Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-12
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BY JAMES B. NEV.N.

Under the operation of the new law
requiring the registration of certain
fees paid officers in Georgia, advo-
Gates of reform in that manner OF
compromising public servants are
now able to quote some substantial
and significant figures.
For instance, John p Ross. Solici-
tor General of the Macon circuit, re-
celved net compensation of approx
mately $4,000 during the year 1913,
according to- his sworn statements to
the Comptroller General This.is the
Tattest record in the history of that
office and is attributable largely to
the number of heavy fines in prohbi-
ton cases. The Solicitor. under the
fee system, made $4,000 in the Macon
City Court and Bibb Superior Court
and $1,000 in the Houston and Craw-
ford superior courts.
The Income of other Bibb County
onicers on the fee system, as now
disclosed for the first time by the
law requiiring. quarterly statements,
was as follows; Sheriff. $3.50: Clerk
of Superior Court, $500; Clerk of
City Court, ss,40o: Tax Collector
$500; Tax Receiver, $500; Ordi-
nary. $4,000
Figures throughout the entire State
may now be had bearing upon the
operation of the fee system, and those
cited from Bibb are merely set forth
as an example. In very many coun-
lies the fees run far short Of those
quoted. of course, while In some few
others they run higher
The figures quoted from Bib,
moreover. are by no means conclu-
sive, save as they affect one side of
the argument for and against fees.
There are many expenses attached to
the various offices concerned. and
they must be set off, in fairness,
against the total figures returned. 1t
is the net income of the offices, prop
erly conducted, that finally will settle
the controversy.
There is much division of opinion
among members of the Legislature as
to the fee question. and it likely will
be long time before salary systems
are generally substituted At the
same time, the figures being returned
from the various counties are eX-
tremely interesting, and when the
entire State Is made UP. those who
oppose the present system likely will
be heard from again in the Legisla-
tive halls, most emphatically.
Representative Robert n Harde-
man, of jefferson County, a veteran
member of the General Assembly, and
by long odds the best dressed man
therein, is in Atlanta for a day or so,
Mr.. Hardeman bedazzled his nu-
merous friends and admirers in At
lanta this trip with a lovely checked
gray suit, elegantly backgrounded by
wine colored vest OF striped silk.
The tout Misunderstanding Mr..
Hardeman, of course-was most en-
gaging
There once was a Legislature away
back yondeRa. wherein somebody dis
puted Bob" Hardeman's sartoral SUI
premacy, but the disputing party
didn't get by with it. and since that
time Hardeman's right to be known
as the champion best dressed man in
the Georgia Legislature has gone I'M
challenged.
The race for Congress in the First
District between Representative
Charles G. Edwards and former Rep
resentative J. w. Overstreet is said
TO be more than warm and decidedly
uncertain as to outcome,
OverStfeet served a part of a term
in the House several years ago, as
the successor to Judge Rufus Lester,
and has been possessed of a more or
less rampant ambition ever since to-
return. Edwards went into Congress
originally by rather narrow margin