Proposed Amendment
to Constitution.
I’roviding a Presentation for City of
Augusta to Increase Its
Indebted ness.
By his Excellency, Jost j h M. Brown,
• Governor.
Atlanta. Ga August 3,1910.
Whereas, the General Assembly at its
■session in 1909 proposed an amendment to
the Constitution of litis State, as set
forth in an Act apj roved August 16th j
909, to-wit;
An act to amend Paragraph cite of Sec- j
lion seven of Article sevtn of the Const!- ;
tntion of this Sta te, so us 1 to provide for j
allowing the City Ctuneil cf Augusta, |
which owns both a power producing ca- J
nal and water works, to increase it*
bonded indebtedness beyond the amount |
now allowed under said paragraph, im- j
der certain circumstances,. for the pur .
pose of flood protection.
\ Section 1. Be it enacted by the Gen !
oral Assembly of the Stale of Georgia, j
and it is hereby enacted by the authnviiy J
of the same, That paragraph one of Sec- ;
tion seven of article seven of the Consti- j
tuition of thie State is hereby r.mended Wv j
adding at the end of said paragraj h the ,
following words: “Except that, the' City
Council of Augusta, from time to time a‘s j
necessary, for the purpose of protection
against floods, may incur a bonded in
debtedness upon its power producing ca-1
jial and municipal waterworks, in addi- j
.tion to the debts herein! efore in this par
gigraph allowed to be incurred, to amount
in the aggregate not exceeding fifty per
centitm of the combined value of such
properties; tl o valuation of such proper
ties to be fixed as may be prescribed by
law, but said value not to exceed a figure
percent, on which shall represent the net
r venue per annum produced by the two
such properties together at the time of
said valuation, and such indebtedness not
to be incurred except with the asst lit of
two-thirds of the qualified voters of such
city, at an election or elections for that
purpose, to lie held as may be now, or
jnay hereafter, prescribed .by law for the
incurring of the new debts by the said
Gity council of Augusta, so that said par
agraph when amended shall read as fol-
lows :
“Paragraph 1 The debt hereafter in
curred by any county, municipal corpo
ration or political division of this State,
except as in this Constitution provided
for, shall not exceed seven per centum of
the assessed value of nil the taxable prop
erty therein, and no such county, muni
cipality or division shall incur any new
debt, except for a temporary loan or
loans to supply casual d» fieiencies of rev
enue, not to exceed one-fifth of one per
eentum of the assessed value of taxable
property therein, without the assent of
two-thirds of the qualified voters thereof,
at an election for that purpose, to be
held as may be prescribed by law; but
iiny city, the debt of which does not ex
ceed seven per centum of the assessed
value or the taxable property at th 3 time
of the adoption of this Constitmi in, may
be authorized by law to increase, at any
time, the amount ef said debt, three jer
centum upon such assessed valuation;
except that the Oily council of Augusta,
from time h'o lime, as necessary, for the
purpose of protection agaii st floods, may
incur a bonded indebudness upon its
power producing canal and municipal
waterworks, in addition to the debts
hereinbefore in this paragraph allowed
to be incurred, to an amount- in the ag
gregate not exceeding fifty j.er centum
of the combined value of such properties,
the valuation of such properties to be
fixed as may be prescribed by law, i<u"
* said valuation not to exceed a figure five
percent, on which shall represent the net
revenue per annum produced bv the two
properties together at the time of said
valuation, and such indebtedness net to
be incurred except with the assent of two
thirds of the qualified voters of such eiiy.
at an election or elections for that pur
pose to be held as may be now, or may be
hereafter, prescribed by law for the in
curring of new debts by said the City
council of Augusta.”
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted by the
authority aforesaid, That whenever the
above proposed amendment to the Con
stitution shall be agreed to two-thirds of
the members elected to each of the two
houses of the General Assembly, and the j
same has been entered on their journals, ,
with the ayes and nays taken thereon,
the Governor shall, and he is hereby au
thorized and instructed to cause said
amendment to be published in at least
two newspapers in each Congressional
district, in this State for the period of two
months next preceding the time of hold
ing the next general election.
