The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1906-04-19
THE MISSISSIPPI
LEGISLATURE
OUR CORRESPONDENTS
WEEKLY LETTER.
RESUME OF THE PAST WEEK
Subjects Of Legislature Recommend
ed and Acted Upon From Day to
Day.--House and Senate Bills Pass
ed and Other Items Of Interest.

Governor Vardaman has finally &C
knowledged that it will be necessary
to again extend the time limit fol
the legislative session in order to In
sure proper completion of the work
The extension will not be for longer
period than one week.
Both branches have almost COM
pleted the legislative work proper but
there are numerous odds and ends to
be cleared up and the revision commit
tee must be allowed time to get into
proper shape the immense amount OF
work piled upon the clerical forces
at the last moment.
Furthermore, the final enactment
of the code is subject oIbe dispos-
ed of, to say nothing of the bills car
rying appropriations for the work OF
printing, distribution, etc.
Many members hope that the legis-
lature can get through and adjourn
by the middle of the week, and GER
tainly by Thursday.
After quietly slumbering ON the
calendar for nearly three months, Mr..
Ethridge finally secured consideration
of his concurrent resolution instruct
ing the encouragement and railroad
commission to make inquiry into the
requirement or merger Of the Illinois
Central Railroad Co., with the Rail-
way Securities Co., which was gener-
ally discussed in the press dispatches
some time ago.
The measure was called up just
prior to adjournment, Mr.. Ethridge
briefly explaining its purpose, to
which perhaps a dozen members gave
attention and it was adopted without
a dissenting vote, under suspension OF
the rules being sent Immediately to
the, senate.
In spite of the many rocks and
shoals encountered, and most mys-
terious opposition manifested even
at the very beginning of the session,
the bill creating the office of commits
sioner of agriculture is now a law, and
the only subject in reference to the
new department left unsettled is the
salary Of the commissioner for clerical
assistance.
The senate will insist on its or
iginal action that the commissioner
be allowed a salary of $1,000 per year,
with $1,000 for clerical help. The
house changed this to $4,000 a year
for commissioners salary and $1,000
for a clerk but the senate will doubt
less have its way about it when the
subject goes to conference.
The new department becomes oper-
ative Immediately after the passage,
or as soon as the governor sees fit to
name the commissioner.
The fixing of the salary of the In
surance commissioner is one of the
troublesome questions still pending in
conflict before the legislature. The
house declines to recede from its
amendment fixing the salary Of the
commissioner at So, 500 per year, while
the senate is willing to agree to the
amount of the salary, but is determin-
ed that it shall not go into effect dur
ing the term of Office of the present
commissioner, regarding this propos-
ed action as very plainly the repudia-
ton of an implied contract, as Com
missioner Cole offered for the place
with the understanding that the office
should be conducted on the fee basis
during his term.
Unless the senate has opposing
views on the subject, the new ammo
tated code will go into effect on the
first day of October Of the present
year, this being the date named in the
Introductory chapter by the house yes
terday.
This means that none of the new
laws incorporated in the code, or
even slight notifications and amend
ments, can take effect until that date,
and the statutory laws of 1892, with
the session laws enacted since that
time, will be the laws of the common
wealth until that time.
The date was placed several months
hence in order to allow the code COM
mission to make its final revision, and
to have the volumn printed for dis
tribution. Before the adjournment an
agreement will he reached in the num-
Der of copies of the revised statutes
to be published which will not be less
than $4,000 or $4,000. The lawmak-
ers must also make an appropriation
to pay for the printing.
The senate will put in ten hours