The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-01
PRISON PLAN PARALYZED.
ONLY THREE VOTES IN FAVOR OF
1T IN A TOTAL OF IFS.

The Result Looked Upon as Fore
shadOving Defeat For the Convict
Reform MOvement-The House
Passes by n Vote of 81 to Al a Bill
which Virtually Makes Insurance
Policies Uncomfortable After Run
ming One Year.
Atlanta Ga, Nov. 9O.-The catechising
of the members of the House on the con-
Wet problem under the resolution by Mr..
Brannen of Bulloch passed last week,
was begun to-day. But one of the six
questions agreed upon to be propounded
was put, and this stirred up a lively mud
die. Some of the members (notably Mr..
West of Lowndes and Mr.. Branch of
Columbia> were opposed to answering the
question with plain yes or no and
i'm consequence there was much confusion.
Mr.. West kept the House in a muddle
for over half an hour protesting, and
finally answered only upon condition tnat
his protest be put on the record.
The question put was: do you favor
central penitentiary for all the eonv'cts
a. recommended by the principal keeper
of the penitentiary?'
Mr. Hall of Coweta stated that in it's
form the third question did not represent
the views of the principal keeper, and on
motion OF Mr.. Blalock, the question was
changed TO read as follows: DO you
favor a central penitentiary at the present
time for all the convicts?"
one hundred and twenty-eight members
we're present and made answer to the
question Out of that number there were
10 NOS and only three who said yes"
These were Messrs. Charters of Lump
kin, Burney of Randolph and Law OF Lib
erty.
From this 1t can be seen that there Is
rot much strength in the penitentiary re-
form idea in the House. Mr.. West took
tbe position that the House had no right
to compel him to answer categorically
and insisted that he be allowed to make
this reply: Il am in favor of central
penitentiary for $50 cOnvicts, merely as
tentative measure and the lease of the
balance of the convicts for term of four
years."
Mr.. Dodson's insurance bill passed the
House this morning after hot protest
from the Fulton county delegation, by
vote of 80 to 43, which renders reconsidera-
ton improbable. This measure was intro
duced at the last session of the legislature.
1t provides that when suit is brought IN
any court upon life insurance policy be-
fore the defendant can put in issue, any
ma tiers of defense to show that any poll
cy is void in its inception, the defendant
shall first deposit in the court where such
d sun - pSlid4liS, ali prem IcCCANCu
on such policy, with legal interest on said
premiums from date of payment to date
of defense. Should such suit be decided
in favor of the defendant the money paid
by the plaintiffs less such court costs as
may be chargeable to the plain
tiff shall be paid to him.
In the event the suit is decided in favor
of the plaintiff such money shall be re-
funded to the defendant, less such court
costs as may be charged to the defen-
FAINT.
The effect of the bill is to make life in
surance incontestble after a year.
In opposing the passage of the bill Mr.
Fielder of Fulton said he'd as soon vote
TO legalize burglary of petty larceny as for
such measure. Insurance companies, he
said had 100000 invested in Atlanta,
which is the third largest insurance CEN
ter in the country, ands he thought such
legislation was not only unjust but I'M
wise, as it discouraged the investment of
capital here. The bill, he commended, would
offer a premium to fraud, but Mr.. Dodson
answered this charge effectually to the
House.
The House held a session tonight, at
which the following new bills were intro
dEced:
By Mr.. Berry of Whitfield, to pay the
insurance commissioner $1,000 per annum
in LEW of fees.
BY Representative Law of Liberty to
permit the graduates of the negro indus
trial school of Savannah to teach in the
common schools three years without a
diploma or examination by county school
commissioners.
BY Mr. Griffin of Gordon, to provide for
the election of clerks of boards of roads
and revenues by the people
BY Mr.. Little of Nuscogee, a joint resol
luton to make good The $1,000 deficit in
the agricultural department caused by
the state exhibit at the Nashville centen-
NAL.
Also to appropriate $3.50 to pay the eIe-
vator boy for his services during the ses-
sion.
BY Mr.. Armstrong of Wilkes, to appro-
pirate $3.50 to defray the expenses of the
Brown committee appointed to confer
with the university trustees to ascertain
what the trustees had done with the agri-
cultural fund, and how much of it was
received by the agricultural college.
BY Mr.. Knowles of Fulton, to appro-
pirate $500 to purchase portrait of Ex-
Gov. Milledge to place in the state library
The resolution rectes that he was a SOL
dlec in the revolutionary war, a statesman
Tor years in congress, an active partici-
pant in the defeat of the great Yazoo
fraud, twice governor of Georgia and as
such founder of the late university as his
luend and associate, Thomas Jefferson
was the founder of the University of Vir-
2nia; that he purchased $50 acres of land
upon which Athens is now built and in
1901 donated it to the state without reser-
Nation for the establishmenteof the Uni
Nersity of Georgia, in the interest of edu-
cttlon. A portion of the proceeds of the
ale of this land to the amount of $50, 000
u.s. and has been. in the state treasury
SINCE 1871, and the state has been paying
$1,000 interest on the amount to the uni
Nersity. portrait of Gov. Milledge is
now hanging in the state library. painted
by his granddaughter, Miss Kate Milledge,
ma is now the property of her mother,
Nrs. Catherine Habersham Miledge. The
iesolution appropriates $500 to pay her for
ne portrait, which is to hang in the state
library.