The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-16
ONLY COUNTED SIX
SENATOR CANN DID NOT FULLY
APPRECIATE COUNCILS TELE-
GRAN.
ALDER AN THOMAS DOUBTED.
DID NOT THINK MAJORITY OF
BOARD WANTED CHANGE IN LAW.

resentntive Wells Has Gone TO
Philadelphia for the Holidays.
How Senator Cam Felt About the
Bill for the Incoming Board to
Elect. and His Reception of Coun-
ellis COmmittee-He Led Fight
Against the Cigarette Bill, the
Most StubbOrnly Contested Battle
of the SessiOn-BiIIs of Local In
terest Passed.
Senator j. Ferris Cam did not know
that a majority of the members of
City Council had wired him to stand
by the crowd and pass the BILL" until
his attention was called to the fact
by Alderman Thomas, chairman of the
committee that went to Atlanta to op-
pose the legislation for the incoming
board to elect city officers
The senator said yesterday that he
had seen in the Atlanta papers that
the committee of three from Council
had left Savannah. and that they had
been followed by the telegram from
six members of the board. The SEN
ator did not count the names on the
mittee on Corporations, believing it
had been signed by only six aldermen
Alderman Thomas called attention
to the fact that the telegram contain
ed seven names, and rather doubted
the validity of the message. He stat
ed that he had seen at least one of
those whose name appeared on the
telegram on the day OF his departure
and that alderman had assured him he
was against the passage of the bill.
Senator Cam did not make up his
mind how he would vote on the bill
until all of those interested had been
heard from.
The bill had already been reported
upon favorably by the Corporation
Committee when Senator Cam receiv
ed Mayor Myers telegram asking that
the committee from Council be heard.
| Inc senator went to the trouble of
having the bill recommitted so that
| the committee could, be heard. Sen
ator Cam treated the committee of
| aldermen with the utmost courtesy,
| but with the Endorsement of a party
| caucus, the support of the three repre-
sentatives and believing that the prin-
ciple of the bill Is right, favored its
| passage.
Representative Harden who first in
troduced the bill in the House, says
that he has always been in favor of
the incoming board electing and that
in his opinion it is the only proper
| thing to do. Mr.. Harden says that the
sending of the telegram by a majority
| of the aldermen, after the departure
of the Committee from Council caused
| considerable amusement in Atlanta,
but that the committee was received
in a most cordial manner. and shown
every courtesy.
| With the exception of Representative
David Wells, Chatham county's dele
cation to Atlanta has returned home.
MI. Wells has gone to- Philadelphia
and WILL not come to Savannah until
after the holidays. Senator Cam talks
Interestingly of some of the things that
happened during the last session of
| the Legislature
| Senator Cam led the forces that
| fought the cigarette bill and his efforts
mad very much to do with the defeat
| or the freakish measure. There was .,
strong sentiment in favor of the bill.
and the battle led by the senator from
| TINS district, was the most spirited par
! 1amentary fight of the session. Fill
clustering tactics. used as a last resort
! oy those who opposed the bill, had
much to do with its defeat and some
clever political tricks were turned.
| The senator from this district was
chairman of the subcommittee to
which the bill had been referred. 1t
was generally known that the advo-
| Gates of the bill had eS votes pledged
and 1t looked at one time as if Georgia
was going to have an anti-cigarette
law. Senator Cams committee heard
arguments in favor of the bill from DR..
l.. G. Broughton of Atlanta, ana from
committee from the association Of
| ministers. Several of those who op-
posed the measure were also heard
| from.
The committee reported unfav-
| orably on the bill, declaring that II
would be unconstitutional. because il
| would be violation of the interstate
commerce laws, to regulate which
! Congress has exclusive power. The
| General Judiciary Committee adonted
the report of the subcommittee, and
the fight was begun in earnest. Antic
ipating what would happen in this
event those opposed to the bill GOT
| resolution through providing that
| where two committees reported adj
| NerselY on measure ii could not be
brought up in the Senate, except by a
| unanimous vote
| AhSiS was a disagreement In the Sem
ate, and the bill was referred to the
temperance Committee. The argu-
ments before this committee were long.
and those fighting the bill won out hy
a vote of to /. This killed the bill
which Senator Cam fought so stub
bornly and ended the hardest fight of
| the session.
Another bill that interested Savan-
nahians was one introduced by a rem
resentative from the interior, shorten
ing the fish season a full month This
would have operated against the fish
| dealers at this point ard would have
been disastrous to their business Sem
ator Cam was urged to fight the bin
! in the Senate, and through his efforts
the measure was left sleeping IN the
committee room.
The bill governing the granting of
injunctions to saw mill and turpen-
tine men would have affected the in
terests of Savannahians and Senator
| Cam fought the measure down on the
| floor OF the Senate. Through his eff
forts the bill was defeated and an ef-
fort to have II reconsidered was voted
down.
The fertilizer bill was also of con-
siderable local interest and the sena-
tor from this district had much to say
about the bill. The law passed was
a substitute offered in the Senate and
gives both the farmers and manufac-
turers a perfectly fair law. The bin
reached the Senate from the House
with several amendments which would
have practically made II impossible
for the manufacturers to do business