The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-17

however, the members favored dronpine
 the matter
 The friends of MT. Brown hold that this
 IS a complete vindication for him. be-
 cause the law provides that there shall be dismissal from office only after the gov
 ernors action has been approved by a majority of both houses. The next sten will be that MT. Brown will go to the state treasury and demand his salary for the six weeks of his term during which
 the governors suspension was effective.
 If 1t is refused he will, of course. apply
 to the courts for mandamus and that will
 result in construction of the law, both
 as to the legislative duty and the gov ernor's rgiht to suspend a state official because he disagrees with him as to mat
 ters of state policy.
 On the other hand the friends of Gov ernor Smith claim that the failure of the legislature to act in effect, upholds him because MT. Browns term having
 expired before the general assembly met,
 there could neither be any reinstatement nor any dismissal.
 From the wording of the law Mr. Brown
 seems to have the strong side of 1t. but It will nevertheless make a pretty oues- uon Tor the courts. In view of the Yer dict of the people in naming MT. Brown for governor, it is not surprising that the leglslature was 10th to take hold of the case. af0 Among the measures passed by the leg 1slature were bills appropriating some S3OO,NO to various state institutions. all though it was stated near the opening of the session that the general assembly at best had only $45,000 available in the state treasury, 1909 estimates included, sub- Ject to appropriation These appropria- ton measures included $105, ,0OO for the state college of agriculture, about s75 OOo Tor the district agricultural schools s45,- GOO additional for the state sanitarium. S25.0OO for state sanitarium for the treat ment of tuberculosis, $15,000 for the State Normal school for one purpose and S7OOO TOT another, Y61 for the Georgia Normal and Industrial college at Miledgeville. $5OOO for the state board of health, $50o0 to take care of the Confederate cemetery at Marietta, $28000 additional expense of the railroad commission to January l. 1910, and number of minor appropria- tions such as individual pensions and the like, not to forget S3000 to pay the ex- penses of the convict Investigating con-
 mittee. Just where the state is going to get the money is a puzzling proposition at present. Under the constitution the gov- ernor can borrow only $200,000 to supply casual deficiencies, and that is already needed for other purposes. Still it can be paid back when the taxes come in and then borrowed again to meet some of
 
 put 1t up to the next legislature to take care of the deficiency. It has already be- come pretty problem.
 Among other general laws enacted by the general assembly were the following: bill amending the registration laws with a view to better protecting registra- tion against fraud, and in order to har-
 monize the registration with the disfran- chisement law which will be voted on by the people in October.
 bill returning to the old system of paying pensions annually instead of quar- terly, the latter system having been in effect only for the present year. A bill providing that the state primary 1 election shall be held not more than 60
 days in advance of the regular state elec- tion
 A bill penalizing telegraph companies in the sum of S25 for failure to promptly de- liver messages.
 bill authorizing the establishment of a state militia separate and apart from the National Guard, and not amenable to the provisions of the national or Dick law.
 A bill amending the constitution so as to give a service pension to every Con- federate veteran in the state and to every veterans widow who has less than $l500 of property or less than $500 income. This
 must be voted on by the people. It has been said it's passage would add nearly
 $1, 100000 to the pension rolls of the state. A bill permitting street railroad com- panies to transport free of cost policemen and f1remen. bill requiring railroad companies to supply with electric headlights all loco-
 motives used on their main lines. r A bill extending the present school
 book contracts of the state for period
 of two years, until January 1, 1911. bill prohibiting the charging of more , than 5 per cent month interest on any loan on personal property or salary.