Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-07-18
CAPITAL REMOVAL
BILL IS TABLED BY
VOTE OF e TO a
Motion Is Made by Author
of Bill and Is Taken as
T acit Admission Of
/. Failure

BY vote of twenty-nine to four
teen the capital removal bill was
laid on the table in the Georgia SEN
ate just before adjournment Tuesday.
The motion to table was made by
Senator Ben ]. Fowler, of the Twen-
ty-second, the author of the bill.
who indicated that under the rules
of the senate 1t might be taken from
the table and acted upon at any time
during the session of the legfsla-
ture.
This disposition of the measure,
while it came as a surprise to some.
was not unexpected by the leaders
of the opposition. who after the vote
mad been taken, declared that the
capital removalists had taken the
only course open to them and had
tacit1y admitted their inability to Sc
cure the required two-thirds major
tty of the upper house.
The capital removal bill stood In
third place on the senate calendar
when that body convened Tuesday
morning. IL.
BY a practically unanimous vote
the senate decided to extend the ses-
sion until the capital removal QueS-
ton had been settled, after Senator
Bowden, of the Fifth, had made an
Intellectual effort to adjourn.
It was at this point that Senator
Fowler arose and-moved to table the
bill. With almost dozen senator's
absent from the charmber the mo-
ton was carried by a vote of 20 TO
IA, and Secretary McClatchey, at the
request of the senator from the
T wenty-second, read the rules cover
ing bills laid on the table.
A large delegation of capital re-
moval advocates descended upon the
capitol Tuesday morning. the city OF
Macon sending scores of representa-
tives in an effort to secure more
votes for the capital removal meas
ure. 1t was common talk.around the
capital Tuesday that the capital re-
short of the necessary two-thirds
in the senate and that dilatory tao
tics would be resorted to in an effort
to make up the deficiency before the
bill is put on it's passage.
By a vote of 81 to IS, the house
Of representative Thursday laid on
the table the constitutional amend
Atlanta to Macon. The motion to lay
on the table was made by Represent
tative Anderson, of Jenkins. the floor
leader for the capital removal forces,
and was made Immediately upon the
conclusion of the two-hour debate.
The vote Of 81 to 70 showed that
the capital removal bill lacks 81
votes of the two-thirds majority of
129 which are necessary to pass a
constitutional amendment. The mo-
tion to table was made for the
same purpose in the house as it
was in the, senate, when the bill
came up for a vote in that body last
Tuesday. A majority can lay on the
table and a majority can take from
the table. The capital removal
forces have a majority in both the
house and the senate, but they lack
the two-thirds majority necessary to
pass the bill.
The general belief among members
of the legislature is that the capt.
tai removal bill will not be heard
but will be left upon the side track
in the hope of mastering new sup
porters in the twelve months that
will elapse between now and the ses-
sion @ 1920.
After a lengthy debate the house
of representatives Tuesday disposed
of the common school appropriation
by adopting the $4,000,000 appropria-
appropriations committee, and by IN
creasing the appropriation to $4,-
100000 for 1921.
The house further amended this
section of the bill by inserting
proviSor that the common school ap-
preparations shall be kept in a Sepa'
rate fund in the state treasury and
that no money shall be drawn out of
this fund for any other purpose.