The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-13
TEARS AND SONG
MARKED CLOSING
OF GEORGIA LEGISLATURE
SAYS HON. WILLIAM HARDEN WHO
Is BACK FROM ATLANTA.

Members Who Were Witnessing
Closing of Their Last Session of
General Assembly Wept-Sang
stirring Song of COnfederacy.
Presentations Made to Many Mem
bers-Mr. StOvau Presented Gift to
POstmistress-Maj. Cam PAID
Graceful Tribute to Old COnfed-
crate DOOrkeeDer.
"a strange admixture of humor,
good fellowship, fun, and pathos mark
ed the closing scenes of the Legisla-
1ure." said Hon. William Harden, who
returned to the city from Atlanta yes
terday
MANY of the men there have been
associated in the work of the General
Assembly for five years and the clos
ing of the session marked the close of
their close relations. Several of them
wept like children.
Others congregated in groups and
began singing. The hall was filled
with the music of God Be With You
Till We Meet Again and Till We
Meet on That Beautiful Shore" Then
they began singing some of the stirring
songs of the Confederacy and they
made the hall ring with the music. Ii
was midnight when l left and there
were still many singing away at that
hour.
THE House first decided to adjourn
at O'Clock in the afternoon, but the
Senate would not concur. They sent
back word that they had adjourned to
re-assemble at s o'clock. We, there
fore, did the same, and shortly after
passed a resolution to adjourn at 10
O'Clock.
when the hands of the clock had
wheeled around to TO- or nearly there,
one of the members rose and hid the
face of the clock with a newspaper and
the session went on. AS 1 stated before,
it was nearly midnight when adjourn
ment was taken.
MANY bills We're sent down to us
from the Senate. Some of them were
lost and others were never touched.
We always like to oblige the members
of the upper branch by passing the
bills they send down to us, but under
the circumstances this year we could
not get to them all.
Tribute to Old Veteran.
THE presentation of gifts as tokens
of love, respect and esteem,' con-
tinued Mr.. Harden, was of course
the feature of the closing. I see that
your paper this morning published a
full list of the gifts, or at least nearly
so there is no use in discussing that
feature at length Hon. P. A. Stovall
made the presentation of the gift of
the House to the postmistress. Miss
Hunt
"One of the best of the addresses
was delivered by Mai. ]. Ferris Cam.
Maj. Cam conveyed to ]. H. Williford
the old doorkeeper the best wishes
and high esteem of the House. Mr.
Williford is an old Confederate veteran
and one leg was lost during the
momentous struggle for Southern in
dependence.
In speaking to the old veteran, Mai
Cam stated. and the statement is
true that Mr.. Williford had the conf
dence, respect. and esteem of every
member of the House He referred to
the fact that Mr.. Williford was a
veteran, and he paid a graceful COM
pliment to the Confederates by saying
that they had proven so we'll that they
could be trusted during the trying
times of war, that the people of the
South were proud to give them posi-
tions of trust and honor in civil
life"
Fate of Ballot Bill.
In discussing the fate of the Aus
tralian ballot bill Mr.. Harden said that
1t had become such a mass of amend
ments that the originator of it would
not have recognized it. THE bill was
introduced by DR.. Kelly" said Mr..
Harden, "and he stated that he came
10 the Legislature to introduce it and
that he would keep on coming till he
got it through.
An earnest effort was made to get
the bill in some form on which it could
be agreed upon. The effort was use
less and there was not the slightest
chance of an agreement. Some wanted
II to apply only to the primaries. Some
thought that it should apply only to
the general elections. Others insisted
that it apply to both. Then there was
a mass of amendments tackled on it
by both branches and finally the bill
was hopelessly lost"
Mr.. Stovall and Maj. Cam, the 9th
er two representatives from Chatham
county have not yet returned TO the
city.