The age-herald., 1897-11-23
AMONG THE ''SAGERS" OYER IN GEORGIA The Legislature Is Nov in Session Making
 News. STIRRING UP THE JUDGES A Man Who Knows the Assassin of John
 M. Clayton. HOKE SMITH AND PAT WALSH HOke Is Talking About Going to New York PatWants to Be Mayor of Augusta
 Georgia Comment on Cover M nor Johnston's Act.
HOKE SMITH AND PAT WALSH
Special to The Aga-Herald.

tional developments about Georgia's con- vict system, and the governors deter mined opposition to a new lease, it turns out that a majority of the members of the legislature favor the old method, and it is safe to predict that 1t will be tried again.
 The people are not willing to be taxed for new penitentiary. a convict farm or a juvenile reformatory They are afraid to risk the convicts on the public roads. So new lease is the only thing in sight.
 Next to the convict question the state university is the burning issue before the legislature. The denominational col leges want to be exempted from taxes and they want the university at Athens to abolish its free tuition feature. Co., education is also under discussion. Ths Athens Banner demands the resignation of Chancellor Boggs and that gentle man has fired Prof. Hunnicutt, of the agricultural chair.
 There is trouble all round. Some of the newspapers say that the university is .too sporty" and others say that it has too much politics connected with it.
 Backed by the denominational colleges, many members of the legislature want to take away all state and federal aid from the university and leave it to sink or swim, as the case may be- The end is not yet.
 Next Wednesday an effort will be made to pass law providing for the election of judges and solicitors
 It is claimed that under the present system there is too much trading. A member of the legislature IS bound to help his local candidate, and in oroer to get him in he has to vote for unde- sirable candidates in other circuits.
 The system has given Georgia rather a weak bench. Most of the Judges are young lawyers, and their mistakes make good deal of extra work for the su- preme court.
 Under the elective system, the lawyers of @ circuit would express their prefer ence and they would be certain to choose native and 9ble lawyer They would do this for |. s reasons. They like to take their casSs before an able judge, and they like To put "a good lawyer on the bench, so they can get him out of the way and divide h.s practice among the mselves.
 The people Nike this system. They al- ways NdHl d uTSl-cEJeSS JuuSt, dllu tlty have a natural prejudice against young men on the bench In former years when the people elected the judges Geor- gia had very able judiciary. Down at the httle village of Pitts there is a man who says that he can lay his hands upon the assassin of John M. Clayton, the veteran politician. His talk is creating a sensation in re- publican circles up norih, and an effort will be made to get something more defi- mite from him. It is believed the man gia chain-gang There may be new and starting developments in a very few days.
 People here are taking considerable Interest in the Augusta election for may or, to come off on the 1st of December. | The contest is between Walsh, Dunbar and Kerr.
 Patrick Walsh is the editor of the Chronicle, and at one time he was one of the political bosses of Georgia, Since the expiration of his brief term in the United States senate he has been unfortunate fins nsneally, and his political influence has declined.
 The fight against him is very bitter, and he may be defeated by one of the other candidates.
 Augusta people dread the day of the elecron. They fear that it will be dis- graced by violence and bloodshed. It has been many years since Atlanta had a stirring municipal campaign.
 The Evenling Commercial recently pub- llshed a story to the effect that the Hon. Hoke Smith was going to New York to practice law, and that a southern syndi- cate would either purchase his paper, the Journal, on start a new daily early next year.
 There is nothing in the report. MT. Smith is evidently perfectly satisfied with his practice and his prospects in Georgia, and he Is not likely to sall The Journal at any price.
 If new paper starts it will have great difficulty about securing telegraphic news, and it will have to be backed by men who are well known and popular or it cannot expect much patronage. The people h Ire have ltt1e confidence in new Journalistic enterprises in the past twen- ty-five years they have seen the birth and death of more than that number of daily papers.
 Everybody here sides with Gov John ston in regard to h,s conduct during the epidemic but the Atlartians strongly fa- vor a national quarantine. They forget all about the rights of states when the public health Is in danger. s.- IA Confederate Reunion association has besn organized, with Gen. c. A. Evans 2 at it's head, and the citizens will go to work to make the meeting of the Con- federarle veterans herA next summer one of the biggest events in the history of the city.
 The politicians fight shy of it. however, for thlsy are afraid that it will bring out a. crop of ex-Confederate candidates.
 That picturesque rascal, Lord, Beres- ford, is a lncky devil. His old father in-law at FitzgeraFd mads a will disn- ferr,lting his daughter for marrying the bogus "Icrd. but he delayed signing it, and dropped dead before executing the document. So Berssford's wife will get about s100,000, and her husband will make it fly
 Probably he viii, go back to Fitzger- ald, pay his debts. and go to the leglsla- ture He Is such spectacular scoun- drel that tEere Is no tsll'1ag what he may do.