The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-15

t4t0l DEGttOb a1tu HWY ttS a8OptAtaA- | Upon vote being taken the section was adopted.
 Section { was read as follows: Sec. ,. All lands or other pro.psr giv- en by individuais. or appropriated by |sthe State for educationai purposes, ai,d all estates of deceased persons. Who dte without leaving a will or hetr, shs II be faithfully applied to the iaainte- nance of the public schools.
 Mir. Opp-That section makes no change. 1 move its adoption.
 Upon a vote being taken the section was adopted.
 Section { was read as follows:
 Sec. 4. All poll taxes levied and col lected in this State shall be applied to the support of the public schools In the respective counties where ieVleo and collected.
 MT. Asheraft-There Is no substantial change In that section and move its adoption.
 Upon vote being taken the section was adopted.
 Section was read as follows:
 Sec. 5. The income arising from the 18th section trust fund, the surplus revenue fund. until it is called for ny the United States government. ana the funds enumerated in Sections $ ana 4 of this Article. together with the spe- cial annual tax of thirty cents en eacn one hundred dollars of taxable prop erty in this State shall be applied to the support and mainteuance of the public schools. and it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to increase. from time to time. the public schooi fund as the necessity therefor and the condition of the treasury and the re- sources of the State may 5ustify. Fro vided. that nothing herein contained shall be SO construed as to authorize the General Assembly to 'evy In any one year a greater rate or taxI1ioh than sixty-five cents on each one nun dreC dollars worth of taxable prop erty.
 MT. Graham (Talladega)-l move the adoption of that section.
 MT. Watts-If I understand the pro visions of this section. 1t provides for the Ieyying of thirty cents of the six tv-fiye cents of State taxes for the support of public schools. It says. 'sTogether with the special annual tax of thirty cents on each one hunoreo dollars of taxable property Tn tnIs state shall be applied to the support and maintenance of the public scnoois and it shall be the duty of the Gen eral Assembly to increa3e, from tune to time. the public school fund as the necessity therefor and the condition or the treasury and the resources.o or .ne State may justify. Provided thae nothing herein contained snail pc s1 construed as to authorize the denerh, Assembly to levy in any one year yreater rate of taxation than sixty five cents on each one hundred dollars worth of taxable property.
 Now if I understand the Enghsn language that means the state must devote thirty cents of the slxty-iiVe cents which Is collected by taxes rom Inc neople of Alabama to the ma'hte nance of the public schools. do nov think that that provision should pc III inc Constitution. There may De ne cessity to use more than tnirty-,Ne cents of the sixty-five cents TOT otheI purposes. and for this Convehtion " say to the legislature that TOT an uh' to come, you shall use tnir'y cen's % the sixty-five cents of the taxes tna. ,,o,, Iavy for school purposes, ana flat won shall not use but thirty-rive cents of the sixty-five cents TOE other purposes, strikes me IS puttns ir tho Constitution, a very dahseroue thing. and certainly shall oppose n.
 Wr Cobb-I do not think this ought to he passed. I am in favor or main tainine the public schools. but tnls IS a matter that the Legislature of the State of Alabama ought to control They can take from time to tune the amount of money that the Treasury or the State of Alabama can anoro ioa this purpose, and 1t Is not property constitutional matter. We are putting too much in this Constitution of mere legislative matter. It is dangerous: We have already reduced the limit or the tax rate to 65 cents, which is dah- gerous proceeding, in my opinion, ana new to nut in the Constitution that A certain amount of the taxes levied shah be, by constitutional provision, appneo to educational purposes, Is putting the resources of the State in dangerous condition. and I hope that 1t VIII not be adopted.
 MT. Walker (Madison)-I simply de- sire to request the Convention to de- liberate on this matter before 1t is en- acted into the Constitution. The State, like an individual, should make pro- vision for the education of It's children according to its means, and should ap- ply toN the purposes of education so much of it's resources as are not needed for the other purposes of government It would be folly in any individual to say, without regard to his circum- stances in the future, that he must at
 
 income to the education of his children, and tie himself up so that no matter what were the needs of his family, that appropriation must be made. Is 1t not equal folly for the State to put itself in a position where, notwithstanding urgent and necessary demands for the support of its government, and the maintenance of its other institutions, that there shall be appropriated to the purposes of education. nearly one-half of it's income? That is the situation that the State is proposed to be put in by this provision. Can the friends of education demand anything more of the State of Alabama at this time, or at any time, than that the Legislature shall appropriate to the purposes of Education such an amount of it's in come as may be left after the necessi- ties of the Government have been pro vided for? You are putting yourself in a position where the State would not be able to meet the extraordinary demands upon it's resources.
 MT. Graham (Talladega)--The gentle man speaks of devoting one-half of the income to education. I want to ask hii if he is not overlooking the income of about $300.000 from license taxes, which is being increased every year by the organization of new corporations?
 Mir. Walker-I recognize there are some sources of income that are not in- cluded in this provision, but this pro- vision affects the great source of in- come of the State of Alabama, and it is a final and irrepealable appropriation to one specific purpose, and l submit that if ia unwiaa for this Convention fO