The morning news., 1898-11-22
factions RAISING THE FUSS.
axo DEFICIT" CRY SCHEME TO DE-
rEAT ADMINIsTRA PLANS.

po1itfcs shows Up at the Capital and
obstacles Are Being Placed in
GOV. CandIer's Path That He May
~ot Re Able to Fulfill His Pledges.
love for the schools and Old Sol
5,ers the Guise of the Anti-Admin-
tstratiOnists.
Atlanta. Ca, Nov. 21.-The political as
-e,t of the agitation of the condition of
che states fiscal affairs showed itself
,r,niuently to-day. To those who take
more than a superficial view of things
tbar happen in the shadow of the state
.,nttol. it has been apparent from the out
set that there was a good deal of politics
IN the fuss over the condition of the
state treasury.
The cry for lower taxes, as it came up
from the masses of the people. was genu.
ire enough, but when this cry struck the
capitol, il got mixed up with political
schemes. and becoming thus entangled
tax reform is regarded in some quarters
more as a political bludgeon than as
real panacea for the over -burdened peo-
pie of the state.
Lower taxes was a cardinal issue in the
Democratic campaign. Gov Gambler came
into office with this pledge to the people,
and so far as has been in his power, he
has been trying to carry it out honestly.
The first move made toward this end
was the agitation of the alleged treasury
deficit The word alleged is used because
there is a wide division of opinion among
both officials and members as to what
a treasury deficit really is. The agita-
ton of this point gave the opposition
forces something to rally around They
Immediately took up the cry of mo de-
felt" and, under the guise of devotion to
the common schools and old soldiers, they
have been straining every nerve to combat
the deficit plea made by the new admins
tration. OF course, there are many rang
ed on this side of the fiscal question who
are not in the least actuated by factional
politics, but that it has been a factional
issue by the ationists, few
OF the political leaders win deny.
All this has been kept pretty well in
the background until to-day, when friends
Of the administration, who have all along
declared that so far as they were con-
cerned tax reform was simply keeping the
faith of the campaign, openly charged
that the opposition had sprung a mine un-
der their feet.
"If you have any doubt about there be-
ing factional politics in this thing" said
one of the administration side. "just look
at to-days developments Here you see
ex-Gov. Atkinson preparing an elaborate
review of the situation, bolstering the
idea that there is no deficit in the treas
ury, and, therefore, no necessity for re-
ducing school and pension appropriations,
and sending it 10 CT a 70 h
licaton; then you see the Thrasher reso-
luton introduced and passed in the SEN
ate providing for joint committee to go
behind the report of the state treasurer
Next comes the Ellis resolution to-day
and along with it the announcement that
the tax reform bill, which was to be the
chief work of the session, is to be deferred
until next year, while a commission pot
ters away on 1t during the summer vaca-
ton. The object is to prevent the enact
ment of any reform at this session, while
plans may be matured for manipulation
at the next. There are many good mem
bers here who do not see it, but 1 can
tell that \ there are deep-laid
schemes back of all this.
and the schemes are not Matched far from
the shadows of the capitol either We
pitched our campaign on tax reform and
economy in the public expenditures. but
there is political faction here that is not
going to permit the fulflment of the
pledges if il can be helped and by taking
advantage of conditions not otherwise of a
factonal nature, this small coterie of mar
plots is making great grand-stand play
against the plans of the administra ton
that went into Office almost upon a tidal
wave majority. I do not mean to single
out individuals who figure in the records
Of legislation on this subject, for some of
them at least [ know, are far from being
Influenced by factonal purposes. and this
Is the misfortune of the situation, because
out for the cooperation of these sincere
ones, there would be no room for a fac
tonal contest over such a condition as con-
fronts US"