Atlanta Georgian., 1912-06-26

governor pet aversion, ne again urged
a Lepeal, calling attention of the gen
efS assembly to the fact that he had
urged its appeal in 1910 and 1911.
100000 White Voters Victims.
By its provision the governor said,
fully 100000 white voters of Georgia.
were being disfranchised annually. Its
provision he pronounced the most
drastic in the Union. In Fulton county
alone, where the Federal census shows
the number of whites at voting age to
be 35,S61, the total registration for 1912
was but 4,701.
He recommended a big change in the
manner of handling state convicts on
the public roads. He said:
The building of good roads is un-
doubtedly one of the main factors in
the marked progress the state has made
in material development during the
past three years. Yet, as this prog
ress is mostly due to the use of ths
states convicts, the state has the right
to require such handling of the con-
victs as will generally benefit all the
people, while increasing the facilities Of
the several counties.
Therefore, it should be required bv
law that, at least, a stipulated propor-
tion of the conVicts be worked upon the
main roads in each county leading from
its county site to the county sites of
adjoining counties, or that all of the
convicts be worked upon such main
roads stipulated proportion of their
total time until said roads are COM
pleted.
Urges Pardon Secretary.
Furthermore, that the main roads be
laid off and worked In accord with the
demands of public necessity and mod
ern science. I recommend that the
office of commissioner of public high
ways be established, and that 1t be filed
with an experienced civil engineer. at
salary and travelling expenses, etc,
to be fixed by law"
Upon the subject of pardons the gov
ernor recommended that a pardon sec
retary or assistant attorney general be
appointed to examine all applications
for pardons which now go before the
prison board The distribution Of the
states convicts over 180 counties, he
said. has made it impossible for the
prison board to cope with the situation.
The rapid growth of Georgia rail-
roads has made double tracking a ne
cessity in many instances. Upon this
subject the governor urged that the
transpoTta tion committees of both
houses ana LHe railroad commission
hold a conference as to the advisa bility
of forcing several lines to double track.
Nv. G. A. Should Me Released"
Again, the governor urged that the
railroad commission be decreased in
membership from FIVE to three, main
taiinng that there was no reason why
this body should have more members
than the other state commissions.
| Exactly as he had urged on June Is.
| 1911, the governor said a second time
that the releasing of the Western and
Atlantic railroad should be given at
tention at once. He said that no legis-
lature should contemplate the leasing
Of the state road for q longer period of
time than 80 years-the life of 4 single
generation.
Special appropriations for the state
schools and state departments were
recommended as follows:
Increase of SIS, 900 in the maintenance
appropriation for Georgia Tech
Special appropriation for Georgia
Tech of $4,000 for new heating and
lighting plant.
Increase in the appropriation OF
5000 annually for the Georgia Normal
and Industrial school