Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-10

00SJ E would think of
going back to the
old order Of things!
When the law first went into effect
or during the first year of it's opera
ton, at least--the counties hesitated to
employ the convicts.
The old way of handling the states
prisoners had been in existence so long
that anything new was looked upon as
an experiment and a more or less un-
certain experiment, at that.
Therefore, those who stood possibly
to lose by the new plan. rather inclined
to let the other fellow try out the in
novation, before undertaking anything
on their own hook.
At first, only 29 counties applied for
convicts That was hardly one-ffth OF
the state.
Now, there are 1923 counties handling
them-and that is almost the entire
state.
The management Of the prisoners of
| Georgia is an immense undertaking.
The prison commission is one of the
hardest worked bodies in the capitol.
The fact that the present method Of
handling the convicts is proving to be
so popular and so generally employed,
| however, more than reconciles the com
mission to the magnitude of the under
| taking and the real ingenuity it re-
quires to get it through successfully.
| Georgia's present system of convict
| operation and control has been inves
tigated by many states has been APP
proved in all instances, and copied in
many.
Former Congressman William H.
Fleming, of Augusta, has coined a new
! descriptive title for the mayor of his
home town. which title. while it isn't
very pretty, is more or less picturesque.
Mr. Fleming aIludes publicly, In a
printed communication to one of the
Augusta newspapers. to the new mayor
as his fraudulency."
Rarely are they genuinely happy po-
| litically down in Augusta, unless they
are very unhappy!
There are two factions in that quaint
old town-the Tins" and the outs"
Sometimes the outs" are the "ins ="
and sometimes 1t IS the other wav
around
The inevitable and invariabe thing
is that the "outs"-whicheve faction
that may happen to be, at the moment
may be depended upon to keep things
warm for the ms"
His fraudulency," the mayor of Au-
gusta, evidently has a hot time coming
to him-the which he unquestionably
expected when he took the oath of Of
! fee, of course.
Judge "Snacks" Patterson. who has
! succeeded Judge Newt" Morris on the
! bench of the Blue Ridge circuit, and is
now holding court in one of the coun-
ties, is an old fashioned gentleman, VINO
| believes in old-fa shioned things
He has reintrOduced the Bible in his
circuit, and requires Jurors and wit
| nesses to be sworn in the old fashioned
way-with hands on the Book while
the oath is being administered and
kissing the book after 1t has been re-
peated!
Doctors may pirate of the danger Of
germs in kissing the Book" but old
"Snacks" Patterson isn't afraid of them
He reverences the law of his state
| next to the law of his God-and swear
ing jurors and witnesses on the Bible
will be practiced in Pattersons court
so long as he is judge.
In listing a day or so ago the various
candidates for messenger to carry the
electoral vote to Washington. Flynn
| Hargett was put down in this column
| as "doorkeeper of the senate" He
should have been designated "messen-
ger and sergeant-at arms" Of course.
The mistake was quite inadvertent-
just a slip of the pen, in fact-but in
asmuch as some offense was given in
the matter even unintentionally the
mistake is cheerfully corrected
There is a three cornered fight on
between the Floyd county road COM
missioners, the state prison commits
sion and Convict Warden S. c. Lindsey.
| that is something Of u wonder in its
/ way.
| The Floyd officials want to get rid Of
! Lindsey-have asked him, point blank,
| for his resignation in fact Lindsey
| has refused, just as point blank. to re-
/ sign. He says he IS being "perse-
/ cutcd" for political reasons, and forth
! heS himself behind recent statement
| given out by the prison commission 10
! the effect that county wardens must
not be disturbed by county officials. 10,
/ political reasons only
While the prison commission has the
right to block Lindsey's removal by the
county authorities. by refusing to sane
ton #, IL has no control whatever over