The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-11
WILL BE NO PENSION REFORM.
THE HOUSE CONSIDERS THE FA-
NOUS BRANDON BILL.


This Session to Get Them Through
Presidents Visit Likely 10 Demor-
aIize the Legislature for Two
OnvS-TNvo Important Special Re
Iorts to BE Made.
Atlanta. Ga, Dec. 10.-After struggling
over the issue for three hours this morn
inc the House of Representatives undid
lis action of several days ago in pass
ing the Brandon pension bills, and now
there is hardly the ghost of a chance
that these measures will become laws al
this session.
In fact. the reconsideration by the
House to-day, and the consequent delay
urtl next session, may indicate the IN
qualified defeat of the bills, and conse-
quently no reform in the pension law by
this general assembly.
When members go home at the close OF
next week, when the fifty days allowed
by law come to an end, the friends OF the
present pension laws who are opponents
of the Brandon bills, declare that there
will be such pressure brought upon leg
islators that any future attempt TO pass
the Brandon bills will be abandoned.
Mr.. Brandon himself, when the debate
was on in the House to-day, said frankly.
if the bills were reconsidered that action
meant their defeat at least, so far as the
present session is concerned. There are
only six more days of the session left,
and both the tax act and the appropria-
ton bill, to say nothing of many other
measures, are yet to be taken up by the
Senate 1t is difficult 20 see how that
body can more than accomplish the pass
age of the revenue bills in this time, when
IL is taken into consideration that two days
of the week viii see a general confusion
of everything on account of the peace Jub-
lice.
The Alabama Legislature is coming over
to Atlanta in a body, and President Nc
Kinley is also booked for an address to the
general assembly. These events, to say
nothing of the attractions of the jubilee
festival, will in all probability, practically
cut off two days of the session. The
Brandon bills, after being considered, were
put back on the calendar and if the fight
should be renewed Monday. even if pass
ed, they could hardly be gotten over to
the Senate before Tuesday. But there is
such a pressure of local matters that even
friends of the bills would be found object
ing to the resumption of a fight that has
already taken up a great deal of this
week.
With the Brandon bills shelved, there is
no chance that the tax levy will go below
the figure fixed in the bill yesterday
namely, S535. By their enactment into
law it has been conservatively estimated
that the tax levy would have been brought
down to even 5 mills. Mr. Brandon is
naturally much disappointed at the result,
though he declares that he has not given
up the fight. He and a number of others
of the younger members made able argu-
ments to-day in opposition to the motion
TO reconsider. There was the usual large
list of Saturday absentees. But for this
thinness in attendance, the bills would
have had much better chance. The rural
element predominates on Saturdays, and
IS the rural members were solid agains,
tension reform, they had the advantage of
time when the recons Iteration was moved.
The House this morning reconsidered its
action of yesterday in defeating the bill
abolishing the Early county dspensary,
and that bill is now on the table. after
having produced one of the liveliest
fights of the session.
One of the exciting incidents of the de-
bate over the Brandon bills was the eff
forts of Mr.. Emanuel of Glynn county to
have his vote recorded. He was absent
from the hall when the proposition was
stated, and under the rules had no right
TO be recorded except by consent of the
House. ODJecllOO was raised, ana uDdlly
the roll was called before he was permit
ted TO cast his vote against reconsidera-
tieH. Mr.. Emanuels bill, providing for
a board of county commissioners for GIynn
county, came back to the House with sew
eral Senate amendments this afternoon
and these amendments were concurred in.
Two interesting special reports will be
made to the House on Monday. One
will come from the committee that has
been investigating the trouble in which
ex-State Chemist Payne is involved with
Commissioner of Agriculture Stevens and
the other will come from the committee
appointed TO employ an expert to examine
the condition of the state treasury Mr.
Knowles of Fulton is chairman of this
committee on the part of the House, and
Mr.. Wight in the Senate. the resolution
having originated in the House. The ex.
pert has completed his work, and the
committee is boiling 1t down for presenta
ton to the legislative body. The report
will confirm State Treasurer Speer's re-
port as to the condition of the treasury
on jan 1. 1t will show considerable diff
ference In the estimates, however, and un
der the present tax act and the appro
priations act passed by the House, will
demonstrate that there will be no deici
in the treasury, but that the state will
be able to meet all her obligations as the,
come due for the ensuing two years
The report of the committee on tn
chemical laboratory tangle will SHOW
that DR.. Payne removed a good deal o
property from the capitol before Commits
soner Stevens caught on, but as h
claimed title to the same, he will not b
held to such a strict account as If the It'll
TO the laboratory was indisputably veste,
in the state.