The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1905-05-10
A SCRAMBLE FOR COUNTIES
WILL BE THE BIG FIGHT AT COM
ING SESSION OF LEGISLATURE.
Eight New Counties Provided for and
Plans Are on Foot for at
Least Twenty.

Least Twenty.
By far the hardest fought battle in
the coming legislature, it is generally
conceded, will be that for and against
the proposed new counties provided
for under the recently adopted con-
stitutional amendment, which increas-
es the maximum number of counties in
Georgia from 1877 to AS.
1t is the general opinion that eight
new counties will be created practical
ly at the same time, but whether it
will be done at the coming session or
next year depends upon the amount of
antagonism developed. 1t may be that
the wrangle at the coming session will
develop such proportions as to make
action impossible before 1906, for
even if majority should favor the
creation of eight new counties at once
it will be possible for the minority to
secure delay and prevent action by
the employment of well-knOwn minority
tactics.
1t is more likely that soon after the
organization of the new general as
sembly Joint resolution will be
adopted providing for a special COM
mittee from the house and senate to
take up the matter of new counties in
all it's details, and all matters regard
ing the establishment of new counties
will be referred to it. Before this
committee will appear all the delega-
tons which desire to oppose or to urge
the establishment of certain new cOun-
ties, and these will, no doubt, have to
be heard at length.
Purpose of the Committee.
Then it will devOlve upon this com
mittee to make complete report to
the general assembly recommending
what new counties should be estab-
lished and what should not. 1t should
and doubtless will be the policy of the
speaker of the house and president
of the senate to put on this committee
members who are not directly inter-
ested one way or another in any OF the
new county projects.
In any event, the committees report
will only carry the wrangle into leg
islative halls instead of ending it In
the committee room. The fight over
the Atlanta depot, it is said, was not
circumstance to what may be expect
ed over these new counties. Whether
they will go through at the coming
session will depend very much on the
nature of this fight and on the rules
adopted by the house regarding debate
and the like when these measures are
under consideration. If debate is linn
tied and other tilibustering methods
are put under the ban the new coun-
ties will likely get through all right,
and the establishment of one will
mean the establishment of eight.
There must be taken into cOnsidera-
! ton the fact that there will be a GER
tain amount of trading among those
who want new counties, and this may
have a tendency to hasten matters
| somewhat.
Many New Counties Wanted.
! There are now plans on foot for the
esta blishment for twice as many cOun-
| ties as the constitutional amendment
provides for, and it is generally be-
! lieved that there will be applications
from at least twenty sections of the
state which desire to branch out with
their own local governments. Politi-
cal motives are back of certain of
these new county schemes, while others
are based upon a desire to better the
condition of the people. And politics,
in some instances, at least will no
doubt prevail.
There are just four of the new cOun-
ty to schemes which propose to take a
slice off of Emanuel. If all of them
should go through there would hardly
be enough of Emanuel county left to
oopstit11te q SIMS II haiIiwick