Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-14
.SIDELIGHTS'
ON POLITICS
BY JAMES 3. NEVIN.

lobby and tax reform on the statute
books OF Georgia are two radically
different things-and It, really. is tax
reform on the statute books that the
people OF Georgia generally seem most
TO be hankering for.
Beginning to-day there remain
about four weeks of Legislative time
in which tax reform may be achieved
Scant time, even if none of it is
lost. If anything worth while gets
through. it will have to hustle. and
a good many things will have 10 get
out of it's way.
The Senate is not embarrassed in
this matter 50 much as the House,
for the House must get its meas
ures out of it's hands and in the hands
Of the Senate, or take the blame
for the failure to put tax reform over
Both the Senate and the House. In
spite of themselves, have succeeded
in wasting much time this session.
This is distinctly the fault of the
Houses, moreover, and not of the
presiding officers or the committee
chairmen.
The Senate and the House contin-
ually throw away their time debat-
ing frivolous things-suCh as wheth-
er the hall shall be permitted to thus
and 50 speaker, or whether q bill re-
ferred to one committee really was
not an affront to or reflection upon
some other committee.
There is not much time left in
which tax reform measures may be
put over If they are put over. both
Houses must dispose of the neces-
sary and important work now In
hand and as speedily as possible take
up the real big business of the ses-
sion.
Congressman Charles r. Crisp. who
has been spending few days in
Georgia as the House marks time"
to the Senate's tariff music. will leave
for Washington to-day, S he expects
the currency. bill to be brought out
Of the committee this week.
Mr.. Crisp thinks the present ex-
traordinary session of Congress may
continue up to. and probably run into,
the regular session in December, al
though he thinks that in the event
Of this, a recess may be taken early
in the fall.
Uncle John" Foster OF Floyd is
one Of the veterans of the House Of
Representatives who doesn't go in
extensively for Oratory on the floor.
He is a great talker in the commit
tee rooms and never hesitates to ex-
press himself uDQn any topic that
may come up, but most talk upon
81. - M p z q
and Of no particular importance
Mr. Foster is now serving his third
consecutive term in the House. and
has served two or three terms in al
dition thereto.
The present capitol is crowded to
suffocation and just about bulges at
the ends when the General Assembly
is in session.
The courts and the various depart
ments, constantly expanding and re-
curing more and more room, have
left few places for the committees TO
meet
II is no uncommon sight nowadays
to see House and Senate committees
meeting in the corridors. to the right
and left of the presiding officers
stands, in the cloakrOoms, or any
OllltI Olt lldtr Hulll'lFhtlN ldA sc Api
all the members to crowd in.
Before long it looks as II It will
be absolutely necessary to provide
an annex of some sort. There abso-
mtely is no available room left In the
capitol proper.
Mr.. Stewart Of Coffee is the prize
objector OF the present House Of Rep
resentatives.
The gentleman from Stewart de-
spises anything out of its regular or
der even as the devil despises holy
water Unanimous consents give him
powerful pain, and always are fair
marks for his veto.
As "A matter Of fact, too, there are
few members who serve a better pur-
pose in the House than those given to
objecting.
Under the unanimous consent rule,
much legislative legerdemain Is prac-
ticed and the man who sits on the
job watching for 'Jokers" in unani-
nous consent propositions is q mem
Der mighty well worth while.
Already, for the lack of an obieCtor
always on the job, numerous bills
have been withdrawn from their
proper committees and re-referred to
committees before which they have
no business whatever the trou
BILE about 1t is they can not be sent
back where they belong now, except
under that same unanimous consent
rule.
Returning solons are loud IN their
praises Of Athens. where the General
Assembly spent Saturday inspecting
the various State institutions there.
81 never had better time in my
lifa TN, did in Athens and newer