Sec. 3, Be it further enacted by the
antharity aforesaid, That the above pro
posed amendment shall be submitted for
ratification or rejection to the electors of
this State at the next general election to
be held after publication as provided for
in the second Section of this Act, in the
several election districts of this State. at
which election every person shall be
qualified to vote who is entitled to vote
for members of the General Assembly.
All persons voting at such election in
favor of adopting the proposed amend
ment to the Constitution shall have writ
ten or printed on their ballots the words:
“For amendment allowing City of Au
gusta to increase its bonded indebtness
■ ; : -
'Ufi'.r **'? 'ilWKl
U ’ ' ■ -■
' . ♦ ' • *r'f'
' ' -f
--h ~ ’ , • aw ■
lit-. ~-o f •' '>• • ’ v
* ‘ V
' .V-C.
;
y, - ‘
--
A-i.-J* * •sa’ ■ -. r \ y s'* ~ -• \ i
£•***•’ Vjv = SS* .< 1 ' •
. " ■ ..; f
* . • ' '•/' ■
y ''
I;.- ' x "'i k ' s -
■ . ■->
.
GOVERNOR HOKE SMITH.
Hat Smith’s Acccmplishcd in Two Years.
Passed the Disfranchisement Law, which removed the negro from
participation in the political affairs of Georgia. The registratieu of whites
this year is 261,145, while that of the negroes is but 11,235, a number of
counties ret having a tiozeri blacks on the registration lists.
Passed the a v enlarging the Railroad Commission and increasing
its powers; sustained it in reducing passenger fares, so that the people of
the State are now saving a million dollars a year on that Item alone.
When Joseph M, Brown was Railroad Commissioner he voted against
reducing passenger fares.
Compelled the railroads to treat shippers with fairness in the matter
cf demurrage and complaints, so that shippers are now given prompt eon
<dd: rsticn in these mutters where formerly they were wearied cut with
delays. t
Cut off free passes, an insidious form of bribery, which was the
chief stock i i trade of the lobbyist.
Passed the law to prevent corporations from contributing money to
politics.
rasssd the law to compel candidates to publish their e'cction ex
penses.
Paste d the iaw to prevent snap judgment on the people by the cn 11 -
irg of early primaries, ro that no primary can be held more than two
months before the regular election.
Passed the new registration law which prevents the registering of
purchased vs'e? and imported voters on the eve of an electio-n, and gives
time and opportunity for purifying the registration iists and fir any voter
whose name is cut off by the registrars to have his case heard and his name
restored tc the list which was impossible under the old lav/.
Abolished the Convict Le;s? System and put the convicts on the
pub ic reads despite the efforts of the opposition to provide for leasing part
cf them and putting some on the Wimberly farm.
Saved the State nearly SIOO,OOO by refusing to buy the aforesaid
farm, which was the only one the Prison Commission would racommend,
though it was wholly unsuited to the purposes, and was exorbitant in price,
even if tho State had needed a farm—which it did not.
Established Juvenile Courts, inaugurated a Parole System for Pen
itentiary convicts, pardoned and set free many incurably tick and helpless
convicts, freeing the State from that burden ana turning them over to
their friends; established a State Sanitarium for consumptives; added
$600,000 a year to the School fund, and for the first time in the history
of the public schools drew warrants on the Treasury paying every claim
due teachers before the year closed.
Increased the taxes paid by the railroads half a million dollars, thus
lightening the burdens of the people, yet working no injustice to the cor
porations which had escaped the payment of their proportionate share of
the taxes.
Relied successfully on the local authorit es to preserve order during
the Georgia Railroad strike and thereby prevented riots and bloodshed
forcing an arbitration between the corporation and its firemen, whose
places were being given to negroes.
Being a man of ideas, he announced his principles. Being a man of
the people, he stood for the people. Le ng a man of his word, ne kept his
promises. Being a practical man of affairs, he conducted a business ad
ministration, met the expenses as they fell due, never advertised to the
world that the State was facing a deficit when the Treasury balance sheet
showed the conditions to be two million dollars the other way.
AND HOKE SMITH NEVER SUGGESTED A BOND ISSUE TO
MEET CURRENT EXPENSES.
