The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-17
CHATHAM TO BE ONE CIRCUIT.
uIII, PUSHED THROUGH THE HOUSE
BY A GOOD MAJORITY.

Il n
IN the Last Day of the Session At
ter Much Hard WOrI-Two Other
Local Measures That Have Passed
and Will Become Laws-Out of Fiji
teen or More Local Measures Only
These Three Went ThrOugh-Sena-
tor Geiger's Influence Killed the
balance.
The last day of the legislative session
vas a field day for Chatham county. The
county's local bills had been turned down
& right aud left as soon as they reached the
Senate, and at one time It looked as if
4 hardly a single measure introduced by
i Chatham's representatives would be push
4 ed to a successful issue.
The news came yesterday however, that
the bill making Chatham county a sepa-
rate circuit had passed the House by
vote of 1903 to 4, the measure receiving fif-
teen votes more than the constitutional
majority required. 1t needs only the gov
i errors signature now to become a law,
and there is little doubt that Gov. Atkin-
son win accede to the wishes of the sa-
vannah representatives and the Savannah
bar
Great interest has been manifested in
the measure throughout its progress. At
one time it met defeat, and the day it was
killed in the House a committee from the
Savannah bar, headed by Judge Robert
Falngant, who had been urged by the bar
to 90, was on the way to Atlanta to help
the fight in it's behalf.
Taiz.o41ra God tho ,,,or,,bor- tbo
committee were, they went to work within
ten days of the time for the legislative
session to close, prepared a new bill with
out the former Objectionable features, and
pushed it through the Senate with but
one adverse vote.
The committee appointed by the Savan-
nah bar, Messrs. w. L. Gignilliat, H. e.
Wilson, T. s. Morgan, Jr., and r. NJ
Hitch. remained on hand and nursed the
measure faithfully during its struggle in
the House. There they had more to con-
tend with than was the case in the Senate.
Members, who were willing that the bill
should pass as changed, wanted to tack
on amendments so as to create changes in
their own circuits. Such amendments
would have meant the defeat of the bill,
and it was only through the most earnest
efforts on the part of the committee that
these amendments were kept off.
The passage of the measure was looked
for on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday,
but on account of the scarcity of members
it was feared it would be defeated by fail
ure to receive the constitutional majority
if called up. The last day Of the session,
however, has seen it through, and those
who have done the hard work in the mat
ter feel amply rewarded for their trouble
The bill provides that Chatham county
shah be known as the eastern circuit,
forming a separate circuit to itself. The
new circuit will be composed of the coun-
try counties Bryan, bingham, Liberty
and Mcintosh, and will be known as the
Atlantic circuit. The provisions of the
measure do not take effect until Jan. l,
1899
AS it is a year before the bill will
become operative there is plenty of time
TO consider the question as to who will
be judge of the Atlantic circuit One or
two names have been mentioned in con-
nection with the matter among them that
OF Mr.. w. l.. Gignilliat, whose friends have
already advocated him somewhat warm
~. Mr.. Gignilliat, however, says that the
idea of becoming a candidate for the Of
would not do SO under any circumstances.
There is no doubt that the work done
by the members of the bar vino sent the
committee to Atlanta and who paid its
expenses, was the means of accomplish
ing this much desired legislation, and
they were naturally Quilted jubilant yes
terday over the successful result
Another local measure which will be-
come law is that increasing the power
OF the county commissioners so as to give
them authority to require parties who
have lands bordering on county drains to
drain their own lands into these drains
and canals. This measure has been passed
by both houses, and now needs only the
governors signature to make 1t a law.
The only other local measure which
went through was that transferring the
expenses of the city court from the city
and putting them altogether upon the
county. These expenses have been diVid-
ed heretofore between the city and coun-
", and now the county will bear them
all. The other bills relating to the city
court, however, were killed in the Senate
One of these provided for the repeal of
the act fixing the time for electng the
clerk and sheriff of the city court, which
was passed Nov. 30, 1895, and the other
prescribed the manner for electing the
clerk and sheriff of that court so as to
make them elective by the county COM
missioners, instead of by the city council
The foregoing bills relating to the city
court were defeated in the Senate through
the influence of Senator Geiger of the
First district who has been allied with
the Citizens Club throughout. The same
Is true of the famous anti-commission
bills providing for the repeal of the acts
creating boards of police, fire, water COM
missioners, a commissioner of public
works and board Of tax assessors. The
light over these measures and the failure
of the Chatham county representatives to
carry their point is familiar story. Along
with the other measures there were de-
feated also in the Senate the bill amenda-
tory of the act creating the police COM
mission, the main feature of which con-
templated the election of the chief of police
by council, and the bill to repeal the act
prohibiting in Chatham county the hold
ing of more than one office by one person
at any one time. The bill intended to be
repealed was aimed at Capt. John r.
Dillon, who held the position of clerk to
the county commissioners while he was re-
ceiver of tax returns
Three bills relating to the city court
prepared by Judge T. M. Norwood and in
troduced in the House, were either with