Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-03-08

Hdc HO party AdCIlOn anu uoSS HOt SecIH
to have very much influence with the
Legislature.
Gev. Brewer will stick DIP to the
churches. When We had the bill up
providing severe penalties for rafting,
he offered an amendment exempting
churches from the penalties of this
act. This raised a storm of oppose
ton, members shouting mo, no,
churches have no more right to gamble
than the commonest citizens." Of
course our genial member only offered
this in jesting mood.
We have passed the "Anti Farming"
bill. This bill provides that no corpora
tion shall own and operate farm lands
and if corporation lends money on
land they can't own it longer than
twenty years. This bill as first passed
was quite drastic, and, Gov. Brewer
said openly he would veto it. Gov.
Vardaman was openly in favor of it,
but the bill as passed had the most
objectional features cut out and now
understand it will not be opposed by
the governor. He was much exercised
over this bill, because he did not think
it wise bill and could not oppose it,
and still he did not want to appear as
opposing anything that looked like it
was against the interest of the people.
We all voted for it, and if it proves de-
trimental we will have plenty of time
to amend or repeal it in twenty years.
We all have agreed on the re-district-
ing of the judicial districts of the state,
A Joint committee from the senate and
house is to be appointed to sit after the
legislature adjourns and propose bill
re-districting the state and putting the
number back to fourteen, and then this
is to be submitted to the next legisla-
ture. The bill repeating the act Great
ing four new districts was very crude
and defective. 1t actually left out one
or two counties and provided that the
Board of Supervisors should set the
time and numbers of weeks of holding
court in these counnies and then it was
a mooted question about our being able
to interfere with the terms of those
holding office of district atty and judge
of these new districts. So the districts
will remain as they are for the next
two years and if the Legislature decides
that twelve or fourteen are enough, we
can provide that the act take effect
two years later, and the time of these
officials will expire by that time and
there will be no conflict 1t is easier
to create an Office than to do away with
one. as we have all found out. The
two Supreme Court Commissioners are
the only officers created by the last leg
i latu'e are put out of business to date.
All of the members give Henry Minor
the credit of having the re-districting
bill postponed until next session as his
minority report was unanswerable.
Sc nator Hobbs introduced bill early
in the session requiring the life insur-
ance companies to invest rs per cent of
their revenue in Mississippi. This was
backed up by Bilbo. but the insurance
men, and men wanting to borrow money
from these companies finally, after a
hard fight, succeeded in defeating the
bill, as the companies said if it passed,
they would withdraw from the state,
like they did in Texas. This was passed
in Texas and good many companies
withdrew and would not renew their
loans. Hon. Murray Smith tried to
get me to favor this bill eight years
ago and said it would not effect my
company as we already had the rs per
cent invested in the state and that my
company did not leave Texas. | told
him that while that was so, did not
represent the Union Central while a
member of the house, but the very peo-
pie this bill would effect, and that il
was wrong in principle and that under
the Armstrong Law all of the great
New York Companies would have to
get rid of all fluctuating securities and
if we passed no stringent laws of this
kind, that they would all invest in Mis-
sissippi and now my prediction has come
true, for while the Union Central was
the only company lending money in
Mississippi lands, now we have several
making loans, and a lot more invest
ing in Mississippi securities. Senator
Hobbs paid high tribute to the Union
Central in his speech and said if all the
companies did as the Union Central
there would be no need for such law.
Cousin Connor came down to help kill
this bill, because our insurance company
had refused to let him have money at
per cent and added l per cent to the
loan on account of the fear of its pas
sage. He got in at the death; the boys
had che bill killed before he left home.
When Walter Price found out that
cousin Connor came down u0 help kill
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