The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1899-01-12
For the Journal.
MISTAKES OF LEGISLATURE.

LII Jul O)luiOii, tue SelSIdl as
sembly, which recently adjourned
were guilty of some very grave err
rors of judgment; in reality dis
tinguishing themselves by theil
"materly inactivity" in leaving
"mldone those things which they
should have DONE" and "pernic.
ious activity" Ito quote one OF
the ponderous expressions of ex-
President Cleveland) in "doine
those things which they should
not have DONE"
On the negative side of thei1
defaults may be mentioned (1)
their failure to place the pensions
of the state upon an INDECENT ba,
sis according to the plan provid-
ed by the Brandon bill. Just as
with the national government we
believe that also under our state
law there are many drawing pen
sions who are not equitably enti-
titled to them, though perhaps in
almost every case the beneficiaries
are legally entitled, their hinge
no fraud in their claims. Prop
erly understood, theory uron
which pensions are paid, is, that
q grateful government will pro-
vide for such of it's citizens as have
incurred, in it's defense, disabili-
ties which prevent them from
earning livelihood. But where
such a person already possesses
the means of living, the reason
for pension fails and it should
therefore be withheld. We have
in our mind an official in this
state who is said to draw from its
treasury sum of several thou
sand dollars annually, and who is,
at the same time, receiving pen
sion for the loss of a leg in the
war. There is no sense in this.
Revise the rolls and give no man
this gratutity unless he is abso-
lutely INDECENT, and incapable of
work.
(2) Notwithstanding the uni
versal demand for the Australian
ballot made by the press of the
state, our law-making body failed
to give us that needed reform. 1t
is true that a committee was APP
pointed who visited Memphis and
Chattanooga where elections were
in progress, to investigate the
workings of the system, treating
the whole matter as though it
were an experiment to be duly
and profoundly considered, SEEM
ingly oblivious of the fact that
the Empire State of the South
(sic) is one of the only three in
the United States where it has not
been long and successfully prac-
ticed. Meanwhile the usual dis
graceful and fraudulent elections
go merrily on. (3) OF course the
Australian ballot proving such a
knotty problem, our legislature
would not undertake that more
difficult one, the dog question.
Wool and wooden fabrics are OF
small Importance in comparison
with the luxuries afforded by the
possession of CANNES.
(4) We regard on the positive
side of their faults the act of the
general assembly in reducing
the appropriation previously
made for the public schools,
from 81, 900, 1000 to $500, 900, as a
gross injustice to the poor chill.
dren of the state. Rather than it
should be done we should have
preferred that every cent be with.
drawn from ali the higher institu.
tions. When we consider how in
dispensable, an this period, is on
education in order to be successful
in life; and how hard, if not i'm
possible, it is for many of our peo-
pie to provide their children with
this equipment, we realize how
much they have suffered at the
hands of the legislature. In a
very few years, if the old appro-
priation had been continued, the
percentage of illiteracy in Georgia
would have been as low as it is in
the northern states, as in late
years, great progress has been
made in this line.
In order to carry out these re-
forms which the people have de-
would it not be we'll for
them to take the matter in hand
and elect no one to the next gen.
eral assembly who will not pledge
himself to vote for them ?