The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-04-26
MISSISSIPPI STATE
LEGISLATURE
UUR CORRESPONDENTS
WEEKLY LETTER.
RESUME OF THE PAST WE K
subjects Of Legislature Recommend
ed and Acted Upon From Day to
Day---House and Senate Bills Pass
ed and Other Items Of Interest.


The Mississippi Legislature ad-
Journed at noon Saturday after the
longest and costliest session in the
history of the state having convened
January 2 and appropriated over sew
en- million dollars.
The McNair incident died out in
the house after strong effort to pass
resolution calling for the resigna-
lions Of all state officials who were
guilty Of drunkenness in Office.
Once more the Sample anti-lobbying
resolution has been lost in the shuttle
The invasion Of lobbyists, paid and
unpaid, during the dying days of the
legislature, has simply overwhelmed
that once famous document, and it
has seemingly retired into the shades
OF lnnocuouS desuetude, whatever
that may be.
On its last public appearance,
which provoked a so-called sensation
regarding the lobbying work of SUI
perlntendent Agee, of the Southern
Express Company, the Sample reso-
luton looked rather seedy and frayed
at the edges, and if now exposed to
the garish light of publicity it would
doubtless have an almost threadbare
appearance.
1t IS fact unquestioned that dur
ing the past ten days the lobbyists
have been thicker around the state
house than during any previous period
OF the session. They have been more
numerous than bees in clover field,
yet the Sample resolution has not
been invoked against them, simply
for the reason that no member cares
to make the complaint necessary to
STIR the committee to action. The
house grew very weary Of its new pet,
even before the session was half fin
ished, and the spirit Of the measure
will doubtless be forever inferred
with the adjournment of the present
body.
After four or five days of very
spirited fighting, which brought to the
capital the representative of nearly
every large life insurance company
In the United States, the legislature
finally decided to make no change
whatever in the statutes pertaining
to the investment of insurance re-
serve funds, and thus the insurance
corporations achieved clear-cut vic
tory.
The threat was made that if til,
Smith amendment requiing life insur.
ance companies to invest 25 per cent
of their legal reserve in Mississippi
securities it would drive all Of the
large companies out of the State, and
the insurance men succeeded in con-
vincing the Conference COMMITTEES
that this threat would be made good.
When the report was submitted the
Senate adopted it almost without a
murmur.
The last fight Of the legislative ses-
sion was on the motion to reconsider
action amending section S3S of the
code chapter on corporations reduc-
ing the property-holding limit from
ten million to two million dollars.
By this action the two Houses put
themselves on record as opposing
large corporate holdings which the f.
nanciers Of the lumber industry in
this State declare to be absolutely es-
sential to their plan of development,
and without which it will be utterly
impossible to build several new rail
roads and mammoth manufacturing
plants now in contemplation.
This important and far-readhing ac-
ton by the legislature in its dying
hours cannot be ascribed other than
as remarkable personal victory for
Governor Vardaman, revealing the
dominating influence Of the man and
his ability to change results after
calm and deliberate Judgment had
reached conclusion on the subject
just to the contrary.
Whether the victory is for good or
i'll time alone can determine. The
Senate had by very large majority
decided that ten million dollar limit
was not exorbitant for the several
large syndicates that have acquired
timber holdings in the State. After
much wrangling the House finally
agreed IN this conclusion by ma
jorlty of four votes. Then the Cover
nor's message Of disapproval arrived,
just when the lawmakers were pack
ing their grips and preparing to leave
the capital. Another long and tedious
fight loomed up in prospect. A wran-
gle was threatened that might undo
everything that had been done