The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-17

tee OH this occasion cannot be ctarac- terized as being anything short cE ex- tremely partisan. It seems 70 me that when this house voted that they would take this article from the table at Il o'clock, that for the Rules Committee to go out of this hall in advance of that hour, and to bring in a sl ecial
 rule which was expected to prsve1t the
 carrying out of that order of tas ,,ouse itself, a different rule from that which
 has met all the needs and the extgen- cies of every other occasion presented to this house, seems to me to be eyi- dence of an extremely partisan spirit. True that committee Is not unanimous.
 True there are two gentlemen on that committee who do not consent "a tbis'
 particular rule, made for this particu-
 lar occasion. True that that committee like the Returning Board in the fa-
 nous Hayes and Tillman controversy.
 has not risen above partisanship. and
 has divided strictly In accordance with the way in which they have voted for
 solicitors. Therefore the particular re-
 port of this Rules Committee, report ing this particular rule. Is entitled to
 no more weight or dignity than any partisan effort of that wing of the
 house to accomplish its purpose. (Ap- plause)
 Now, it Is true that deliberative bod ies can change their rules. but never
 before heard the proposition advanced
 seriously, that they could chs ngo them in any other way than in the mode
 provided in the rules themselves that
 they might be changed. When the
 rules provide way in which they may be changed, that Is the course that
 ought to be pursued. but 1t is suggested
 that this ought to he done on this oc- | casion in free Alabama, here in the Democratic land of the South. Here in this representative hody, because forsooth a great big hall headed Czar from the North, in the Congress of the United States. has established prece- dene that the Rules Committee can retire behind curtains at any moment
 in the Congress of the United States and bring back rule suited to carry out the viii of partisan majority upon | any measure. That rule has been gen
 eral. hut the South has arrayed 'tself
 in continued criticism and lack of ap-
 probation on that. The South stands
 out against that and the only excuse for this rule on this occasion IS that 1t is on that overbearing rule there layed down. Their further excuse IS that this is particular emergency. I
 want to ask them who made that Iar- ticular emergency? (ApplaI,e) Who brought it about? (Afplause.) II e great article upon the judiciary Of this State after two months of consideration at the hands of the committee, had passed this house with less than a score of dissenting voices, and was thus the Constitutional law of Alabo- ma. Who took 1t after 1t had passed its third reading after 1t was the Con- stitution at law of this State and be- cause 1t did not suit forsooth one lit tie coteries of officers, and laid 1t on the table? Who did that? Who made the emergency that they now seek to escape from? They made 1t.
 They made that emergency and now they seek to bring about rule to set
 themselves out of hole they put themselves in. (Applarse.) Now. MT.
 President, if this rule has been good enough to make this Constitution by, If ii has been good enough for you to rule and preside by, for three long months, 1t is good enough to finish the work of this convention by, and there is no ne-
 cessity for the Rules Committee, or a portion of il, when this Convention has made a special order for an hour, that was rapidly approaching, to retire, hastily jump to a conclusion and bring in d special rule said to be for spe- cial emergency, but fol an emergency that tkey made. If this temple falls, if this Constitution goes without an Article on Judiciary, gentlemen Of the Convention, If this thing goes wrong, if these walls fall down that they are claiming to be an emergency about
 them, they have pulled them down themselves. They will be in the same attitude as Samson of old when he pulled the temple down upon himself.
 This Article has been enacted, and they, to meet their own emergencies, laid 1t upon the table, after it was solemnly enacted. Now. gentlemen of the Convention this is not the time or the place to discuss the merits of the Solicitor question as has been attempt ed to be done. l have no fear upon
 which side of the controversy merit rests, but this is the time and place to say whether when they say that an emergency exists, partisan force in
 this House which can go out and bring
 in a particular rule in derrogation of the rights of this Convention, or DOT tion of it, made to fit a particular oc- casion, made to accomplish a partlcu- lar purpose, biased in its effect, biased
 in it's operation, and intended to be biased in its results, I hope that this House will by the same decisive vote by which it determined to take this question up at IL o CLOCK ana dispose or 1t, VII now dispose of this newborn rule, born in a questionable time. and under questionable circumstances and brought in here to be rattled into life in the hands of this Convention. (Ap- plause.) Therefore. MT. Pres dent. l move the previous question upon the adoption of that resolution.
 Mr. Hefln (Chambers)-I ask the gentleman to withdraw that. There Is not a single member of the Rules Com mittee who has had an opportunity to be heard.
 MT. Fitts-I will withdraw the call for the previous question.
 MT. Lomax-I have not during the course of this discussion upon the So-
 icitor's question taken any part in the debate and I would not now take any part in this debate but for the charge of partisanship which is made against the Rules Committee. And l still would not take part in 1t but for the fact that the charge of partisanship comes from the Chairman of the Com mittee on Judiciary and from member of the Committee on Jud ciary. which by an indefinite postponement, pigeon holed the deCraffenre!d amendment, and kept this Convention from consid- ering 1t. With what grace can men when a solemn ordinance is Introduced by delegate in ths Convention upon a important question in their Committee take such action as 10 forever prevent the Convention from acting upon il. charge any other Committee with par