The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-11

 that you shan not tAke the nnune q thy Creator in vain. and if it he1 nek been for the legislature y0u would uo< have sat here in this dtstineul91eo body of gentlemen, statesmen tbat yoU are. l have been tempted ttme ana again to rise to my feet as q metler of personal privilege to defend the leG- isIature of the State of Alabama The legislature is not such a body Of fools as you would have one to believe that they were, and they are not a dishonorabie. disreputable class of rufiians that meet down here overriding the wisnes of the people. They are nearer the people than anybody on earth You want to turn over as Tar as poeel13e to lot of "simiim" headed commit sioners of county, that cannot speu whole State, and for the different ccun- ties in the State. You say that my county has got to have . certain kind of a jacket, because Mobile wants . certain kind of jacket. Gentiemens you are going too far. just want to call the attention of the Convent4op to this fact. As far az am concerued shall vote for the aniendment onered by the gentleman from Limestone knocking that out, whether it can DO considered before or after the act is passed. suppose not being . law yer 1t teats me both ways and they have got . right to. consider it befoye and after both MT. white-since hearing the gentle man from Clarke or the gentleman from Mobile, believe 1t was, showing that the local laws had become c,trn- bersome in the State of Mississippi. [ want to say that in that State ts-ey never have been given to local legisla- tion. served in one Legislature there. l had the honor to serve in their Leg islature In 1876 and we did not pass . single local act and VIC would not pass one for anybody. Up to that time tho nearly as many as have been passed in the State of Alabama. The people of Mississippi became disgusted and would not pass local lsGislation. but there Is something more to that than & Constitution. because there ts gen. erai law in Mississippi by which great many of these things can be accom- piished. and that general law would have to be repealed before you could get the local legislation. That is why the local legislation in Mississippi ap- pears to be as small as tt is. I think if we leave this provision in here we might just as well strike out what we have done today. If we allow a com mittee of the Legislature to determine whether or not general law has. or a general law will, provide for this local legislation, ve have not moved forward single step. We are exactly where the Constitution of 1875 left us, and if local legislation has become an evu then we might expect tI bear that evil still. There Is only one way to avoid 1t in my Judgment and that is 10 adopt the report of the committee which shows this is a question for the court and not a question for the Legislature.
 Mir. Pillans-In as much as the Heu- tleman from Jefferson. and little enr-. Her from Mississippi, followed the lead of the gentleman from Walker. II was rather surprised at his ex-state. and | would like to make an explanation. It has been said that Mississippi did not pass local laws because It vas an agricultural State and did not need them, as understand. but desipe to put in evidence the difference between the local legislation of Mississippi in 1890; the year they adopted . Constttu- ton with stringent clauses prohibitinE local legisla ton, and 1898 after ths adoption of that Constitution. There is a volume as tig as an old-tashioned volume of the acts of Alabama. along in the late sos. Theie Ia their volume of acts. 900 pages. Almost all of that volume is made up of local and spe- cial acts. These are acts which are not general laws applying all over the State of Mississippi in their opera $fnY, Tn unffnR VYxndav a uvat&rsx and controlled by a system which Is proposed by the amendment of the learned gentleman from Montgomery, that Is the bok of acts which was passed. little smaller than 0nr blue back spelling book containing the gen. oral actG Of 1900 do not care 70 make any further argument
 Mir. White~-Was not that called session of the Legislature of fissis- sippi? .tf
 MT. Pillans--I think not. This i~ about the size of their book. and this Is a general session. Now that shows that they are able to reduce their icx- lslation from that weighty tone to tlis one as the result of the precise pIan which is proposed by my distinguished friend. which can be improved upon as alluded to by the gentleman from ShHtNCt " TCIuifliB IuNt tHr COsttulL~ tee. if 1t shall be adopted as part of the system of Alabama. must mako a written report upon lsgisiatiun, It will be improved upon If 1t requires that the committee in its report must al1d definitely whethef or not the publica- ton which may be required In cer :atn eases has been made and that the othe. matters prerequisite nave been Dcr- formed.
 Mir. Pettus-I move the previous question on the section and the pending amendments.
 The main question was ordered. tJD- on vote being taken upon the amend. ment offered by the gentleman from Montgomery. division as called far and by a vote of IS ayes and 50 noes the amendment was lost.
 Mir. Watts--l move 10 lay the amend ment of the gentleman from Limestone on the table.
 The President--The previous question has been ordered upon that amendment as wei The Clerk will read the amend ment offered by the delegate from Limestone.
 MT. Long (waJker)-I ask for a reading of the section as It would read with the amendment. The section was read.
 Mir. o'Ieal-I rise 10 a question of ,priyilege. believe that the Chairman of the committee has a question. and I yield to the gentleman from Montgomery. Mir. Watts.
 NJ. Watts--There seems 10 be some as to what this law provides. It provides that no special. priva te or local law except a law fix.