Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-07-23
ASK IMPEACHMENT :.
AND EXTRA SESSION
They Hope, Through Difficulty of
Securing Two-thirds Vote, to
Save Him-Extra Session of
Legislature Almost Certain

That friends Of S. Guyton McLendon.
the suspended chairman Of the railroad
commission, in their zeal to save him,
will bring on an extra session of the
legislature, is now generally rumored
around the capitol. The fight will begin
in the house on next Monday, when the
subcommittee of the joint senate and
house Investigating committees, will sub
NIT all the evidence.
1t will be one of the bitterest fights ever
engaged in by the legislature. The fight
will be as TO whether the chairman shall
simply be removed from Office, or be i'm
peached. ;Curiously enough, the friends of
Mr.. McLendon. will lead the fight for
impeachment, hoping through the diff
Guilty OF securing a two-thirds vote OF the
senate, to save him.
Those who really think that Mr.. Nc
Tendon should be punished are opposed
to impeachment In the first place, they
say, such proceedings would subject the
state to an extra session of the legisla-
ture, which would be expensive. In the
second place, they can see no reason for
such drastic action. Impeachment dis
franchises, and carries a stigma that is
deemed unnecessary.
There are in the house and legislature
enemies of Ex-Governor Smith so bitter
that they would be unwilling to sustain
where they believe that Mr.. McLendon's
conduct was such as to bar him from
office.
TWO MOTIONS IN HOUSE.
Two motions will be introduced in the
house Monday following the submission
of the evidence. One will be to sus-
tain the governors action in dismissing
the chairman. The other will be to In
stitute impeachment proceedings.
The house, in the matter of impeach-
ment proceedings, is the grand jury which
draws the Indictment, and the senate.
with the chief justice of the supreme
court presiding, is the trial court The
house may institute proceedings by ma
iority vote, but the senate, acting as
jury, would require a two-thirds vote
to find a verdict of guilty.
1t is in the hope that the senate would
be unable to array two-thirds vote
against Mr.. McLendon that his friends
will favor Impeachment proceedings.
These politicians NRre working most
adroitly. They know that sentiment in the
state is strongly against Mr.. McLendons
connection with the bond deal, and MS
suC~en change of opinions as railroad
commissioned. II would never do to re-
turn home and say that they considered
Mr. McLendon blameless. Their course
therefore, is to appear to be against the
GUEn6n0eu
while they are working hard for him IN
their effort to bring on impeachment pro-
ceedings.
There are some legislators, among them
Hall Of Bibb, who wish to see the commas
sioner impeached. The house VOTE howeV.
or would really operate to the benefit or
those friends who wish to save him.
A man who is close to the Brown admin
istration and its friend, Is authority tor
Awnfn
Brown supporters are Indifferent about
Mr. M.d ,endon himself. and would rather
see him impeached, and bring on an extra
session of the Legislature, than see Gov
ernor Smiths action sustained. .,.
The evidence has been divided into two
sections One deals with the governors
charges, the other only with Mr. NC
Lendon's profits on the sale of the Attn
ems Street railway bonds. McLendon's
friends hope to have these sections con-
sidered separately. Others favor vote
on the evidence as a whole.
McLendon's friends will also argue that
the Gambler act, which makes railroad
commissioners elected by the people, by
inplication removes the power of removal
nv the governor Those who wish him
suspended. will argue that no such i'm
plication exists, as was shown by the
passage of the senate bill, whose very
purpose was to remove the governor
power of removal.
It will be seen that there is enough par
tisanship as well as genuine difference
of opinion to occupy the house in debate
for several days before any action Is
ever taken. Should the matter go to the
senate for impeachment, an extra session
would be automatic.
This would come at a time when there
is already argument against annual ses-
sions of the legislature on account of their
expense to the state. This is one or
the prime reasons of opposition to any
other course than simple removal
The subcommittee of the joint commit
tees, which is composed of Walter McEl-
reath, Senator Calhoun and Representa-
tive Boyd, will have the record ready
by Monday The committees will make
no comment on 1t, but will submit 1t to
the house to speak for itself. 1t will con-
tain, when complete, between 400 and 800
typewriter pages.