The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-13
To USE PUBLIC FUND
STATES EMBARRASSMENT TO BE
RELIEVED.
HOWELL SUBSTITUTE PASSED.
WILL DE THOROUGHLY TESTED IN
COURTS.

House Voted 90 to ~ and the Sem
ate Was UnanimOus-GOv. Gambler
VIII Sign TO-day--Treasurer Park
VIII Refuse to Transfer and the
Old Fight VIII BE Gone over
Again With the Probability of
sition Manifested in the House and
Joe Hall Got ObstreperOus.
Atlanta. Dec. 12.-The House by
vote of 80 to A. to-day passed by sub
stitute the Howell resolution, provid-
ing for the payment of interest on
the bonded debt for 1902 out of the
public property fund, if the courts say
this can be done.
The substitute for Senator Howelis
resolution was transmitted Immediate
ly to the Senate and passed by that
body this afternoon by a unanimous
vote of those present The resolution
was at once enrolled and is now ready
to go to the Governor for his sigma
ture.
Gov. Gambler will sign the resolution
tomorrow and will at once notify
State Treasurer r. f. Park to trans
fer $325,SOO from the public property
fund to interest account. Treasurer
Park will refuse to do this, and Gov.
Gambler will then instruct the Attor-
ney General to bring mandamus pro
ceedings against the Treasurer, and
the matter will go through the courts.
The bill will be ready to be filed in
the Superior Court by Saturday, and
1t Is expected the Supreme Court will
render a decision within week or ten
days.
Gov. Gambler is anxious to have
decision in the matter before Jan. 1,
as the interest on the bonded debt
must be paid at that time.
Gov. Gambler will be represented in
the matter by Attorney General j. M.
Terrell and the, state treasurer will
have as his counsel former Chief JUS
tice Logan Il. Bleckley, who has taken
a great interest in this matter, and
Orville A. Park of Macon.
The deplorable situation into which
the states finances have fallen viii
thus be saved by the action of the
Senate in passing the Howell resolu-
ton, in the event the Supreme Court
holds that the money can be used as
desired. The general belief is the de-
cision win be favorable.
The resolution is somewhat similar
to the Blalock resolution, which was
defeated in the House on two occasions
this session. The resolution provides
that $525, $50, arising from the sale of
public property, shall be transferred
from the public property fund to the
interest fund TO pay the interest on
the bonded Indebtedness of the state.
lafn ,afo oas he a
however. the matter is to be submit
ted to the courts for judicial determi-
nation.
In the event the courts hold the res
olution is legal. the financial embar
rassment which has confronted the
state will be relieved.
The ratification OF the resolution
means that the public school teachers
win receive their salaries and the in
digent pensioners of Georgia will get
their money.
with considerable opposition. but a
number of those who opposed the Bla-
lock resolution voted for the measure
when It was understood clearly that
the matter should be determined BY
the courts before any transfer of the
money was made. Speaker Little, dur
ing the consideration of the resolu-
ton, made several very important rul-
ings. He held that the measure was
not one appropriating money and did
not require a constitutional majority
to pass 1t.
There were some objections to this
ruling, but as the resolution received
more than a constitutional majority,
they were unimportant.
Hon. Joe Hall of Bibb. the chief op-
ponent of the resolution, took its pass
age as almost a personal matter and
clearly showed his temper over the
result.