The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-08-12
GET BUSY WITH REFORM
Said Governor in a Special Mes
sage to the Legislature.
LET CONVICT QUESTION WAIT

Until an Extra Session He viii in
All Probability Call. Smith Mem
toned Several Measures He Was
Especially Anxious to Have Passed
at Present Session.
Last Wednesday Governor Smith
sent a special message to the legis-
lature urging that it get busy on
some of his reform measures, and
strongly intimating that it was his
purpose to call an extra session for
the settlement of the convict ques-
ton. The governors message was
as follows:
To the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives; AS your session is
limited by the constitution of the
state to so days | feel that it is my
duty to communicate with YOU with
reference to the important legisla-
ton now pending before your bodies.
The necessity for wisely handling
the convict question is so great that
thorough consideration.
l fear it will be impossible for you
to give to this subject the full con-
sideration which you many desire
between now and the close of the
session without displacing many 9TH
er important bills which are almost
ready to be enacted into laws.
Under these circumstances | de-
sire to assure you of my perfect
readiness to call an extra session of
the legislature Immediately after the
close of the present session at which
you can act upon the convict ques-
ton.
Without intending to question the
Importance Of other bills to which |
do not refer permit me especially to
call your attention to four matters
of legislation pending before you
upon which I urge the necessity for
action.
First-Each of your bodies has
! passed an anti-lObbying bill. 1t re-
mains for them to reach an agree
ment upon which both may approve.
SecOnd-There is pending before
each of your bodies a primary cleo
| ton law which, among other things.
will fix the time for holding our
state primaries at a date not earlier
than 60 days before the date of the
election
Third-There is pending before
each of your bodies a registration
bill.
| The enactment of new laws with
reference to registration seems to be
a necessity. At present all over the
state tax collectors have been in the
habit Of allowing men to sign the
voters list without requiring the
affidavit prescribed by law to be
sworn before names are signed to
the lists. This custom naturally has
led to illegal registration.
The work of the registrars under
the present law is postponed to such
a date that no benefit is derived
from purging the voters books be-
fore our primaries. Indeed, the
work of the registrars is almost neg
| lected
After a vote is put into the ballot
! box it is almost impossible to get it
out whether it went into the ballot
| box legally or Illegally. The time for
I protecting our elections and preserV-
! ing to the qualified voters the right
to control the affairs of the state is
! before the ballots go into the ballot
! boxes, and new registration laws to
prevent illegal voting are absolutely
necessary if the voters of Georgia
are to have fair opportunity to ex-
press their views, especially at our
primary elections.
To these three pieces of legislation
! | especially call your attention and
respectfully urge that the work you
have already done upon them be
brought to completion. To postpone
these subjects to another legislature
would require much of this work to
! be done over again
Fourth-There are pending before
you bills to appropriate money to
the state college of agriculture and
to the eleven district agricultural
schools.
These institutions are of vast i'm
pOrtanCe to the people of the state
! They are in critical condition. We
must give them support now.
There are other matters before
you upon which I earnestly hope you
may reach favorable action.
But l cannot too strongly express
my commentator of the four meas
ures which I have mentioned.
HOKE SMITH, Governor.
PAXTON AN EARLY BIRD.