I’or fl tod protection,” anil all persons op
posed to the adoption of the amendment j
shall have written or printed on their |
ballots the words: “Against amendment j
allowing City of Augusta to increase its
bonded indebtedness for II nil protec
tion ”
Sec. 4. Ik* it further enacted by the
authority aforesaid, That the Governor
be and he is hereby authorized and di
rected to provide r or the submission of
the amendment proj>os< d in the first Sec
tion of this Act to a vote of the jienple
as required'by the Constitution of this
State in jiaragraph one of Section one of
article thirteen, and by this Act, ajid if
ratified, the Governor shall, when he as
certains such ratification from the Sec
retary nf State, to whom the returns
shall be referred in the manner as in
oasi-sof election for members of the Gen
eral Assembly to count and ascertain the
results, issue his proclamation for one
inseriion iu one of the daily j aj/eis of i
tills State, announcing such result and
declaring the amendment ratifii d.
Sec. 5. -Beit further enamed by the
authority aforesaid, That all laws ami
parts of laws in conflict with this Act,
be, and the same are, hereby repealed. • i
Now, therefore, I. Joseph M. Brown,
Governor of said State, do issue this hit
proclamation, hereby declaring that the ;
foregoing proposed amendment to the
Constitution is submitted for ratifica-!
tion or rejection to the voteis of the state
qualified to v >te for membeis of the Gen
eral Assembly at the general election to
be held on Wednesday, October sth, 1910.
JOSEPH M. BROWN,
Governor.
By tha Governor. PHILLIP COOK,
Secretary Slate.
Baseball Galore.
The McDonough team has in
dulged id several games of base
ball this week.
Wednesday the Jonesboro team
came and were defeated in the
prettiest game seen here this sea
son. it was a 10 inning game and
the score was 4 to 3.
Thursday the Senoia team came
fyr three games, and in the first
game were defeated in a poor
game by a score of 5 to 0.
The second game of the series
will be played thir afternoon and
the third Saturday afternoon.
Just received some nice fresh
country grown sweelf potatoes.
Copeland-Turner Merc. Co.
BKOWN’S MESSAGE
SENT OUT GARBLED
State Flnodsii With Big Circu
lar R&ip< rkshle For
• Cridisions.
GOVERHOH mis
OWN rR’NTEO W3333S
Claim that Br-wn Raised Pric r of
Cotton Denojt eeii by Farmers. Un
ion News—Campaign of Bluff and
Deception.
In tho closing hours of the campaign
there is being sent broadcast over
the state from Governor Brown’s
headquarters a c’:iss of political liter
ature that th' vo’ors may well regard
with suspicion, its effect is to mis
lead-and deceive.
Governor Brown’s messages are l:c*
Lag garbled by himself or his cam
paign mating-, as i 1 those portions cat
out which he ’rows the people are
ready-to reptuilue.
This is but o: c cf n number of
bc a ernes to ira.ro e upon and delude
the votere.
Governor Brown has, in two mes
sages to the legislature, recoiunu -d
--ed, urged ami ; ,gt:od for a bond issue
of $600,000 vh.i which to meet a pr.rt
of the current expenses of the mate,
which would violate the settled policy
of Georgia and set a mo; t uangero.,s
precedent.
The slogan cf “Brown and Bread’
has become one of “Brown and
Bends.”
Suppresses Hir, Own Recommendation.
Yet an immense four-page circular,
which is being sent out from Brown
headquarters, containing pretended
copies of the Governor’s messages,
omits the twice-made recommendation
of a bond issue.
Why does Governor Brown, in his
messages ft)-the Legislature, call for
$600,000 of bonds with which to meet
the current expenses of the State, and
then in his appeal for votes emit the
recommendation? Is it fair to the vot
er to thus deceive him?
It is done because he knows the peo
ple of Georgia will not trust the
Treasury and the disbursing of over
five million dollars to a Governor who
proposes to plunge the State into a
bond issue to meet the ordinary ex
penses of his administration.
Here is the Record.
Here are Governor Brown’s own
words, first appearing in his message
of 1909 and repeated in his message
of 1910, but suppressed in the mes
sage which he has sent to the voters
of Georgia when asking re-election:
“The Cuncial Assembly should propese,
and Rubirik to ii:e people of this Slate
an amendment to Uio (Ji r.utltutinn au
thorising the issuance of about ?GOO.oGO
of bonds, the proceeds of which should be
used to create a puvmant nt loan fund to
be loaned every spring to the school fund
for the payment of teachers’ salaries,
and returned to this lean fund in Decem
ber when the tuxes are collected."
