The Savannah morning news., 1902-11-10

The other bill by Mr. Hall provides |
for the appointment by the controller |
general of a board of assessors for
all corporation property now returned |
by law to the controller general for |
taxation. This bill will be read a
third time this week. and put on its |
passage. 1t was not referred to a |
committee, so there is no report upon |
it. either favorable or unfavora BILE. |
There is another bill of this kind |
pending before the General Judiciary |
Committee. providing that the Rail- |
road Commission shall be constituted |
such a board Of tax assessors, but it
has not yet been reported on. and
Mr.. Halls bill. it seems. will have
the right of way.
Important Measures in Senate.
The members of the upper house of
the General Assembly have mapped out
considerable work for the coming week. |
All the bills that have been introduced
have been referred to appropriate COM
mittees and these have taken up the
business In hand to such purpose that
already several local bills have been
reported back with the recommended
ton that they be passed.
General measures will be before the
Senate this week for passage and it
is expected that the business will be
transacted with rapidity as the Sen
ators have shown a disposition not to
lag over matters that require action.
The critical illness of Senator Sulli-
van, of the Eighteenth district, has
prevented consideration OF the bills in
troduced by him, as it was supposed
he desired to appear before the COM
mittees, to which these proposed mea-
sures were referred, to explain their
provisions.
This courtesy is always extended the
authors of bills and the committees
were disposed to wait until such time
as that Mr.. Sullivan might be able
to speak in behalf of his own mea-
sures. He has introduced three bills
of no little Importance. One is known
as the anarchy bill, another seeks to
exempt from taxation state. county
and municipal bonds which may be
the property of holders in Georgia,
and a third provides for the exemp-
ton, for a period of not longer than
ten years, from taxation of new cotton
manufacturing industries that may
wish to establish plants in this state.
A similar law is in operation in
North and South Carolina and Alaba-
ma and has proved an inducement for
northern and casters cotton manufac-
turing concerns to seek this field for
investment. Other interesting bills that
have been introduced by members of
the Senate are those that seek to
divide the school fund between the
races, to make it a misdemeanor for
any person to be found in an intoxi-
Gated condition on the streets or pub
lie roads, and another to cause county
officers to become more vlgilant in fer
reting out cases of gambling.
All of these last named bills will
come up to be acted upon by the mem
bers of the Senate this, week as they
were referred to committees last week
Taken altogether the coming week
promises to prove busy one in the
upper house.
The Convict Questfon.
The investigation of the convict sit
uation by a special committee Of the
House and Senate is still progressing.
There is a decided disposition not to
interfere with the present system.
Speaking of the matter a prominent
state official said:
1.-THE situation is just this, the pres
ent system has been tried and we
know what 1t has accomplished. We
also have reason to believe that II will
accomplish a great deal more, so far
as increasing the revenues of the state
are concerned, when another lease is
made. To put any new system into ef-
feet, such as putting all the convicts
on the road, would cost the state more
for the first year than has been Melted
from the service of the convicts in the
last ten years.
ION the one hand to put the convicts
on the roads would cost for the first
year something like between 5000, 900
and 100000. In the first place move
able camps would have to be con-
structed in all counties where convicts
are worked. This would cost some
where in the neighborhood of $780,
for the entire state. Guarding and the
expenses for the prison department
would amount to about $4,000 as II
does now, while feeding the convicts
would cost about $500, 900 a year.
Under the present system the only
cost to the state is the $4,000 for
guarding and the expenses of
the department. The state re-
ceives something more than $780,
900 for their services, SO
that there is a net profit of about
$4,000 which goes to the educational
fund. If a new lease is made under
the present law or one similar to it,
am satisfied we can get about double
the amount for the labor of the con-
victs now received, and this win net
the state about s250,000 a year. of
course, if lot of legislation which
would interfere with the convict sys-
TEN, Sucn as mas Deen proposed In the
Legislature, should be passed, 1t would
make considerable difference no doubt,
when the question of making a new
contract comes up.
Under the present system the state
has absolute control of the convicts.
It's control could not be more complete
If the convicts were working on the
roads or any other public works. The
lessees simply lease the labor, while
! all the regulations are made by the
Prison Commission and the guards
and physicians are employed and paid
| by that body. The lessees also feed
| the men in accordance with prescribed
regulations, another expense which the
| state would have to bear If lit worked
them on the roads.
80 far as the humanity of the sys-
| tenn is concerned, after some study
| of the situation, / do not see how it
| could be materially improved upon.
| Certainly II would not better the con-
| dition of the men to put them in a
| lot of movable camps, instead of the
| strong, comfortable and permanent
| buildings they now have and SO far
| as l can see. no system could be de-
vised by which the state would have
more perfect control over the men
than IL has now.
II am in favor of good roads, and
! believe this work ought TO be done,
but ii strikes me that 1t Is to The
states interest to continue the pres
ent system just now, at least for an
other term of five years, and let IL
be clearly shown just what can be
accomplished under the most favor
l al 10 .a4v 20.