The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1908-08-25
EXTRA SESSION
Of LEGISLATURE
CONVENED TO-DAY
THE PROBABLE OUTCOME OF THE
CONVICT AGITATION is
OUTLINED.
Legislature May Impose Tax on Near
Beer, But 1t Will Not Be a Pro-
hibitive Tax-Few Other
Matters to Come Up.

ATLANTA, Aug. 24.-The first ex-
ira session of Georgia's general assem-
bly,, called for the purpose CT consid-
ering legislation, since the adoption
of the constitution of 1877, will meet
tomorrow, March 25.
The only other extra session held
within the last 80 years was one made
unavoidable by the death of Governor
Alexander H. Stephens, and was call
ed to inaugurate his successor, Gov
ornor Henry D. Mcdaniel.
The present extra session was call
ed because of the failure of the gem
eral assembly in its regular session
to enact a law providing for the dis
position of the states convicts, fol.
lowing the expiration of the present
lease contracts, April l, 1909, some
three months prior to the next regu-
lar legislative session.
While he decided to call the gem
eral assembly solely for the purpose
of dealing with the convict question,
Governor Smith has made the call
broad enough to include every phase
of it, and even to bring in what
might be otherwise considered ex-
traneous matter, just so long as there
! is convict string tied to it.
The legislature may deal with mis-
demeanor cCGvicts, with the use of
convicts by counties, the working of
them on the public roads, on farms
or elsewhere, with reformation and
juvenile courts, with any possible
constitutional amendment relating to
the convict question or whether it be
prohibiting leasing or issuing bonds
or increasing the tax rate to raise
revenue to take care of them, or it
may enact other revenue measures
so long as the revenue to be derived
from them is to- be turned into the
,penitentiary fund.
Under the revenue clause of the
call there appears to be no question
now that determined effort will be
made to put a tax upon the manufac-
ture and sale of near" beer. The
extreme prohibitionists VIII probably
endeavor to make the tax a prohibit
/ tive one, but 1t Is pointed out that
prohibitive tax cannot be construed
into a revenue measure, and that the
extra session would exceed it's author
! iity in enacting such a law.
| That 1t can, however, put a reason
able tax upon the near beer business,
the proceeds to be turned into the
convict fund, is not questioned. A
similar proposition was considered at
the regular session, Mr.. Wise, Of
Fayette, offering a bill to tax dealers
5000 and manufacturers $500. The
house passed it after eliminating the
Feature which confined the amount of
alcohol in the beverage to 1 IL per
cent, and after cutting the tax on
manufacturers to $500. The senate,
however, killed the bill on the last
day of the session.
Whether the proposition to turn
this revenue fund into the penitenti.
sentiment Is questionable. 1t is said
that near beer dealers would welcome
the imposition of a state tax which
would constitute a legal recognition
lof their business and remove the
Damoclean sword which is now hang
ing over their heads.
At present they don't know what
moment they may be called into
court on the charge of violating the
prohibition law, and subjected at
least to the expense of a long trial.
With the imposition of a tax they
would feel more at ease and more
secure in their rights.