The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-18
LEGISLATURE IS
WORKING SLOWLY
The Income Tax Resolution Is
Passed in the House
THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR
Contest and Others VIII Furnish
Material for Very Lively
Campaign

Atlanta, Ca, July 1I-(Special)- IF il
takes one week to pass one appropriation
bill carrying $4,000, through one house OF
the general assembly, how long will II
take to get through % special appropria-
ton bills carrying appropriations OF
1916, 600?
The foregoing query may we'll be
classed with those involving the age Of
Ann and the identity of the assailant OF
Bill Patterson
The House of Representatives did vote
this week, but that was after it had
spent the previous week In threshing II
out. Outside of that all 1t has done is
to pass one out of q special appropria-
ton bills, carrying $4,000 for the Geor-
gia Normal and Industrial college.
These special appropriations are
scheduled to come up one right after
another, but the house was too busy
Friday wrangling over the question as
to how many of its members should be
permitted to go on the junketing trip
to Chattanooga, which is fed out to
the public as the annual inspection of the
Western and Atlantic railroad-a trip
almost as necessary as would be a spec
ial legislative investigation of the black
fish banks off Tybee.
Criticism of Legislature
However, it has grown SO popular to
rail at the general assembly, that it has
almost become trite. Really there are
things about it to be commended. and
perhaps the foremost of these is that 1t
Is not spending its time burdening the
statute books with new laws. There is
always compensation somewhere and 1t
will be gratifying to know that, in this
respect at least, the state is getting it.
But the house has promised next week
to take hold of special appropriations
again and to proceed to dispose of them
The s346,O00 of special appropriations for
1910 does not include the $780, 900 appropri-
ated for additional pensions, in the bill
which recently passed both houses and is
now a law; nor does it include the $780,
GOO which the general appropriations COM
mittee recommended should be spent for
a monument to the men and women OF
the Confederacy to be erected upon the
capitol grounds. Right there is an ad-
ditional $4,000 which will have to be dug
up somewhere, provided the latter bill
becomes a law.
More State Revenue
Chairman w. R. Jones of the appropri-
ations committee has estimated that the
state will have something like 100000
more in revenue this year than 1t had
last, derived from the ordinary increase
in the returns of taxable property and
increased special taxes from corpora
tions. dogs, and other things.
But even should that be the case, it
would be difficult to stretch 1t to cover
s65o,000 which the Legislature has ap-
propriated or is called upon to appro-
pirate, at this session. 81
Many of the members of the legislature
don't seem to care a rap about the states
financial situation.
A remark made by one of them when
the first OF the special appropriations
day, is characteristic of the attitude OF
many To quote from a report of the
house proceedings:
Mr.. McCrory of Sclyey: Isn't 1t true
that no matter WHIT appropriation is
suggested the cry Railways made that
we have no money, and isn't 1t also true
that we have always found the money
somewhere with y,hich to meet every
appropriations"
Hart Out of Race
In withdrawing from the race for gov
ernor Judge John C. Hart, for many
years the states attorney general
sounded note of warning with refer.
ence to the states financial condition
deploring the fact that 1t has beer
brought into fractional politics in the
midst of which he said the states credit
and good name had been forgotten.
Nor did Judge Hart base his warning
upon either of the two widely divergent
views as to the condition of the state
treasury; it's foundation lay In the fact
ldemonstrable and demonstrated, that fol
several years past the legislature has
been annually appropriating more money
than 1t has collected from taxation anc
other sources. When expenditures are
considerably and continually exceeding
income. the ultimate result becomes a
simple, an elementary proposition.
Income of State
1t may be true that the states income
| is growing, whether proportionately tc
expenditure or not; but it is also true
according to some of Georgia. best known
statesmen, that when members of the
legislature go to the treasury for theil
pay and mileage after adjournment
they will find it lacking in funds suffi
Client to meet even that comparatively
small demand, UNLESS Governor Brown
meets the emergency, as he will ne
doubt do, and borrow enough money t.
meet the legislative payrolls.
Anyhow. to get back to the subject
the house is going to take up specia
appropriations again next week, ant
among the more important measures fol-
consideration are bills appropriating al
aggregate of more than $4,000 to tn,
state sanitarium; $4,000 to the School O
Technology. $4,000 to the State Norma
School library. $4,000 to the state tn
berculosis sanitarium. $4,000 for a heat
| ing plant for the State university $35, O0
for the State Normal school. and $500
to the North Georgia Agricultural col
| lege at Dahlonega.
/ These institutions probably need ever,
cent of the money asked for and more
and If the state can pay it, there is N
question that It can do so.
Educational Funds
There is little doubt that the educa
tional bills will all be passed. The mem
bers of the legislature, generally, are in
clined to favor appropriations of thi
class in spite Of any and all opposition
This was illustrated in the vot
Thursday of 105 to IS for the Georgi
Normal bill.
.l.- x~+fn