The voters can not find the recom
mendation in the messages going out
from Brown headquarters, but they
can tind it. in the printed copies lur
nished to the Legislature and in the
printed Journals of the House and
Senate.
Denies His Own Words.
Governor Brown in his address to
the people published August 9tii says:
“x\s to the Railroad Commission,
Governor Smith aays that the pres
ent administration seeks to take from
the Railroad Commission the fight to
supervise the stock and bond issues
of public service companies. No such
attempt has been made cither directly
or indirectly.”
The above statement is astounding
in the face of the following quotation
from Governor Brown’s message of
July 1, 1909, page 27:
“Railroad Commission. —I respect
fully call your attention to the amend
ment, or addition, to the Railroad
Commission Law, approved August 22,
1907, regulating the issuance of stocks
and bonds by common carrier corpora
tions. The theory upon which the
above amendment was founded is, on
the surface, quite tenable, but an ex
amination by you will show that the
result will be. the practical stay in
railroad building in Georgia save of
branch or short lines.”
Does Governor Brown read his own
messages? Is he simply forgetful? Or
is he afraid of his own record and try
ing to mislead the people?
More Instance, cf Omission.
He has in his messages recommend
ed that the Railroad Commission be
weakened by reducing the membership
from five to three; that its rate ex
port be taken away and its special at
torney be cut off; by taking from it the
power to regulate public service cor
porations other than the steapa rail
roads; and by taking from it the pow
er to prevent watering of stocks
by public service corporations.
All of which is emitted from his big
circular of campaign literature.
Is that treating the voters with the
fairness thit should characterize the
campaign methods of a candidate for
Governor?
Condemned Again By the Record.
Governor Brown, himself in his ad
dress to the people published in the
newspapers of August 9th, says of the
reduction in passenger fares:
“The reductions in passenger rates were
made by the railroad commission while I
was a member of it. The rate fixed for
the Central and the Southern railway sys
tems was 2 1-2 cents per mile. I voted
for that rate. It has never been changed.
The rate fixed for the Atlantic Coast Line
and the Georgia railroad was 2 1-4 cents
Rer mile. I voted against that rate, de
clttxinu i* U& lutlJJ- -
l 5 his is a siuuied effor* to mislead,
for the minutes of the Railroad Com
mission show that when the various
amendments had been voted upon and
disposed of and the only question be
fore the commission was that of re
ducing railroad fares, Commissioner
Joseph M. Brown voted “no” and the
reductions weie made in spite of hia
vote.
Claims Raised Price of Cotton.
In the big circular referred to the
Ebsurri cl ira - nr de that Govern*}?
Brown lias raised tho price of to. on
to lfi 1 i cents.
Thu tlaim is an insult to the Intel l
ligema cf the f..nre;but it is cn a
level with tire ether claims and the
methods o p the' politicians who aie i.i
charge of Brown headquarters. Have
the fa:me. j of Gef. ,ia rot rived ary
! '.ore l :r th ir to ton than was ie
ccivr.J by the farnurs of Texas and
all (he of r southern itatc :?
The Farmers’ I men Nc. . th ct!l
-rial organ oi tho Farmers’ Union, in
its issue of August 3, 1910, clenou eoa
this political clap ! -y of the hn * l
politicians. In a dduble-eclumn edi
torial headed “i’olitic ians Cluimiv.s
Credit for Better Prk os,” it says:
Politicians Claiming the Credit for Pott.-r
Prices.
“Jr.m :i was pieilicw l in tin* <••>! mna
i f A •:* )> \ .>*• s«u > iul in .• i.. 0
cvec-wat.lifnl jx liticians i. ... l'l-i: i to
Texas, vviio seek for s-.a •- lot to
oled ion, will be ami ;■ u’.uin r ci t
for higher prices «. f l.:.rn > ■=. '• i
never li or the p- litic.n:: ■ i the 1 ur
ine! s’ I'll. >n credit li v ao.vi It)
“Cotton was sell iif. I. t s.x e< ; r
pound M,\ V(-,-us a,. •, ivl’i n the K; ?
