Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-02-13
GOOD FOR THE GOVERNOR.

GOVERNOR HARDWICK has his
sleeves rolled up again and is go
ing after EN-. This time he has de-
clared war on the state-maintained
lobbies, and he has hit a spot where
his actions, we believe, will be uni
versally applauded. The governor
has discovered-or let other folks
know what many of them did not
know-that every session of the state
legislature is cluttered up with pow
erful Hobbies from practically every
state institution, regardless Of size,
and these lobbyists are paid, togeth-
er with their expenses, by the insti-
buttons and out Of money appropriat-
ed for the institutions by the legis-
lature from the tax money in the
state treasury But the governor
blames no one; he says it is the sys-
tenn, that each institution because of
the practice of long standing MUST
have its lobbyists on the. job or be
left out in the cold when the money
sheets are made up and finally put
Through.
Seeing the iniquity and utter waste
of such practice, the governor has
been at work trying to find way
to stop it, and he announces that he
has found it. In the general appro-
priation bill is section requiring an
itemized statement of all expendi-
lures of the preceding month for ev-
cry state department before another
warrant can be drawn by the
governor to that department. The
only way for the various departments
to obtain the money appropriated to
them is by governors warrant, and
the governor has put them all on no.
tee that no expenses for lobbying
viii be approved hereafter in their
itemized statements which he will
strictly demand of them in the future.
Apparently the governor has found
the way to kill this Ubiquitous prac-
tiee with one shot, and if he accomp-
fishes it he will have performed not
only an economy, but a distinct serv-
ice to all Georgia institutions by put
ting an end to the wire pulling and
mad scramble each year for neces-
sary funds. 1t will bring about as
q matter of necessity the establish
ment of some agency through which
the real needs of these institutions
may be ascertained and presented to
the legislature in an orderly fashion,
the result of which viii be that none
will suffer unduly at the expense of
others, and the legitimate needs of
all viii be met.
Governor Hardwick is daily putting
himself on the political map of Geor-
gia stronger than before. A few days
ago the statement was made in the
public prints that he was likely to
be given the new Georgia federal
judgeship which congress contem-
plates establishing. The governor
was quick with the statement that,
while he appreciated the compliment
carried with the mention of his name,
he had not been approached nor con-
suited, and that, anyway, he had a
big job on his hand-that of bringing
the state out of its financial bog
and that the task would require some
time to come.
This reply Of the governors was
taken to mean that without doubt he
is a candidate to succeed himself this
fall, whereas it had previously been
expected that the governor would
drop out Of the executive chair vol
unfairly after his first term and pre-
pare himself for other political ac-
Invites. However, the governor
seems to have developed man-sized
job that he finds pleasure in hand
ling and which he is not now dispos-
ed to leave until he has completed.
Too, probably smarting under the
taunts Of Watson that he hasn't car