The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-17
IMPORTANT BILLS NOW
BEFORE LEGISLATURE.
Representative r. A. StOvaH Dis
cusses Those in Public Eye.

Representative r. A. StovaH Dis
cusses Those in Public Eye.
Fresh from the scene Of the battles
in the halls of the Legislature, Mr.. P.
A. Stovall one of Chatham county's
representatives, returned home yester-
day morning to take a rest of two days.
The session is far advanced and there
are strenuous days ahead for the leg
islators.
This is the last session of this Leg
islature," said Mr.. Stovall yesterday,
land there is a rush of work to be
done. Some important bills are pend
ing just now.
"The bill to tax druggists who sell
patent medicines containing enough
alcohol to intoxicate an additional $50
is attracting much attention. Mr..
Gross, the author of the amendment,
claims that it is aimed at certain mix
lures which it is alleged contain
enough alcohol to intoXicate. By the
sale of these medicines in prohibition
counties the law is evaded 1t was
adopted without much debate in the
House, but it now transpires that very
many medicines have a large proper
tion of alcohol and might be intoxi-
eating If taken in large enough guam
titles.
THE idea now is to have the bill
reconsidered in the House, and if that
is impracticable then to have it ma
terially amended in the Senate, so that
it will hit those it is intended to hit.
The people in prohibition counties have
been imposed on by the preparations
and need some protection and ought
to have it, But the Gross amendment
is carrying it too far.
"At present the time of the Legisla-
ture Is taken up with the tax bill and
it is probable that the druggist bill
will not be finally disposed of until the
latter part of next week. 1 expect that
there will be delegations from Atlanta,
Savannah, Macon, Augusta and other
cities to protest when it does come up.
''Mr. HowelPs bill, aimed at ticket
brokers, Is also up. The sale of sigma
ture tickets to third parties encourages
fraud and at the same time induces
people to commit forgery by putting
other mems names on the backs Of
tickets. The bill should be passed and
the only danger that it will not comes
from the shortness of the session.
THE Australian ballot bill has pass
ed the house, and is meeting opposition
in the Senate, especially from counties
where there is a large colored popula-
ton.
THE immigration bill has passed the
Senate. The speech of immigration
Commissioner Sergeant before the Leg
islature awakened all to the impor-
lance of this factor in growth. There
are plenty Of lands for truck farming
around Savannah and elsewhere in
Georgia. Somebody Dis preparing to
bring a big lot of Firms to Valdosta.
think the bill will have a strong sup
port in the House.
There is considerable opposition to
the dispensary bill. which seeks to
make the state a partner by taking a
certain per cent. of the net receipts
It looks now like tax of per cent
might be taken.
There seems to be an excellent
chance of the passage of the bills. in
creasing the salaries of the judge of
the Superior Court and the City Court
of Savannah. 1t may be the forerun-
ner OF general increase in the salaries
of judges all over the state. l un-
derstand that Atlanta will ask for a
special bill along the same line"