Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-06-26


She cannot allow even just resent
ment against lawless individuals to
take the shape of wholesale intimida-
ton of labor necessary for the conduct
of farms and industrial enterprises.
|, therefore, recommend the enact
rnent of a statute which will meet the
situation above indicated, and punish
all who would impair the powers of
honest labor. The penalty for dyna-
hitting or burning residences should
be fixed at $4,000 for each c$.n9a
and rewards of such amounts, not
greater than $4,000 per person,
should be authorized for the arrest,
with proof to convict, of every one
! guilty of posting threatening notices
: or using other measures for intimi-
! dating people and driving them from
: their homes
Railroad Commission.
Unnecoe ny offices which levy addi-
tional taxes upon the people should
be abolished 1t is against public pol
icy to maintain sinecures. | therefore
respectfully recommend to your hon
orable bodies the reduction of the
) membership of the railroad commits
sion from five members to three.
When it is considered that only one
member of the five is required by law
: to devote his entire time to the serv-
: ice of the office, and that the larger
number of members makes that body
cumbersome as well as needlessly ex-
pensive, it is patent that it is to the
: states interest to reduce the number
of commissioners and also to dispense
with the office of special attorney for
y the railroad commission.
| will add that the interstate COM
o merce commission has assumed the
! authority to raise interstate rates
when it seems that these rates in
I juriously affect interstate rates. The
, lower courts have upheld that COM
n mission in this action. The supreme
! court of the United States has prac-
= tically upheld this position in a re-
h cent decision; hence it would appear
that blow has been struck the rail
q road commissions of the state. In
q such event it would clearly be a waste
t of the peoples money to maintain as
s many as five members on this COM
mission for the purpose mainly of SUI
pervising the occasional building of
g depots and the collection of statistical
f information.
h Criminal Laws.
K Inasmuch as our penal laws have
e undergone little change during the
o past half century, it might be timely
S for you to make inquiry looking to
e amendments necessitated by changed
= conditions and modern developments.
e l wish to direct your attention to
t one important change that is needed.
f In misdemeanor cases, where prison
: penalties with alternative fines are i'm
posed, leave should be given for pay
S ment of the fine, or the pro rata pOr-
g ton of the fine due at any time be-
: fore the completion of the prison or
[, changing sentence. In most court
e Jurisdictions it is held that once the
! fine alternative is rejected, and the
d period for accepting it elapsed, the
: fine cannot be paid except by COM
mutation from this office. In no case
I will they pro rate the penalty, deduct
: ing, as they do in cities, for the period
u of time served by the prisoner
i This is manifestly unjust, amount
ing to a special penalty on poverty and
misfortune. A great many persons
: are unable to raise the amount of the
e alternative fine when it is imposed
: upon them, but later do raise it, or
1 sufficient amount, allowing for the
e time served, TO meet the intent of the
I sentence imposed. The only way they
/ can get relief is by coming to the ex-
e ecutive office with applications for
t clemency, which puts them to unnec-
: essary expense and this office to much
S trouble, all of which could be obviated
by your providing an automatic meth
{ cd for prisoners to pay their fines at
Il any time before sentence is COM
,, pleted
Applications for executive clemency
are becoming more and more burden
II some on the executive office. During
:, the past eighteen months this office
has been forced to consider nearly
1000 of such appeals. Outside the
: assistance rendered by the prison
. commission, the executive office each
: week is forced to read and answer
y scores OF letters, and see or otherwise
:, deal with scores of callers relating to
such applications. Inasmuch as the
constitution places full responsibility
n In these matters on the governor, he
: is in duty bound to examine each rec
:, ord and to make such Investigations
= and inquiries, in addition to those
made by the commission, as he thinks
proper.
, The result is that this work takes
E I'D large proportion of the time OF
the executive office, precluding atten-
a ton to other important business. In
addition to this, lack of time makes 1t
. impossible for this office to pursue
investigation of many cases as thor
= ouqhlv as their importance demands.