The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-05
MUCH WORK BEFORE
THE LEGISLATURE
Georgia Lawmakers Are Slow
In Getting Started
OLD CONTESTS ON HAND
Child Labor Problem and the Question
of Biennial Sessions of Leqisla-
ture Are Important Subjects
to Be Handled.

Atlanta, July ESPECIAL Next
week the legislature ought to Ell
down to real business. There will
be nothing done before Tuesday
when Is OF the 30 legislative days
will have passed. The senate
does not meet until Tuesday, and
the house will do we'll if 1t has a quo
rum present Monday, which will be
celebrated as the Fourth of July.
But on Tuesday real work is ex-
pected to begin. Both President SIaton
of the senate and Speaker Holder of the
house have stated positively that they
will then announce their standing COM
already, been referred, and many of
those will organize and ger right to
work Tuesday afternoon. by Wednes-
day there ought to be enough bills re-
ported back to each body - keep 1t
busy for the days session
After that the committees will con-
tinue to grind right along from day to
day, and soon the calendars will be SO
we'll filled that the house and perhaps
the senate will fall considerably be-
hind.
The general appropriations bill and
general tax measure are yet to DE in
PRODUCED but these have right of way
over everything, for they must he
passed at this session. The chief trou-
BILE in connection with these measures
is that the house usually occupies SO
much time with their consideration that
it is right on the heel of the session
when they get to the senate and that
body has to hurry through with them
more rapidly than it does with any 9TH
err legislation, VIII ereas they should
really be given the most careful con-
sideration.
Laws to Be Enacted.
out of the mass of proposed legisla-
tlon which has already been presented
both In the house and senate. 1t is pos
sible some wise and salutary laws may
be enacted, If the committees will get
promptly to work on measures of this
class and exclude all the stuff which
ought not to be on the statute books
and stands little chance Of ever getting
there.
The biennial sessions measure stands
well at the front on the calendar OF
both houses; it is possible for 1t to be
reported back for action the day fter
the committees are appointed, and eth
er the house or the senate could get
right to work on it; perhaps both.
And yet 1t seems to be conceded rLat
there is going to be no special effort
made to push this measure. There ap-
pears to be no doubt of general public
approval of this measure, but II is
limited that there is a great deal of op-
position to it among the legisla tive
membership. Being a constitutional
amendment, it requires two-thirds
vote of both houses, and 1t seems to
be conceded that that is going to be
hard to get. There arc too MANY
chronic members of the legislature
here; they like to come back every
year.
An effort is going to be made again
to change the time of holding the ses-
would bring the legislature in session
Immediately after the state election
and the Inauguration of governor Would
take place week or 10 days after his
election instead of eight months later
as is the case now. If successful this
effort would cut about eight months Off
the tWo-year term of Joseph M. Brown
sions of the general assembly-to put IL
back in October, but on the second. in
stead OF the fourth Wednesday. This
as governor. 1t is in no sense promls-
ing, however.
Same Old Fight.
several old fights will be revived in
the general assembly this year, among
them one involving the child labor
problem. 1t will be recalled that the
child labor bill passed three years ago
was in the nature of compromise. 1t
was far from what the strong advocates
of the measure wanted, and 1t was also
strongly resisted by the mill element.
In the interim 1t has been sought to
arouse considerable sentiment toward
strengthening the law, and its friends
are now hopeful of the passage Of the
proposed amendment by Representa-
tive Wright of Floyd, which provides
that no child under IA years of age
shall be permitted to work In any fac
tory or mill under any circumstances.
The present age limit is IL years. Mr..
Wright's bill further provides that no
child under 18 years of age shall be
permitted to labor in any factory or
manufacturing establishment between
the hours of 7 p. m. and 6 a. m. Other
provisions of Mr.. Wright's bill are SIM.
liar to those in the present law except
that the ages are advanced. For ok
ample, no child under 16 is to be per-
mitted to work In a factory unless he