Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-07-01
COURT OF APPEALS
JUDGES GET A RAISE
Senate Passes Bill to Increase
Their Salaries, After a
Long Debate

1t took the state senate three hours
to dispose OF three measures Thursday.
Outside OF them, but little Of importance
was done.
/ The first thing taken up was a motion
| to reconsider the antiprize fight bill
passed on Wednesday, so as to tack on
an amendment making it more drastic.
! This was done in short order.
| And as the bill now stands. If passed
by the house, it will not only seal the
doom of actual prize fights but will pus
stop TO even the niiIdest IF spdrrIds
exhibitions.
The next measure was President Sla-
tons bill to regulate procedure In Or
| binary motions for new trials, so as to
expedite justice. 1t was debated at
considerable length, but when put on
! it's passage was adopted by the unanl-
/ nous vote of 80 to o.
Then came the bill to increase the
| salaries Of court of appeals Judges from
! $4,000 to $1,000 per annum, and 1t tied
up the senate an hour and half or
more. 1t passed, however, by vote Of
: "a TO IA, and was transmitted immedi-
ately to the house by vote Of IS to 1.
FIGHT BILL STRENGTHENED.
The Matthews anti-prize fight bill pass
| ed Wednesday IN the senate was made
still more drastic by the senate Thurs
day morning by the adoption Of an
amendment by Senator Matthews, the att
thor, which defines prize fighting as any
fstic encounter with or without gloves
to which admission fees are charged, and
where the contestants receive money or
anything else of value. .-. as r
Senator Matthews purpose in amend
ing his bill was, admittedly, to stop the
| bouts now in vogue In Atlanta and other
Georgia cities.
Senator Days motion to reconsider
the senate's action of Wednesday in de-
| law was lost.
House bills were read, and standing
| committees reported.
SLATON EXPLAINS MEASURE.
| President Slaton explained the purpose
of the measure and the good effect 1t
would have in saving time. labor and
money in new trial procedure.
| The essential feature of the bill is the
clause providing that a mover for new
! trial shall not be required to have all the
testimony Transcribed to submit to the
| trial judge. In connection with this
clause is one providing that a motion
shall be filed not later than. five days
after Judgment is rendered. The purpose
of this is TO have all motions heard while
the details are fresh in the mind Of the
judge.
There was some debate as to the wis
dom Of the clause requiring the judge to
specify on what grounds on which he
grants a new trial. Senator Longley was
| inclined to be doubtful as to the clause.
Senator Harrell vigorously advocated an
| amendment on this point.
Senator Matthews favored the bill be-
cause he thought 1T thoroughly practi-
cable and one that would vastly expedite
new trial procedure. 1t was passed by a
vote of 80 to o.
BY unanimous consent a local house
/ bill to create a board of county commits
sioners for Clayton county, was put on
i fits passage, and received the requisite
majority. The senate's action was imme-
| diately communicated to the house. -,
| BY unanimous consent the bill to drain
and levee wild swamp lands was recon-
mitted to the committee on counties and
| county matters.
COURT. OF APPEALS SALARIES.
Under a special order the house bill fix
/ ing the salaries of the court of appeals
1 Judges at 5000 per annum, instead of
| $4,000, which they are paid now under a
provisional law, was put on it's passage.
Senator Burwell championed the meas
ure.
| OeCldTeu lildl S1tSVV 10 n
| salary to pay the states highest judicial
| officer He compared the 81, 900 to the SAL
| aries of $1,000 being paid to several city
/ court judges.
| Senator Griffin opposed the measure.
He pointed out the numerous increases in
the states court of last resort in recent
i years. He argued 1t would be wrong
| to single out the judges for salary in
| creases, and leave other Officials. among
/ A. a, xr-ha
From the poor taxpayers standpoint he
! placed himself on record as being I'M
! alterably opposed to this wholesale in
! creasing of salaries" He denied that the
! cost of living in Atlanta is greater than
in the smaller towns of the state.
| "A pound of meat costs as much in
| Barnesvine or Griffin as in Atlanta" he
informed the senate.
| Senator Slater favored giving the judges
more money. The flower of Georgia's
! supreme bench has left 1t for private
practice, he said, because the salaries
/ are too small
| The state cannot expect to get the
best legal talent in the courts OF last re-
sort, ne argued, without paying salaries
| commensurate Herewith.
| SALARIES AND GRAMMAR.
| He made the assertion that in certain
| other states which pay their highest Ju-
1 dietary 'StlnRy salaries, many ucClSiOHS
have actually been rendered in INGRAM
NAUTICAL language.
He forcefully drove home the fact that
many baseball players get more for
few months work than Georgia's su-
preme Judges He made the startling
statement that he had seen superior
court justices tremor when faced by
practicing lawyers before whose ability
they stood in dread.
| Senator Longley opposed the measure
on the ground that IL the judges have to
have more money to live on In Atlanta,
the state might as we'll increase the sal
aries of numerous other officials whose
salaries are practically the same.
| Senator Akin, of the Fourth, favored
! the measure. He believed the state ought
/ to have the best lawyers in the business
| on the bench.
| The main question being ordered, SEN
I ator Matthews chairman of the commit
/ tee on general judiciary, was allowed 20
minutes in which to speak for thes bill.
/ He submitted figures showing in very
/ convincing way really what bagatelle
| the proposed increase would amount TO,
when compared to the total cost Of the
states civil establishments.
| BILL is PASSED.
The bill passed on an aye and nay
roll call, 26 to IA. A motion to transmit
H. NO