Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-10-24

first ,+ar g. 49,. ~
| direction of get
ting Georgia officials off fee basis and
onto a reasonable, fair and equitable
salary basis instead.
| Up to this time these officials have
| been accountable to nobody save them
| selves as to the amount of compensa-
ton attaching to their offices. There
never has been any way whereby the
pubic might obtain even an approxi-
mate idea of what they were getting.
! The new law becomes effective on
January of next year. 1t requires the
| officers to keep daily accounts with
| themselves, and to render quarterly re-
ports to the comptroller. These reports
VIII be open to public inspection at all
times and must be sworn to by the Of
ficials making them.
Besides these reports, the officials are
required to list the amount of insolvent
costs earned and collected by them. to-
| Bether with the number of men en-
ployed in their offices and the total
clerk hire.
A lot of fee compensated officials are
dissatisfied with the new law, but the
demand Of the public for more specific
| information along the line Of fees has
been so great that, for a time at least,
the law Is sure to be popular with the
| people.
1t gives everybody a chance to poke
his nose into few particular persons
| business, anyway!
All sorts of people take all sorts of
| troubles, trials and fluctuations to the
governor of this state for settlement,
| or, at least, alienation.
! Hardly a week passes that the gov
ernor's private secretary is not called
upon to decipher numerous appeals all
! but beyond him, and usually from more
or less illiterate persons
| Not long ago one signing swain pc
! titioned the governor to help him out in
| q distressing love affair, the course of
which had declined to run smooth; and
recently another correspondent called
upon the executive to lend him aid in
the matter of getting his broken leg back
in shape once more.
Today there came letter from VIC
tim of some blue sky" life insurance
endeavor and while 1t was funny. in a
way, it was pathetic after a fashion,
nevertheless.
1t concerned itself with one Of the
companies recently put out Of business
by the insurance department, and there
was much Of indignation in it.
| In part, it read:
Il want to know II there is no
| help for a man who put lot of his
| hard saved up money in thes satif1
Gates, and then have the company
| hollow broke just about the time
| you think you going to get some
money back. This company solo
! me some satifcats, and then asked
| for some money, and it hollow broke.
| Amt the nothing l can do when a
| company takes my money, and then
| hollow broke?
| "Anser and oblig."
| These letters rarely get to the gov
ernor. They stay right with Secretary
Perry, and he answers them, by and
| by, as best he may.
| Prison Commissioner r. e. Dawson is
Immensely pleased with the fine show
| ing the big 4000-acre prison farm, near
Miledgeville, is neutrality-suspicious.
with respect to the crop gathered this
year
I'VE have on the farm today double
the number of prisoners we had a year
ago. Notwithstanding that fact. how
ever, we have not bought a peck Of
meal nor bushel of corn since the be-
ginning Of the year. This Is a remark
able showing
I'VE have made the biggest and the
best cotton crop we ever made. and we
! are going to make an even bigger and
better one next year. We shall produce
all the syrup the farm requires, which |
J is a very great deal; and in many other
respects we shall make a gratifying ex- !
hbit this year"
Mr. Dawson visits the farm two or
three times every month, sometimes
more frequently than that The pres
ent prison commission has left nothing |
undone that it thought might make the
farm better or more useful to the state. |
The fine result speaks eloquently of
the hard work done, moreover.
People who like to tease themselves
with How old -is-Ann? and Why-is a
| hen? puzzles are invited to wrestle with |
the following. propounded in the cur
rent issue of The LAGRANGE Graphic
II Joseph M Brown should, by
death or resignation. vacate the Of
flee of governor of Georgia, a pecu-
liar situation would arise. Govern
or-elect John M Slaton. as presi-
dent of the senate, would succeed
to the Office Of governor, would call
special election to f1ll Governor
Browns unexpired term. and might
himself become a candidate for the
short term Should he enter such
a contest and be defeated, could 1t
be said when he takes the office at
the beginning OF the regular term