The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-26
DOWN ON THE MIDWAY DANCE.
THE LOWER HOUSE PASSES THE
BILL PROHIBITING 1T.


gently Than Last Session Because
They Had Just Seen the Objection
able GyratiOns--Mr. Jones Makes u
Strong speech in support of His
Measure-The senate Expected to
Pass II.
Atlanta, Ga, Oct. 25.-The ''coutah-
coutah" dance, the notorious muscular
gyratiOn that first caused a sensation at
the Chicago fair. and is now one of the
star attractions on the Midway, at the
Atlanta exposition, claimed the attention
Of the Georgia legislature to-day. In the
engagement the coutah-coutah received a
black eye. the lawmakers emphatically
putting their foot upon the exhibition,
by passing the bill introduced at the last
session by Mr.. Jones of Dougherty. pro-
hibiting it within the limits of this state
under severe penalty.
When the bill was introduced last ses-
sion it came back to the House with an
unfavorable committee report. 1t was
made the butt for a good deal of legisla-
tive levity. and for that reason the legis-
lators were disposed to regard it as a joke.
This time many Of the solons had evident
ly seen the dance for themselves and were
prepared to view the bill in a different
light. Mr.. Jones the author of the bill,
which Will probably be passed by the
Senate. and the dance as it is
now being given in the streets
of Cairo suppressed before many more ex-
| hibitions, made a strong speech in support
of it. He was very much in earnest auout
the matter and urged the House to re-
gard it not as a matter of sentiment or a
joke, but as a duty to the preservation Of
the morality of the state. AS an indica-
ton of how men regard the dance, Mr..
Jones said that one of the most promi-
nent members of the House had stood
guard at the door at the theater where
the dance was going on for several hours
yesterday to prevent any of his lady
friends from Witnessing the humiliatng
spectacle. He had saved two ladies from
the humiliating spectacle, he said, having
| gone into the place and taken one of them
out
Mr.. Johnson of Hall replied to Mr.. Jones
in opposition to the passage of the bill.
| He declared that 1t is impossible for the
| gentleman from Dougherty or any other
county to legislate morals into the people,
and for that reason time spent on the bill
was just that much time thrown away
| Besides" said the member from Hall,
4 think some of the ladies might OBJ
| ject to having any one standing guard
over the place to tell them what sort of
| They have great curiosity, and II they
| want to see 1t they ought to be allowed
to do so. 1t is matter of taste only.
/ anyhow. If a man wants to go to the
devil by that route let MIN go"
After Mr.. Johnson Mr.. Brannan, the en-
| thusfastic member from Fulton, was
| granted the floor to support the bill. Mr.
Brannan thought there ought to be a light
| house put up by the state TO warn the
youth away from such evil places, and
wnrn tht bill passed it would be a. monu-
ment 10 Mr.. Jones of DO Igherty. Mr.
Bran1aL grew eloquent in his champion
ship of the cause of morality, peroratinE
in d characteristic style that drew forth
| much applause from the House.
The House did not at first unders tand
what the gentleman from Fulton wanted
| to put a lighthouse on the "coutah-cou-
| tah' dance for, as the general impression
was that the less seen of that exhibition
the better, but Mr.. Brannan declared that
| the Jones bill would be the lighthouse
that would warn the youth away from the
reefs that are supposed to cluster about
| locations where the notorious exhibition
| is given.
On a call for the previous question the
bill passed by a vote of 127 to Z, which
showed that the House did not want its
members wasting their time watching the
| gates of the Egyptian theater, to keep the
women out, and that they thoroughly ap-
| proved of Mr.. Brannans views with re-
gard to the light house.
| House this morning, on the Taylor county
! court bill. At the last session the popu-
list member from Taylor, Mr. Montfort,
introduced bill to abolish the court, the
| judge of which is the only democratic
Office holder in the county. The populists
wanted to get rid of him as
day of the last session the bill was lost
for the lack of constitutional majority.
At the opening of this session on We'd
! nesday Mr.. Montfort asked for the re-
consideration Of the action of the House
by which the bill was lost,
The question of the right of the House
to act upon this motion was raised.
Speaker Fleming held that the House
had such a right, but the matter was re-
ferred to the committee on rules for de-
csion. The committee reported this
morning sustaining the speaker, and the
motion for reconsideration was taken
up. After warm fight, in which Mr.. Ho-
gan from Lincoln, the populist leader of
the House, created some confusion by
persisting in declaring that 1t was under
stood that the bill was to be passed in
consideration of what the populists had
done at the latter end of the last session
to help the democrats get their business
through, there being no quorum pres
ent then without the populists, the mo-
tion to reconsider was voted down. This
kills the attempt of the populists to abol-
ish the Taylor county court
President Venabie to-day notified the
Senate and House that the di-
| rectors of the exposition company had
granted free passes to the big show to
In the House the letter was received,
but no action was taken upon 1t, except
to extend thanks to Mr.. Venable There
is some opposition to accepting the
passes, because the exposition company
ignored the legislature in the programme
for the reception of the President.
Among the new bills introduced in the
Houes was one by Speaker Fleming,
which makes the earnings of married
woman her own property, and not liable
for tbe debts of her husband.
Mr.. Anderson of Jones county intro
d1tced a resolution calling upon the fed
eral government to recognize the bellig-
erent rights Of the Cuban insurgents The
resolution very elOquenty sets forth
The struggles of the Cuban people
nnder the tyrannical rule of the Spanish
government and their brave efforts to free
themselves of this bondage to the mon
archv bevond the Atlantic. The resolu-
tion was referred to the committee on the
state of the republic and will probably be
reDorted promptly, and be acted upon
within the next few days
Several bills of Importance were intro
duced in the Senate, among them the fol-
lowing:
Bv Senator Roberts. to raise the age
of consent to fourteen years; and a bill
making void all contracts by which rail-
roads and others bind their employees to
exempt them from any claim for damages.