The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-17
BILLS TO CUT OFF ELECTIONS.
FOUR YEAR TERMS FOR GOVERNOR
AND LEGISLATORS.

| Mr.. webb OF Cherokee County In
PRODUCES the Measures in the Low
err House of the General Assembly.
Pay For Election Managers and
CIerks-Mr. CaIvfn's Bill to Regu-,
late Loan Associations Passed.
Atlanta, Ga, Nov. 16-With a view to
simplify politics, Mr.. Webb of Cherokee,
introduced a bill In the House this morn
ing which changes the term of the COVER
nor from two to four years and makes him
Ineligible for reelection. BY the same au-
/ thor, bill was introduced to change the
/ term Of legislators from two to four years
1 and to make the sessions of the legisla-
/ ture bi-annual instead of annual. There
are too many elections in Georgia for the
good of the people" said Mr.. Webb land
my bill is for the purpose OF cutting some
of them off. Under the constitution as it
now stands. the governor is elected for
| two years. The custom is to give him the
Endorsement of second term. This gives
him four years in the office My bill seeks
to do away with this extra election, which
is a useless expense to the governor and
the people under the custom as it now
exists. There is a great temptation for a
governor under the present law to use his
office for the purpose of having himself
reelected. My other bill looks toward the
| same end. cutting off of elections and
making politics purer than they are. II
legislators are elected only once every
four years. much of the trading now going
| on for office will be cut off. The people are
ripe for this change and believe the bill
will pass and the constitutional amend
ment ratified by the people,
Another bill bearing on elections came
from Mr. Blalock of Fayette. 1t provides
that election managers and clerks, not eX-
ceeding three, be paid for their services,
the managers to receive 81 a day and the
clerks not exceeding 50, to be paid one day.
This bill was passed by the House.
The bill by Mr.. Calvin of Richmond to
amend the act regulating the building and
| loan associations of the state was also
passed. Under the law as it now exists,
building and loan associations of this state
doing business outside of the state are re-
qulred to make deposit of $25,000 with the
state treasurer, and also to deposit Is per
cent. of their securities with the treas
urer for the purpose of securing the share
outside of the state doing business in the
state. In the bill of Mr. Calvin, all build
ing and loan associations doing business
outside of their domicles are required to
make this $4,000 deposit and also IS per
cent of their securities, placing all on the
same footing, except those which are
strictly local in their operations.
The bill of Mr. Knowles of Fulton TO
| authorize counties of 10000 population and
upward to pay the county school COM
missioners a salary not to exceed $1,S0O
instead of a per diem was passed.
Mr.. Smith of Crawford offered a reso-
luton that all bills except those of a To-
cal nature be printed and laid on the desk
of each member, so that they might know
for what they were voting, but this went
over.
The following bills were read the first
time:
BY Mr.. Wilcox of Wilcox-To amend the
code so as to require the election of coun-
| ty school commissioners by the people.
| BY Mr. Bowden of Habersham-'To re-
| peal an act requiring the list of tray
erse Jurors to include the grand jurors.
BY Mr.. Meldrim of Chatham-To pro-
| vide for renewing charters of railroads
| heretofore granted by authorizing the sec
| rotary of state to extend them two years
| beyond the time of expiration under the
| present law in cases where lines had not
been completed the requisite fifteen miles.
BY Mr.. Boynton of Calhoun-.To amend
! section 250S of the code so as to change
| the publication of citations from ordina-
| ries to require them to be published once
week for four weeks instead of thirty
| days
! Senator Kllpatrick's resolution to pro-
vide for the appointment of a joint COM
mission to consider the convict question
| during the recess of the legislature, and
| to report bill to the coming session, was
made the special order for tomorrow
morning in the Senate. This will bring on
the first expression of opinion from the
| legislature as to what shall be done with
| the cOnvicts.
Senator Mann introduced a bill to nut
state witnesses in criminal cases in the
| superior courts in their own counties on
the same footing with Jurors. The bill
| provides that all witnesses summoned
in the superior courts to testify in crimi-
nal cases shall be paid the same as jurors
in those counties receive.
Senator Comas introduced a bill which
| provides that if any one practicing a pro-
fession for which a special tax is requir-
ed falls to pay that tax, and the sheriff
returns a nulla bona, the person against
! whom it had been retained would be gull
| ty of a misdemeanor If he again engages
in practicing his profession in the state
The House committee on privileges and
| elections met this afternoon and took up
the case from Baldwin county in which
| Robert Whitfield is contesting the seat
of Ennis, populist who had a majority
of l29 on the face of the returns. The
contest is based on technicalties All the
testimony was taken to-day and the ar
guments concluded, but no report made
| by the committee.
RESENTED FORCED INSUaANCE