Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1919-01-31
LEGISLATURE TO
WELD THE AXE
Governors ReheRCmmeRt Message AbOfshing
Jobs to be introduced. Great in
Salaries Expected.

The Tennessee General assembly
got down to real work in the weeks
sessions just closed. By meeting
twice a day and holding committee
meetings in between the members
of both houses justified the predict
ion of Governor Roberts that the
state had a working legislature"
Of prime importance in the weeks
proceedings was the enactment into
the law of the state of the two foun-
dation measures of the administra-
tons taxation program. The third
of these basic bills, that providing
the method of assessment for quasi
public corporations, will come up for
passage this week, after a public
hearing at the Tulane Hotel, and will
undoubtedly be passed by large ma
jority,
Opposition to this bill is from
corporate interests only, who will be
we'll represented at the hearing on
Tuesday.
With the passage of these three
bills, Governor Roberts will be in a
position to offer the remainder of
his program, which consists Of twenty
or more rertrenchment bills, doing
away with certain offices and boards
and consolidating the work of others.
The first three of these retrench-
ment bills, those doing away with
the position of parole and pardon
clerks and funding board secretary,
and assigning their duties to the
private secretary of the governor,
have already been passed without
opposition.
The other important administra-
tion measure, recognizing the state
insane hospital system, placing it
under the administration of board
of trustees, and making the super
intendent of each of the hospitals
appointive by the governor and re-
sponsible direct to him has just been
introduced. Members are uncertain
as to how far this bill will affect the
Board of Control.
Aside from the tax reform meas
ures, which took up large part of
the time of both houses during the
week, interest centered in the bill
repeating the $625,OOO bond issue
for the three normals Of the state.
This bill when brought up for final
passage in the house developed a
flow of oratory which had been UNI
expected. The poor, barefooted boy
and girl back in the sticks" had their
innings in the debate, and the senti-
ment against large appropriations for
the normals and the polytechnic
school came to the front, together
with all the latent feeling which had
been aroused at previous sessions by
the activities of what was alternately
termed the vicious" and the "dam-
nable" school lobby.
Another bill which is expected to
bring out lively debate on the school
question is that introduced Friday
for the purpose of abolishing the
State Polytechnic School.
Both house and senate during the
week passed the bill repeating the
Bowers act of 1915, which did away
with the death penalty for all crimes
except that of rape. This bill was
passed at the urgent request of the
governor, who hopes that the resto-
ration of the death penalty for the
first degree murder will have the eff
feet of reducing mob violence in the
state.
Bills have been offered in both
houses looking to the abolition or
the investigation of the fish and
game commission.
Cigarette legislation promises to
receive some attention this week.
Bills are pending which repeal the
anti-cigarette law and which make
it misdemeanor to sell Of give Gig
arettes to a minor.