district-coun-
NAN' NAAaN saw W dASbAA lAdIOiiAleS.
The effect of the law cannot be otherwise
than good throughout the state. 1t should
be supplemented by a good election law at
the next session of the legislature. With
a good registration law and a good election
law frauds upon the ballot box will be
practically impossible. We shall have
pure elections and every good citizen
wants elections of that kind.
1t is a matter for congratulation that
money was appropriated for the militia.
The House would have made a Sc
rious mistake in not following the
Senate in recognizing the militia. No
state now can afford to be without a well
organized and thoroughly equipped militia.
The legislature passed a good many bills,
but the most of them are of minor impor-
lance. We take occasion to repeat what
we have stated many times, namely, that
a few general laws should be passed that
would do away with the great mass of
picayune legislation that now occupies so
much of the time of the general assembly.
The whole business of legislation could be
so simplified that all the laws the
state needs could be enacted at a biennial
session of fifty days.