Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1904-08-13
GEORGIA LEGISLATURE.
Session of General Assembly for 1904
Adourns.

AQloufnSs
Atlanta, August 12.-The Georgia
legislature for 1904 has adjourned sine
die.
A sad solemnity marked the last
few minutes of the senate sess!on-tne
few minutes in which the benediction
was said and the motion to adjourn
sine die put by President Howell.
a great part of the evening was
passed In listening to the songs of Sen.
ator Park, speeches humorous and Sc
rious by different senators, songs and
recitations by FRucker," the familiar
old darky, and other diversions.
But when the message came from
tn ehouse informing the senate that
the latter branch of the general as.
sembly stood ready to adjourn sine
die, sudden change came into the
face of every man upon the floor the
senate officials and even tf@ visitors
in the gallery and back of the rail.
ing.
The message from the house includ.
ed an invitation to the senators to
repair to the hall of the former body
and participate in "a general, infor
NAL handshaking Senator Hopkins
moved the acceptance of this invita-
tion, and the motion prevailed.
The money lenders bill has become
a law, being passed by a large ma.
jority Of votes. This measure is for
the protection of the poor class OF
borrowers who have SO long been vic.
Tins of the money sharks,
Only seven votes were cast against
the passage of the measure.
The decision of the house by an
overwhelming and emphatic vote, not
to appoint another conference com.
mittee on the Australian ballot bin,
after the second committee had re.
ported it's failure to reach an agree.
ment, killed the bill early In the
morning session. Later the house de.
cided to appoint one more conference
committee for the purpose of putting
the blame for the defeat of the meas.
ure on the senate
The report Of the conference com.
mittee on the judges salary bill, made
by Mr.. Blackburn, of Fulton was
adopted by the house, and the meas
ure was thus completed. The re.
port simply provided for striking out
tue provision that the acceptance of
the increased salaries should be de-
pendent upon compliance with the
ant1free pass provision, because 1t
was bought it might be construed to
permit judges to receive passes and
franks, if they continued to receive
the smaller salaries. The bill, as
finally perfected, put an absolute pro
h1b1tion upon the acceptance OF free
railroad passes, telephone, telegraph
and express franks by judges of su,
preme and superior courts, or their
families, under any circumstances. II
gives supreme court judges $4,000 and
superior court judges $4,000 a year.
By vote of 105 to 5, the fouse
passed the bill by Senator Snead, OF
the twentyninth,5 making 1t a misde'
meanOr for any one to buy or sell a
vote in any primary election in the
state. The bill also provides that
either the buyer or the seller may be
made to testify against the other. ii
he is not himself, on trial Hereto
fore there has been no law against
buying and selling votes in primary
elections, or, at least, there has been
no penalty attached to it, though vote
buying IN regular elections has always
been a crime.
There was general satisfaction in
the house when it was announced in
the house that the second conference
committee had reached an agreement
on the school fund fixing it at 81 900,
900, and that the senate had receded
from its position and had agreed to
that amount. The report was made
to the house by Mr. Bush, of Miller
chairman of the second conference
committee on the general appropria.
tions bill
The hous ethen agreed to the rec
ommendation of the committee that it
recede from it's opposition to the
$500 for farmers institutes, there
being only one or two adverse votes.
This finally settled the general ap.
preparation bill.