Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-06-29
Financial System Needs OVGrhauIing,
Attacks Registration Law and Urges
Justice to RaiIrOadS.--W State
Highways and Legislation to Stop
Abuse Of Legal TeChnlCalitleS.

Abuse Of Legal TeChnlCalitieS.
Atlanta, Ga, June Ex-Governor
Browns farewell address to the legis-
lature, otherwise his last message g
that body, was a very long paper,
dealing extensively with the various
state conditions and their causes and
remedies as the outgoing governor
sees them. The message occupies sew
en- or eight columns of newspaper
space and occupied considerable time
in the reading.
The governor began his message
with strong plea for the enforcc
ment of the law. Crime unpublished,
he declared, brings a lack of security,
which will mean loss OF not merely
population but in property values. He
urged a supervision by the legislature
of the laws which permit technicali-
ties that too often defeat justice. The
governor pointed out that under the
Georgia system of government, the
governor has no essential authority
over the officers of the counties az
virtually none over other officers CT
the state government. On this line,
the governor says:
Law Enforcement Needed.
"Georgians inherently are law-abid-
ing, and our state takes second place
to none in the general observance of
law and the preservation of order.
But it would be the acme of self-stul-
LITIGATION for us to close our eyes to
facts that in themselves are not fiat
tering. Evil must be recognized be-
fore it may be undone. Until our sys-
tenn of government, the force of public
opinion being necessary to the consis-
tent enforcement of law, there are &C.
casions when aroused local sentiment
leads to actions violently in contempt
of law and there are laws, in the let
ter applicable to all the state, which
are ignored in the spirit in some com
munities where prevailing public sem
timent does not approve of them.
ut may be argued that public opin-
ion is the highest law. In a way
this is true; for the written parch-
ment is pothing-it is the spirit If
which the writing is the crystalliza-
ton that possesses power.
THE state owes it to its own dig
nifty to have no laws which are not
enforced. If they cannot be enforced
they should be repealed or substituted
by some that can be. If they are nee
essary to the protection of society,
machinery should be provided if nee
.essary by which they may be enforc-
ed.
Law enforcement is the bedrock Of
civilization Respect for the law les
sens no citizens freedom, but is his
badge of admission into all the liber-
ties and benefits Of government. No
law can be ignored without injury to
the government and danger to the lib
critics and well-being of the people. !"
Fiscal system n Rad One.
The fiscal system of the state is
declared out of date and cumbersome.
A deficit of alarming proportions may
have to be faced in a few years I'M
less abnormal growth of income is as
sured or increase in expenditures
avoided The Legislature should take
steps to learn the true condition Of
financial affairs and take steps look
ing to complete reformation Of the
states fiscal system A better sys-
tenn of auditing state accounts is also
needed, and also a more business
like method Of assessing property for
taxation. The present voluntary sys-
tenn is productive Of inequalities that
infict serious injustices Every spe-
cies Of property should be forced 70
bear its proportionate part of the tax
burden. There is no other feature Of
our state government in greater need
Of re-adiustment. If all property which
lis escaping, partially or wholly, the
payment of taxes were forced to bear
it's share, revenues sufficient to dis
pei every financial cloud would be
drawn into the treasury of the state.
The existing registration law is at
sacked as too complex, in many ways,
too obtuse, and entire confusing, and
resulting in the disfranchisement Of
an army of white voters Says the
governor:
Therefore, it is undoubtedly true
that upwards Of $4,000 of Georgia S
white men were initially disfranchised
| in 1910 by the operation of the reg
istration law, which, however, placed
the names of more than $1,000 me-
groes on the voting list
at is more than probable that the
exact number exceeded 10000, since
under the law, registrars, appointed
by the counties by the judges Of the
superior courts, "purged" the lists
furnished to them by the tax collect
ors"
Justice to Railroads.
It is again urged that the number