The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1911-08-03
WHAT THE LAWMAKERS IN SEES
SION IN ATLANTA ARE
DOING.
SUMMARY OF THE WEEK
New Bills introduced and Passed in
the Senate and In the
House.

| = 81
Atlanta.
All doubt about the house of rep
resentatives favoring the educational
bill, providing for complete re-adjust-
ment of the system controlling the
public schools, was removed when
about one-half Of the measure was
passed on in rapid-fire order Compile
ton of the days work alone prevent
ed the final passage Of the measure
virtually as presented by the commit
tee having it in charge.
The house committee on the West
ern and Atlantic railroad, of which
Hooper Alexander is chairman, at a
meeting in the assembly hall of the
capitol, passed favorably resolution
introduced shortly after the legisla-
ture began its session, by Senator w.
]. Harris, from the Thirty-eighth dis
trict. This resolution was unanimous
ly passed by the senate 1t provides
for the appointment of three senators
and five representatives to form a
commission for attending to and re-
porting to the legislature facts and
figures Of any proposed lease of the
| Western and Atlantic railroad prop
erty.
Additional or special appropriations
amounting to more than million and
a quarter dollars have been asked of
! the present legislature for 1912. To
meet these requests the assembly will
have about two hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars. Therefore about 20 per
cent. of the appeals that have been
made will be granted. The above es-
| innate is made on the authority of
Representative Walter McElreath, the
chairman of the appropriations COM
mittee of the house. He estimates
that the present year will be wound
up with treasury deficit of something
more than two hundred thousand dol
| lars; but this, he thinks, can be met
without great difficulty. There will be
increases, certain, of several hundred
thousand dollars in state revenues,
both this and next year.
A ten-hour day, with virtually no
exceptions for cotton and wooden mills
in Georgia, was enacted by the house
of representatives. 1t provides that
no employee in textile industries, ex-
cepting mechanicians and those hav-
ing direct care of the property shall
be worked more than ten hours on
any day and makes an infringement
on the part of the employer punisha-
| BILE as for a misdemeanor The bill
was introduced by Mr.. Tarver of
| Whitfield and the author led the fight
for it on the floor. There was little
opposition per Sc, but objections were
registered on the ground of imper-
| factions in the composition of the
measure. An effort was made to have
it referred back to the committee for
perfection, but it failed on a vote of
| 73 to &c.: On final passage the bill
received 1913 to 40. Under the exist
ing law the persons affected may be
worked eleven hours day or sixty
six hours a week. This enables them
to make up time during five days of
the week for a Saturday half holiday,
| or work for time lost by accident or
otherwise. TIL Tearver bill permits of
no such arrangement, each day being
a unit in the calculation of the pro-
posed law.
The bill of Senator Blalock of the
Twenty-sixth district, which provides
| for unlimited pensions, came up in
the senate and was tabled by a vote
of % to 20 upon motion offered by
the author of the bill after % sena-
tors had voted against the bill with
nine in favor of its passage. The
motion was made while the voting
was in progress. The bill, which
aimed to strike from the state con-
stitution the clause forbidding pen
sions to Confederate veterans owning
$1,000 or more in cash or property,
and to allow pensions to all those
who could show proof of service.
Fixing good character as an immu-
table requisite for qualifying to vote,
and determining good character by
the test OF respect for good woman
hood, is the intent of a proposed
change in the constitution of Georgia
fathered by Representative ], j. Slade
of Muscogee county, and given favor
able consideration by the constitu-
tional amendments committee of the
house. The measure, one of the most
peculiar ever proposed in the way of
franchise amendments, is now on the
way to open consideration in the leg
islature. Discussing the measure be-
fore the committee, Captain Slade
pressed its Endorsement with great
fervor, declaring that it will have the
effect of DISTINGUISHING every negro
in Georgia regardless of what other
qualifications he might possess.
A real state public school system,
as against what is termed a make
Bills Passed.