Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-08-24
MANY MASONS Of
STATE RESENTFUL
Of D0RSEY'S VETO
Governors Action Depriving
Crippled ChiIdren's Hos
pitaI of Money Given by
Legislature Is Criticized

Some of the leading Masons of At
lanta who were supporting Governor
| Dorsey for the senate have quit him
| cold as the result of his veto of the
bill exempting from inheritance tax
alton the 100000 bequest to the
| Scottish Rite Home for Crippled
Children in DeKalb county.
One of these, lawyer who stands
at the top of his profession in Geor-
| gia, has given Forrest Adair a writ
| ten opinion to the effect that Cover
nor Dorsey went off half-cocked when
| he undertook to defend the veto on
| the ground that the bill was uncon-
stitutional. Atlanta Masons are
afiame with indignation over the
veto. Throughout the city the veto
is the subject of conversation, and
letters are being received from Ma
| sons in various parts of the state.
No institution in Georgia is closer
to the hearts of the Masonic fra
ternity than the crippled children's
home. 1t was founded six years ago
by the Scottish Rite Masons of the
state. It's financial support has come
from members of the Scottish Rite
and from Masons who are not men,
blue lodges all over Georgia make
regular contributions to the main
tenance of the home
When Yaarab Temple of the Mystic
Shrine, composed Of Shriners in
north and middle Georgia, went to
the annual convention of the i'm
perial council held in Portland, Ore,
few months ago, they took with
them several hundred copies of a
booklet illustrating the marvellous
work of human reconstruction which
is done by the surgeons and nurses
of the crippled children's home.
Probably never before in the his
tory of the Shrine has any subject
made such a powerful appeal to the
imperial council. It passed an APP
preparation of 100000 to establish
chain of crippled children's homes
throughout the country, and passed
resolution appropriating a like
amount, or SO much thereof as
might be necessary, as an annual
contribution to the support and
maintenance of these homes when
they should be finished. Scores Of
contributions from individual Shrln-
crs were turned over to the imperial
potentate before the convention ad-
journed. Scores of others were tele-
graphed to Portland from Shriners
at home who read the news In the
press dispatches.
The cities of Memphis, Tenn, and
Kansas City, Mo-, are now engaged
in the building of municipal homes
for crippled children, modelled after
the one in DeKalb county which the
Masons of Georgia support by their
contributions.
There are two qualifications for ad-
mission to the crippled children's
home. First, that the appHcant De
a child who is crippled and who can
be cured or improved. second tna5
the parents or guardians of the child
be financially unable to pay Tor treat
ment in private hospital.
There is no requirement as to re-
1ieious affiliation or fraternal ANNA
ton The parents, guardians OF klns-
men of a crippled child 90 not na ~
the child. More than one thousand
children have been treated at the
home. and of that number only seven
were even akin to Masons.
The late Albert Steiner, a Wealthy
and benevolent Albanian, and
thirty-second degree Mason, spent
some of the happiest hours OF ms
declining years in the company VI
the children at the home TOT crlppiieS'
His own children were loSt " nilii,
he had no near relatives, the sns'oo EIe
of his evening were upon MIN: az
Usad tn drive out to the home IN ms
automobile and take loads. OF toys
and candy to the happy boys anu
girls who were being lifted from the
darkness of despair to the SUNNY
of hope. And when en- ne d4 tha ne cTinnied
| a bequest OF $lOO,oVO W Iiio
| children's home.
Mr.. Steiner'S death oCCurleu !" ~
months prior to the 1919 SESSION ~ 10
the legislature. At that sesslon
bes1 lest to charitable institutions ms
from inheritance taxation. The acU
became effective when 1T was passe,u:
| Owing to the fact that MT. STEINER
death occurred prior to the Pa of e1o
| of the act, his bequests were ho' Gil
titled to the exemption.
This wear the legislature, having
heard, in the meantime, SO LnuGm Gs
home, unanimously d passed ions a FOR FOR
CHARITABLE requests, as provided in in
the act of 1919. should date PACK
to January 1, 1919, so as to allow
the exemption for the Albert steiner
bequest, and for any such otners W We
similar character as mdght nave
been made in the meantime.
Some question was raised concern
ing the constitutionality of the DILL
which was introduced by Representa-
tive Moore, of Butts county. me
|
and senate, composed entirely OF
lawyers, decided that the bill was
constitutional. One of these law
yers, a member of the senate Juoi-
ciary committee, with tears IN ms
eyes, related the story of a poor
whose terrible affliction had oeen
cured by the surgeons at the nome
He said he did not care whether the
bill was constitutional or not, ne was
! going to vote for and speak Tor II,
| if necessary. He was willing, at
least, to let the courts pass upon
it's constitutionality.
Governor Dorsey vetoed the Dill on
the ground that it was unconst!tu-
tional. While the bill was pending,
! and Shriner, and a leading patron
of the crippled children's home, OBJ
tanned from James l.. Mayson, city
attorney of Atlanta and noted au-
thority on constitutional law,
written opinion that the bill was
doubly sure, Mr.. Adair asked four
other lawyers for their opinions, and
they coincided with Attorney May
son. One of these lawyers, who
stands at the top of the profession
in Georgia, on Friday furnished to
Mr.. Adair supplemental opinion
which he wrote after reading Cover
nor Dorsey's statement undertaking