Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-06-27
Il Highly Important Session
OF the Georgia Legislature

~ hundred and fOrty-four representative
Georgians who convene today in the
Legislative halls of the State capitol for what
promises to be one of the most fruitful ses-
sions in the annals of the General Assembly.
1t is always a pleasurable distinction to have
the members of the House and the Senate
as the city's guests. Coming from every
county from the Gap to the Light, they
bring the SAVIOR of a warmly southern good
fellowship and remind us anew that we are
Georglans all, no matter from what nook OF
the wide Commonwealth we hail.
The present session has been awaited with
extraordinary interest because of the far
reaching and peculiarly practical issues con-
fronting it, Foremost among these stand
the problems of public education. 1t is COM
monty agreed by thoughtful observers that
if Georgia is to prosper and progress as she
should, her common school system, partlcu-
larly in the rural districts, must be amplifed
and improved. This cannot be done, how
ever. without a substantial and permanent
increase in the funds now availa BILE for such
purposes. How can that increase be OBJ
aimed? Only by establishing a local school
lax in every county to supplement the pres
ent appropriation from the State. When we
say this is the only feasible plan we but re-
fleet the matured Judgment of the closest
students of the problem, both among the
teachers and educational leaders and in the
General Assembly itself. Furthermore, we
most every other State in the Union, for with
one or two exceptions Georgia stands alone
in still allotting school funds from the
trail treasury to counties that levy no local
tax for school maintenance. II, then, the
counsel of those most competent to speak
and the example of virtually the entire
United States are worth needing, the Legis-
lature will lose time in submitting to the
people Constitutional amendment inaugu-
rating a local school tax in every county
n III tO n1pTo ont no f1nd c
now appropriated by the State. Proposals
to help the schools by adding several mil
lion dollars to their present allowance from
the State instead of by the local-aid plan
are open to number OF grave objections,
one of which should suffice to close the uues-
ton at the very outset. We mean the fact
that the State already is about half a mil
hon dollars in arrears and that the most re-
sourceful fnanciers suggest no means
whereby the proposed increase of millions in
the school fund could be paid if it were ap-
propr1ated. Common sense and common
Justice demand, therefore, that the friends
OF the schools unite in Wholehearted sup
port or the local tax amendent. By so doing
they will render Georgia inestimable
service.
The straitened condition of the treasury
bears forceful witness to the need of some
measure of fiscal reform. But would not the
pell-mell repeal of the present Tax Equaliza-
ton law be the very antithesis of such re-
FORM! the fact that further aids and safe
guards of this kind arr needfuI is no rea-
son for incontinently plotting out those
which we have. In this entire matter the
utmost deliberation and caution should be
exercised. 1t is reassuring to know that
some of the keenest and fairest minds in the
Legislature and the State are intent upon the
problem. With enough persistence enough
time and enough care a satisfactory solution
should be reached
Another issue of oar-reaching and prac-
tical import is that Of an adequate system OF
State aid and supervision for highways. No
where in all America IS the good roads spirit
more splendidly vigorous than in Georgia
counties. In recent months they have voted
highway improvement bonds aggregating
millions of dollars and within the present
summer the good work bids fair TO increase
by millions more. But the efforts of separate
counties, no matter how generous and
thoughtful, cannot dispense with the need of
those duties which belong peculiarly to the
State-the duties of overwhelming, counsel
ing and co-ordinating to the end that we
may have, not merely so many stretches of
good roads, but well-knit system linking
together every county and every town in the
Commonwealth. This is due the individual
communities; it is due the State as a whole;
it is due the Federal Government whose
grants for road construction promise soon to
become more liberal.
Divers other questions Of much Importance
will come before the present session of the
Legislature. Those we have referred to,
however, are of especially broad concern,
and their wise disposal will be :. blessing to
all the people through all the years to come.