The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-01-27
THE STATES
MAKERS.
Bill introduced to Create
a Sinking Fund.
HOUSE PASSES THE "CRAPS" BILL
Governor McMillin Submits to the Legis-
lature His First Message, Which is
Pronounced an Able Document by
Everyone.

Gov. McMillin last Friday trans
mitted his first message to the Legis-
| lature. The message was received
with much interest by both Houses,
and it was pronounced sensible
and straightforward document and
far above the average message.
Recommendations Made.
The message recommends laws re-
ducipg the prices of school books in
the State; it highly commends the
good work that is being done by the
Industrial School, and favors any
appropriation that the State can
afford to give for the upbuilding of
the SCHOOL, the School for the Blind,
the Peabody Norman College and
the Tennessee University are also
heartily endorsed.
| The Governor recommends the
enactment of law constituting the
three prison commissioners a board
to whom the Governor may submit,
for preliminary examination, all
applications for pardons, and these
commissioners shall report to him
in writing, after careful eXamina-
tion, their conclusions as to the
merits of the applications.
Criminal Costs and Salaries.
In regard to criminal costs and
salaries, the Governor gives his
hearty endorsement of the Jarvis
and Estes laws in the following Ian
guage:
"The last Legislature. in its wiz
dom, enacted laws compensating
Attorneys General by salaries in
stead of fees, and reducing the cost
of criminal prosecution. The cost
of criminal prosecutions in the State
increased until we were paying
nearly or quite three-quarters of a
million dollars year on that ac-
count. This sum included the
amount paid by the State and coun-
ties combined. The Legislature
very wisely concluded that this was
such tax upon the people as ought
in some way to be avoided; and they
set about devising means to free the
people from the excessive burden.
They determined in lieu of the fees
given to Attorneys General to pay
them salaries and cover the fees into
the Treasury. They also enacted
laws changing the method of paying
criminal costs, whereby they were
reduced half or more than half
There has been agitation in some
quarters in favor of repeating these
laws. I wish to say with great can
dor that | believe it would be a
calamity to the people and the State
to repeal them and to return to the
old system. The people of Ten
~ in, 70 N
: to pay such excessive charges fol
criminal costs as they have had tC
pay in the past. If it should turr
out that there are great hardships
that should not be endured in the
present method of payment, LEI
!, there be such slight amendment as
is necessary to correct the evil. But
L admonish you again that any
effort to repeal these laws and re-
turn to the old system of paymen
. by fees and payment Of enormou,
salaries should meet your stubborn
opposition. The bill providing tha'
} clerks of courts in the larger cities
shall be paid salaries, and the eX
/ cess of revenues derived from theil
offices turned into the Treasury,
} regard as a wise one. There is no
/ now and never was any reason
why the clerk of the court shOulC
get four times or five times as much
compensation as the Judge of tht
court. Any system that tolerate'
this is vicious one, and should
have the pruning knife of remedia
legislation applied to it unsparingly
"I have spoken thus positively
about these things because | con
; slider them of great Importance, anC
> would regard as calamity a re
= turn to tire old system of excessive
/ payments"
A reduction in the number o
judicial officers and the application
3 of the pruning knife to coal oil in
I spector's fees are also recommended
He endorses the Railroad Com
= mission and favors a continuance o
the same.
] He admoni5hes the Legislature o
1 tho necessity of creating a stat,
! board for the equalization of taxes
The Governor closes his messag
I by urging upon the legislature tn
/ necessity of providing by law sink
, ing fund to be used in the paymen
/ of the principal of our debt. "Thi
( burden he says, should not con
, tinue always the same. Even
: small sinking fund is better thal
, none. II it cannot be created with
Z out the imposition OF a small ad
B ditional tax, such tax should b
levied. The net proceeds deriveo