The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-22
DON'T CARE FOR 1T
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PROTEST
AGAINST CITY COURT BILL.
MEANS MUCH MORE EXPENSE.
COST OF COURTS ALREADY MORE
THAN TAXPAYERS CAN STAND.

Rate of Taxation Higher Than Ever
Before, and Commissioners Are
Anxious 1t should Not BE Further
Increased-SenatOr and Represen-
tatives Urged TO Oppose Its Pas
sage, and a Copy of Resolutions
Sent to Each of Them-The
Boards Action Unanimous-Letter
in Advocacy of the Bill, From
Hon. Pope Barrow, Came Too Late
to BE Considered.
The County Commissioners have fol-
lowed the lead of the City Council by
entering a protest against the passage
by the General Assembly of the bill
creating two divisions of the City
Court and of the kindred measure
which provides a solicitor for the GRIM
inal division.
This action was taken at a special
meeting of the board, held at the Court
House at noon yesterday. There were
present at the meeting Vice Chairman
Moore and Commissioners Vetsburg,
Paulsen and Wylly, all the members of
the board now in the city, Chairman
Lathrop having sailed recently for the
North.
The action taken by the board was
unanimous, the resolutions offered.
which follow, being passed without
dissenting veee-:.--
Whereas, it has come to the atten-
ton of this board that a bill has been
introduced in the House of Represen-
tatives of the General Assembly of
Georgia, by Representative Hitch of
Chatham, for the purpose of creating a
second division of the City Court of
Savannah,
And, whereas, the taxes assessed
against the property owners of this
county for this year are larger than
they have been for any previous year
and the burden of taxation upon the
citizens of this county is already too
large;
And, whereas there was levied for
1901 for maintenance of the courts of
this county and their incidental ex-
penses the sum Of $4S,7726S;
And whereas. in the opinion of this
board the passage of the above-men-
toned bill is unnecessary and unwise
pense upon the county and consequent
ly increase taxation considerably, GER
tainly for a term of years and probably
for all time to come, and the expenses
of the courts of this county, even as
now constituted, are constantly in
creasing;
Therefore he it resolved, that this
board as the representatives of the
people OF the county and the body hav-
i,ar- aI1a .f tAe 81 Hf1f,
spectfully protest against the passage
of the above mentioned bill and ear
nestly request the representatives from
this county and the senator from the
First District to use every effort to
| prevent the passage of said bill.
And De it further resolved, that the
clerk of this board be and he is here
by instructed to send a certified copy
of this resolution to each of the rep
resentatives from this county and to
the senator from this district
During the day Clerk G. Reuben But
Ter telegraphed Senator Cam and Rep
resentatives Harden, Wells and Hitch
of the action that had been taken by
the commissioners, apprising them that
the protest would be forwarded by
mail. Each of these legislators was
sent copy of the protest last night.
The commissioners did not receive
from Representative Hitch the copy of
the bill for which they asked and they
proceeded without it. They had read
the full accounts OF it's construction
and the liberal extracts from it's pro-
visions that have appeared in the
Morning News, as we'll as the inter-
view with Representative Hitch ex-
planning its purposes, and they all felt
they understood enough to go ahead.
Hon. Pope Barrow addressed a letter
to Vice Chairman Moore, of the board,
yesterday morning, but this letter was
not received until after the board had
| acted on the bill and therefore was
not considered at the meeting. Mr..
Barrow is one of the bills most earn
est and eloquent advocates and his let
ter will be read with interest.
After expressing the opinion that the
bill will save much money to the tax
payers and the conviction that the
members of the board would not will
ingly and knowingly consent to aid in
the defeat of bill which is a measure
of economy and a relief to the taxpay-
ers of this county" Mr.. Barrow con-
tinues:
"At the risk OF being considered Of
| ficious, beg leave TO call your atten-
! ton to one or two provisions of these
| bills. Section three of the bill ting
a city court solicitor, is in these
| words:
BE it further enacted by the au-
| thority aforesaid that the present ba-
sis of division of fees between the So
| licitor general of the eastern judicial
| circuit and the officers of the City
| Court of Savannah, be and the same
is, hereby continued, and the solicitor
| of said City Court of Savannah, ap-
| pointed in pursuance of this act, shall
! collect the proportionate part belong
! ing to the solicitor general of the East
ern circuit, under the present laws, and
shall pay the Same into the treasury
| of Chatham county:
1.-The act dividing the City Court con-
tains this provisions:
ct shall be the duty of the Judge
of the Superior Court of Chatham coun-
ty to send down at once from said Su-
perior Court all presentments and bills
of indictment for misdemeanors to said
criminal division of said City Court for
| Xvfn