The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-11-23
57F0BnERS OUT FOR BEAR,
80 vCFARLAND'S REFORM MEAS
u " TRES SLICE SALARIES.

"A
-, Pension Appropriations t" BE Gut
interesting Legislative Gossip.
.rrAyrA.-There was reform galore
:, the house today. Some of the mem
ubo spent Sunday at home came
W., W. loaie1 for bear, or something still
bigger
NJ Mcfarland, the populist member
.-or, Franklin county, who is the success
sor Of old man McDay, the most pictur>
asope figure of the last house, led the
.aoossion. He started the ball'a rolling
-;.b series of three bills designed to
r.orCanize things in general in cennec-
.;on with the state government. His bills
auto down the salaries of every one of the
.t.tA house officers except the attorney
General, school commissioners and COM
missioner of agriculture, and these were
nrobably an oversight, which will be
,octfed by the member from Franklin
os soon as he has his attention called to
& it.
Under his reform bills the governor is
70 receive the magnificent salary of 3d.
i 20O year, the justices of the supreme
court the same, while the judges of the
superior courts are granted $500 per
annum with which t. sustain their iu.
dicial dignity. The controller general,
treasurer a1d secretary of state are al
lowed $500 each. Mr.. Mcfarland is
considerable enough of the present ad-
minisuation, however, to enter prov.so
in bis bills making the reductions uon.
applicable to the present inGumbents.
1t goes without saying that all the
bills of the member from Franklin will
paSS-that is, pass the boneyard.
Mr. Hall of Bib was responsible for
the other star reform bill. Mr. Hall
is an uncommonly large man. He is large
in physique. He is also large in brain.
and beng an ex~railroad attorney of rec.
0gnized standing some of his colleagues
think he should have known better.
Coming from most any 9th 4r man his bill
might have been taken as a joke also.
But being fathered by the dignified
member from Bibb the proposition to
prohibit the railroads from granting free
passes to members of the legislature and
other otlcenoldeIs must be taken Sc
lonsly Mr.. Hall declares he is deeply
IN earnest. He intends to press the bill.
and with such abIe> bodied, able-headed
man te2ind it, there is no tell
ing what will happen to this
old friend Of the reformers. Mr.
Hall bill goes further than the railroads
and their free passes. 1t takes in tele-
graph and express companies. as we'll as
:Ie >Ieeplng car companies, and not only
NoAOltS them from granting free passes
70 any person holding a position in the
Ssdte service, tut also denies them the
IIg1I 10 give these persons a special rate
Not given 10 other citizens of the state
CldeF penalty of 81 900 fine tor each Of
Tense.
MI HAL has got an ace up his sleeve
IoI me railroads. 1t seems in addition TO
tIV ant-tIee pass bill he has
"'So Introduced several other measures
tu"I nave brought the railroad attorneys
nuS'LIuS 10 The capitol Hobbies. 1t might
"RP0aI at the first glance that the man
' "no passed law taking away from the
'"'I'oauS the privilege OF granting free
t"SSeS would be the devoted friend of
SIe roads, but those who know the ms
t @uu outs of the situation do not see it in
Su'S lIsht. They say that the railroads
would rather reduce passenger fares
s-,"u 70 veIlnquish the privilege of giving
~i %aS " anSportatlon, when they want to
~ l,f, ~ away. Of course, as stated, Mr.
t tra.l comes to the legislature quite fresh
n roG" dig railway attorneyship. He
aas. u'' therefore, be regarded as the best
S4u'Pped man on the floor as a railroad
ffCa"ofe' At any rate his banderi!los
n"'7 81 Tar been aimed with a skill that
fuses o"uSoS Cqe railroads to wonder what NAV
come next.
Tue agitation of tax reform and more
ttS0oohlcal appropriations has caused
creation OF new standing commit.
~ ot' whose duty it will be to take charge
fa az matters relating to the pension
rna.;s mere is Strong disposition
ra,'-. cd IN some quarters to sifr the
sot l9n IISt and to trim the common
~ $50 al proprlation to its former figure
f0yC,OUO as the means of bringing the
,ni SoL4I ures OF the state down TO level
nf -" 'ue income. S far, the latter part
.u0 invalid proposition has not taken
t5! "ennlte shape, but the creation of
f6e ;. 'uYaIId pension committee, at
f.uslahce of Calvin of Richmond,
he '' IAN r'an OF the Committee on rules, may
otra1s @lqed as the first step toward the
haro IL is fact known to ali who
the ',V lever ever made the least inquiry into
tbo tension business of the state that
Vivian SdLuvalld roll, and the INDECENT and
be- Tvs LOW. rolls, too, for that matter, could
leas ttat;er.'ally reduced without doing the
neadu INJUSTICE to the deserving and
OS ones by careful system of prun-