Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-06-26
LEGISLATURE MEETS
HERE JUNE 27-FOR
ITS. ANNUAL SESSION
Governor-EIeCt. Dorsey Will Be
Inaugurated on Saturday
Following Opening Session.
When Gov. Harris Goes Out

| is the fixed hour for the opening o;
/ the first days session.
Already the Kimball house lobby is
grounds has a squad of janitors and
sweepers busy in the hall of represen-
tatives and in the senate chamber, re-
moving the accumulated layers of dust
from the desks of the members and pol
fishing the windows and renovating the
galleries.
Already the Kimball House lobby is
beginning to fill up with legislators past
and present and with politicians from
the state at large. and the atmosphere
of that famous stamping ground is get
ting brisk with gossip.
At 10 o'clock the gavels will fall in
the house and the senate and the ma
chinery of legislation will be set in
motion for the annual session lasting
fifty days.
The house will be called to order by
the clerk E Bismarck Moore. of Fulton
county. and the members will take the
oath OF office from justice of the state
supreme court. The next step in the
organization OF the house will be the
election of a speaker. and for this Of
fce there are three candidates, as fol-
lows:
CANDIDATES FOR SPEAKER.
w H Burwell. of the county of Han
cock. speaker of the last house and the
one before; Nath F. Culpepper. of the
county of Meriwether. a member OF the
last house and the one before; John ".
Holder, of the county Of Jackson. speak
er of the two houses Immediately pre-
ceding Mr.. Burwelrs tenure as speaker.
After electing a speaker the house
will then elect a clerk E. Mismarck
Moore. who succeeded Colonel John T..
Boifeuillet al the bone-dry extra session,
IS a candidate. Opposing him are J.
B. Jackson, of the county of Jones, and
Levi Reeves, or the county of Barlow.
For speaker protein of the house,
which is the next office to be filled,
there seem to be no candidates as yet.
though the office will certainly not go
begging for applicants.
Next after speaker protein the house
will elect a messenger, for which ]. b.
d. Paulk and W. c. Davidson are can
didates. and then will elect doorkeeper.
for which there are several candidates.
Meanwhile the senate will follow the
same routine of perfecting organization.
The secretary Of that body, Major
Devereaux F. McClatchey, late of the
county of Cobb, but now of the county
Of Fulton. will call the senate to order.
The senators will take the oath of Of
fee from justice of the supreme court.
Then the senate will elect a PRESIDENT
for which there are two candidates, to-
wit:
Samuel Lumpkin Olive. of Augusta, a
former member of the house. and r. A.
Denny, OF Rome.
After electing a president the senate
will unanimously elect Major McClat-
chey to the position of secretary, and
then will elect a president pro tenn. for
which position Roscoe Peacock, of East
man. is a candidate.
Then the senate will elect a messen-
ger. for which C. NJ. Hooks, of For
syth. and Flynn Hargett, of Atlanta,
are candidates, and after that will elect
a doorkeeper, thus completing organi-
zation.
INAUGURATION ON SATURDAY.
On Saturday will take place the in
auguration of the new governor. Hugh
NJ. Dorsey. This ceremony will be held
in the hall of representatives in the
presence of the house and senate IN
joint session presided over by the presi-
dent of the senate, and the hour of
the ceremony will be IL o'clock, noon.
Governor Nat z. Harris will deliver
his farewell address and will then turn
over to the secretary of state, Phil
Cook, the great seal of state, and Secre-
tary Cook will then turn over the seal
to the new governor, who will take the
oath of office and deliver his inaugural
address. after which the ceremony will
adjourn.
For the first week or ten days in
the house and senate there will be very
little business. pending the announce
ment by the speaker and president. re-
spectively, of their appointments of
the standing committees of the two bod
les, which il usually takes them sever
al days TO make up.
After this the lawmakers will settle
down to the business OF introducing bills
and referring them to committees and
waiting for the committees to report.
Having disposed of the prohibition
issue by enacting the dryest bone-dry
law that was ever written on the stat
ute books of any sovereign common
wealth the previous legislature made
II necessary for its successor to turn
to other SUBJECTS. and the financial con-
dition of the state will probably occu-
DIV a major portion Of the session.
With appropriations for 1917 already
almost $500, 900 in excess of estimated
revenue, there will be a determined eff
fort to repeal the tax equalization law,
which is the only bulwark between the
treasury and an even greater de-
felt.
This law, by compelling the return of
property for taxation, and be securing
at least the semblance of an. assess
ment upon the value thereof, has in
creased tax values nearly $780, 900
since IL was passed, and has enabled
the state to keep its financial head at
least in reaching distance of the sur
face. where il could bob up occasional
! ly and catch a breath of air.
TAXES NECESSARY
1t is generally conceded that a re-
peal of the talk equalization law would
almost Immediately result I'm a shrink
age of tax values, and in order to meet
this situation the advocates of repeal
ing the law will put forward a variety
| of special taxes. including a proposal
to tax soft drinks and soft drink syrups
manufactured in the state.
Opponents of the repeal of the tax
equalization law will make determined
fight to keep il on the statute books,
and this fight will be the major fight
of the 1917 session.
Appropriations for the maintenance of
| the government will be made up by the
appropriations committee of the house
and reported to that body, and the ap-
| preparation bill when passed will go
to the senate. The bill will carry the
appropriations for 1918 and 1919. The