The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-09-02
NO LEGAL LIMIT TO SESSION
THE LEGISLATURE MAY SIT JUST
AS LONG AS IT LIKES.
Not Likely TO Adjourn Before Mid
die of September, and VIII Cost
Forty Thousand Dollars.

Forty Thousand Dollars.
An Atlanta dispatch to the Sa-
vannah News says many members ex-
press the opinion that there is little
likelihood of the general assembly.
which has met in extra session for
the purpose of taking action relative
to the disposition of the states con-
victs, getting through with it's work
under three weeks, which will bring
adjournment about the middle of
September. Some of those who have
taken foremost interest in the convict
question set Sept. 18th. as the date
of adjournment.
1t looks as if it is going to be a
fight between the Holder bill, which
passed the house at the regular ses-
sion, and some other bill-almost
any other bill-to prevent the Holder
bill from passing.
Holder Bill and It's Opponents.
On one hand it is charged that
Chairman John Holder and his COM
mittee are suffering from too much
committee pride in their measure;
on the other it is charged that Sen
ator T. S. Fielder of the Twenty-sec-
ond, and few others are opposed
to the enactment of any law without
their names on it, if there is any
possibility of getting them there.
The two weeks recess between the
regular and the extra sessions did
not serve to clarity the atmosphere
to any great extent. The committee
which has been investigating the
penitentiary system has made it's re-
port, but the general assembly
knows little if anything more as
result of it than it knew some two
weeks before the regular session ad-
jOurned. The inquiry at that time
had brought practically all the facts
to light.
More Bills to Come Up.
Another thing which has served
to clog up the situation is that dur
ing the brief vacation a number of
members have been at work on their
pet ideas for solving the convict prob
lem, and have in many instances en- |
bodied them in the form of bills
which cannot, of course, be ignored. |
The house is considering these
various measures in committee of
the whole instead of referring them
to the penitentiary committee, the
object being to save time. But 60
ing into committee of the whole |
takes the bride off of debate, and as
this is the last chance the present |
members will have to hear them |
selves talk they are making the |
most of it.
No Legal Limit to Session.
There is no limit upon the time
during which the general assembly |
may remain in session, and as Gov !
Smith has taken the responsibility |
for the extra session there is, of I
course, no special reason why the |
Legislature should hurry. The linn |
tied scope of its work and the nat |
ural desire of many members to have |
a finger in it will undoubtedly, it is |
thought, have the result of prolong- |
ing the extra session beyond the time |
at which it might adjourn if it got |
right down to business with de- |
termination to finish as quickly as
possible.
The prediction made by certain
members therefore, that the session
will hardly adjourn before Sept. |
18th. appears to be a reasonable one.
The expense to the state at that rate
will probably be somewhere between
100000 and $4,000.
The day after the extra session
convened a resolution providing for
q short session WAS voted down