Unli n bfgan
We sm-ci ,ih.l in i •.. .:gi; • ice .: <
.ton to ten eeiiis, then t • twi ive. and <i, a
Inst season we could sell it at rtf tec :i
cents, ft has si.ld hl t -.„ as si.sto-u a; 1
nne-hnlf cents, and in the luce . f these
facts you will find politicians g, ing out . f
their way to claim credit h r this is c : i
prices, li' Ik l’er times, in c.;;y fcjtate me
due lo tile ailin;nist:ats n, it ci
is the a Iministi a tic n }>: • • sing the ..no
In which the good times occur.
“Tho p liticians will m t Le aide to (> «>l
many h.ik wall tips guile; they lwiovv and
ought to knovv tiiat we know that no
State administrations affects tho prims*
of cotton and oilier farm products, and
yet they l a-g tho aud?<Jty U ir-ult tho
cotton growers by claiming tTiO : . q>< ::s.-
bilily for higher prices for cotton.
’’ I he politician who thinks he can cram
such rot down.our threats has not k* t
pace with the intellectual awakening
which the Farmers' t ni<\n l-.as wrouglit
among the tillers of th? sell. Every
where the farmers will lie found resent
ing such insults to their intelligence, and
tile politician who attempts it will Hse
hundreds of votes among the farmers.
"We call upon our readers lo look about
them find see who is trying to stuff them
with such rot. The attempt is being
made, and we have the evidence. Wo
are notifying the farmers; they don’t
have to take our word for it, but if they
will notice tHoir w« ekjy papers and < ;im
palgn literature, they will see that the
attempt we mention is being made.”
Governor Brown claims that he was
elected by the farmers of Georgia, ir
so why does he feed upon such
chaff as that he has raised tiie juice
of cotton, that, he h"s done for them
that which they know they have done
for themselves, assisted by the grow
ing demand for our great staple in
all the countries of the globe. Why
does he not tell the farmers frani ly
and truthfully that his admir.Htr tion
has dene nothing for them except to
tax their dogs?
Brown’s Treasury Always “Broke.”
For business methods corftpare the
administration of Governor Hoke
Smith with that e’f his successor. No
suggestioy of a bo id i me by Hoke
Smith, and despite the loss of a ou :r
--ter of a million dollars of revenue
from liquor licenses, and the incense
in the appropriation far education, ev
; ery obligation was met as it m tured
1 and the surplus was increased about
$400,000; while -Governor Brown, af
j ter a little more than a year in nflkc
! sent to the Legislature on August 1 a
1 special message announcing that by
September 1 the St :fe Treasury would
be practically empty.
Wonderful m: n, who can ra'se the
price of cottcm throughout the civi’-
teed world and bring prosperity to nU
North America, hut who enn rot man
age "the finances of the State without
the incessant t ry that the trou: :ry is
“broke.”
Would Net Duy *7 s ’a-i.nal3.
• The Legasi . * c o. 19. 9 v. airing tc
jirotcctjh 0 interests of tho Western
and A Lit. n tic raihoad, directed him tc
purchase certain terminal properties
in the edge of Ch?.ttanoega, but he re
fused to to so, <)!t the ground that thu
State did not have the money; but
when tho Legislrtuie demanded a
better reason he decia. ed he had re
fused to. buy because thirty four years
ago, when the heart of Chattanooga
was flooded by an overflow of the
Tennessee river, and the floor of the
passenger dejtot itself was submerged,
the property in question was also
partly under water. Yet people are
today building homes on that land.
Campaign of Bluff and Deception.
This cuinjtaign of bluff and bluster,
deception and humbuggery, has taken
the form of interviews and statements
from pretended Hoke Smith men,
whose utterances it is hoped will in
fluence voters. This fraud has been
repeatedly exposed, but icok out for it,
it is the last desperate effort of a po
litical syndicate whose candidate gar
bles his own message and suppresses
his own recommendations, and whose
campaign promises of 1908 have gone
to protest, and whose “reforms” have
gone into bankruptcy, due he says, to
the fact that the Georgia Legislature
is still for Hoke Smith’s policies and
refuses to adopt his own!
Full line of Red Seal Zephyrs
and fancy Madras in solid, stripes
and plaids in ajl the new shades.
Nothing better for school dresses,
they have the appearance and
wearing qualities of fine imported
fabrics, they are tub-proof.
Copeland-Turncr Merc. Co. I
