Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-06-29
VOTES FOR
JOINT COMMITTEE
Resolution Providing Joint Com
mittee of Twelve from House
and Senate is Adopted by Vote
of 81 to 10 After Lively Debate.


of 81 to 10 After Lively Debate.
At the opening of Friday mornings
session OF the senate Senator Burwell, OF
the Twentieth, introduced bill to amend
the act creating the city court of Sparta
so as to provide for the payment OF JUS
tices Of the peace. Other bills were intro
dueed as follows:
BY Senator Morris of the Eighteenth,
an act TO authorize the city Of Augusta
to acquire by condemnation or proceed
ings fee simple to property in city or
county IL needs for waterworks.
BY Senator Irwin of the Eleventh, a
bill TO repeal act creating city court OF
Dawson.
By Senator McMurry OF Thirty-first,
bill to provide for hearing and determin-
ing OF witnesses for new trials on extra
ordinary grounds in vacations OF courts.
BY Senator McCurry Of the Thirty-first,
bill 10 make penal the willful and false
utterance Of circulation Of defamatory
statements concerning any virtuous' UNI
married female.
Bv senator Ward of the Seventh, bill
TO amend section l, paragraph s, article
OF the constitution OF the state, to provide
for a chief executive of the state in case
Of disability or illness of the governor
and the disability death or absence OF the
president of the senate or the president
pro tenn.
j By Senator Calhoun. of the Fifteenth
To authorize verdicts and judgments AT
the first term Of superior courts.
BY Senator Ward, Of the seventh-To
exempt minors from road duty.
Senator. Longley, of the Thirty-seventh'
by unanimous consent, introduced reso-
hutton calling the attention of President
Taft and Secretary of State Knox to the
discrimination now made by the United
Safes government against cotton growing
states in the appointment of diplomatic
consular and financial agents TO foreign
countries. The. resolution referred 10
President Taft,s recent friendly .assur-
ances 10 the south, and asked that the al
legged discrimination be righted. The res
olutIoR was unanimously adopted.
ter MESSAGE RECEIVED. ..
The special message from Governor
Smith announcing his suspension OF Kali
road Commissioner McLendon and setting
forth his reasons therefor was read to
the senate at Ave minutes before noon,
amid profound attention. g.
Immediately after its reading, Senator
BurwelI, of the Twentieth, introduced a
resolution for the appointment of Joint
committee consisting of five from the SEN
II should he to inquire into the evidence
and reasons for the suspension, and to
report the results Of. its Investigations
The resolution provided also that the COM
mittee should have authority TO summons
witnesses, examine documents, and have
such other authority as pertains to a
court of law. This committee, the reso-
luton contemplated, should not have pow
err to make recommendations as to the
action of the general assembly, but TO OBJ
tain the evidence in the case.
Senator Burwell spoke in support of
his resolution. saying that Il would re-
duce the investigation to that dignity and
definiteness which the gravity OF the sit
uation demanded.
Senator Slater, of the First, warmly op-
posed the resolution. He said that he
wished to hear himself each of the wit
nesses and to look into their faces.
MAY LACK JURISDICTION.
Senator Griffth. of the Thirty-eighth,
opposed the resolution. Senator Longley,
of the Thirty-seventh, favored 1t. Sena-
tor Perry, of the Thirty-third, favored re-
ferrfng the message to such committee
as Senator Burwells resolution provided
for. He also suggested that under the
TENS of the law, which directs that a gov
ernor shall report his suspension of a
railroad commissioner to the next legis-
lature.' the entire matter might be be-
yond the jurisdiction of the present SEES
sion of the general assembly. -r
Senator Ward. OF the Seventh, offered
an amendment to the resolution, allowing
Mr.. McLendon to appear before the SEN
ate as a whole before the committee en-
tiers into an investigation.
Senator Matthews, of the Twenty third.
urged the adoption OF the resolution. The
senate should engage in no partisan de-
bate on the matter, he said. but should
consider the message of the governor.
each senator acting as Judge The natur-
al course therefore, would be to have
first such an inquiry as committee could
conduct. 49, --~t a-' .t"... .-
Senator Ward withdrew his amendment.
At this stage the resolution was voted
on the result being "a votes for the res
olution and Is against It, D. --
The aye and nay vote was:
For the resolution: Senators Aiken,
Bowen, Burwell. Blackwell, Galloway, OF
the Tenth; Calhoun Gates, Conley Har-
reI. Harden. Johnson. Jackson, King,
Longley, Mays, Murray. Matthews Nc
Dowell. McWilliams, Mcclure, Perry,
Pitts. Rutherford. Stevens, Ward of the
Firth. Ward of the Seventh, and Wood.
Against the resolution: Collaway of the
Twenty ninth. Day, Gordy, Griffith. IT.
win. Kemp, Morris. Mclean, McCurry,
McCollum, Patterson. Price. Rudicil, sla-
ter and Sellers. - ........T