Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1910-08-04

| the COMMISSION. Inc gross gum COlIrCt
ed by these companies from the people
of Georgia annually is over S50,00O,u00
The commissioners are charged witt
the responsibility of adjusting differ
- ces between The pc Jple and - system:
of railroads. 81 street railroads, gas
electric, and water companies, "a tee
| phone and telegraph companies, and =
compress companies.
rney are charged also with the duty
| Of supervising stock and bond ISSUE
| r-ade by these companies.
These companies are to a large ex
tent natural monopolies. To perfect E
system by which the public and thu
| corporation will each receive justice i!
| cf the utmost Importance.
| EXPENDITURE COMPARATIVELY
SMALL
The expenditure which Georgia MAKE!
| for the benefits brought to the public
| through the railroad commission is small
indeed compared to the Importance O.
the service rendered. 1t is smaller thar
that usually incurred by other states fol
such service.
We should resist every effort to dis
member the commission. We should sup
port for positions upon the commission
the ablest and pureSt men who are
willing to serve, and we should foster
It as a body organized to encourage ano
Sustain the prosperity of the state
through equal justice both to corpora
tons and to the public.
ABOLISHMENT OF CONVICT LEASE.
The :hrd great piece of constructive
legislation which came to you through
the two years of progressive Democracy
is the adjustment of the convict lease
and the utilization of the convicts upon
the public roads of the state. This was
literally and exclusively the work O:
the progressive Democracy.
For years a system of handling con-
Victs existed in our state far from cred
liable 1t was Objectiona BILE for two
reasons: First, because the convict
passed out of the hands of the state to
the hands of private individuals, and sec
oad, because private individuals were
being made rich by the use of crimi-
nails.
The struggle to abolish the lease sys-
TEN was indeed laboriOus Some good
men in the legislature believed it i'm
possible to handle the convicts except
under leases and some in sympathy with
the lessees desired to help them accum-
uIatA wealth from the use of the con-
viCts.
THE REPRESENTATIVES OF OUR
POLITICAL OPPONENTS IN THE
LEGISLATURE WE'RE LINED UP
ALMOST SOLIDLY IN FAVOR OF
THE NEW LEASE. THE CLAIM
THAT THEY HAD DECLARED
AGAINST THE LEASE IS ABSURD.
THEIR LEADERS PREPARED THE.
NEW LEASE BILL, PROVIDING FOR
THE PERPETUAL LEASING OF CON,
VICTS, Their leaders supported it, ami
it was OILY defeated by the strenuous
efforts Of progressive Democrats aided
by the fact that l publicly stated my
purpose to veto a bill which did moi
provide for putting the convicts On
the public loads.
GOOD ROADS BUILT BY CONVTCTS
The people of south Georgia already
feel the benefit which has come to them
from good roads built by convict labor
BY the end of ten years all south Geor-
sia will be a net work of splendid roads
constructed because the progressive
Democracy broke up the convict leas3
and thereby made it possible for the
counties to use the convicts in the con-
slruction If good roads. Middle and
north Georgia less rapidly but surely
will, by the use of convict labor, carry
good roads throughout the entire state
Good roads will lessen the cost of
make access easy to school houses and
churches they will remove the isola-
ton of rural life, they will increase i'm
mensely the value of farming lands
aid tend to stop the rush from the
country to the cities and towns. They
will help build a citizenry for Georgia,
prosperous capable, independent and
happy.
shall lot discuss the many other
measures which were a part of the two
years service of the progressive Democ-
racy, but l do wish to call your at-
tention to the fact that the BEST IN
TERESTS OF THE STATE WERE
CAREFULLY WATCHED AND GIVEN
ATTENTION EVEN IN THE SIM
PLEST DETAILS.
The appropriations to rural schools
were increased 100000 annually, and
pensions We're paid promptly.
TREASURY STRENGTHENED.
In spite of an increase of 100000 paid
out for education, your treasury was
strengthened and it's surplus increased
The attack made upon the treasury in
the fall of 1909 was utterly unfounded and
has recoiled upon those who published it
on account of the sound condition in
which it had been left.
STATE FINANCES.
There is no difficulty about handling the
finances of the state if they are managed
with conservatism and intelligence. Our
appropriations are passed relying upon
the ad valorem taxes of each year at least
In part for their payment The current
income of the state meets current ex-
penses, but the ad valorem taxes are nee
essary to pay the heavy appropriations
to public schools and to pensions. BY
the latter part Of the summer, the sur
plus with which the treasury now starts
the first of the year is liable to be ex-
hausted. Our ad valorem taxes are not
required to be paid before the 10Th of
December.
The comptroller general collects all the
taxes directly from tie public service
companies. These taxes do not pass
through the county tax receivers or
comptrollers' hands. They amount TO
over 500 900 a year.
HOW TO PAY THE TEACHERS.
L BELIEVE EARNESTLY IN THE
PROMPT PAYMENT OF TEACHERS
SALARIES THEY WERE MORE
PROMPTLY PAID WHILE WAS GOV
ERNOR THAN EVER BEFORE, BUT
THE STATE SHOULD NOT ISSUE
BONDS FOR CURRENT EXPENSES.
We can advance the time of the pay
ment of those taxes collected from pub
lie service companies which are paid
through the comptroller general to a date
not later than September 1st and allow
| them / per cent discount, because they
| pay sooner than the public generally. !
have talked with repre- sentatives of a