The age-herald., 1901-06-28
This Would Give Jefferson One Additional Member Out of
 a Total of Nine
ONE SESSION IN FOUR YEARS
The Legislative Committee Includes In Its Report a Provision Against Lobbying-Legislators To Be
 Elected for Four Years.
BY FRANK HARVEY MILLER.

Montgomery. June 27.-(Special. .)-The convention spent all of yesterday in de- feating tile Sanford amendment to pro hibit the Legislature from enacting a tax on fertilizers, and at the afternoon ses- Sion today it turned down a similar saaepdment of Captain Whites Proposi- tons in the convention die hard. They have to be thrown down and stamped on and notice given that the White amendment is to be brought up again to- morrow.
 Most of the morning session was con sumed by the reports of committees. The committees on legislative department, rep resentation and amending the constitu- tion and miscellaneous provisions made reports today. The five six hundred or dinances introduced into the convention are being returned to it in the shape of articles. So far eight committees have reported and twelve are yet to be heard from. The suffrage committee, it is said will report tomorrow but this cry of wolf has been made often that 1t doesn't make much impression.
 The committee on representation report ed in favor of having 1O5 representatives. The counties of Jefferson, Walker, Butler, Fillmore and Etowah each get an increase of one.
 The chief changes recommended by the committee on legislative department are that the General Assembly should be called the Legislature, the terms of whose members are made four years, the first election to be in August, 1902, for two years and elections thereafter to be every four years. Sessions are provided for Oflce every fOur years. lohbyfnp 6 pre- vented by excluding outsiders from the floor; counties and municipalities are pro- hibited from increasing the pay of officers after services rendered; trusts and mo- nopolies are provided against, and officers cannot be retired on half pay or pensions, nor can the Legislature expend during any year more money than the estimated current income.
 Some interesting debates were heard during the day. and two sections of the article on taxation were adopted.
 A communication was read from the Sheriffs, Clerks and Registers Associa- tion protesting against section 30 of the article on executive, which makes a sher- if ineligible to succeed himself and au- thorizes the Governor to remove him from office when impeachment proceedings are pending against him for allowing mob to take or injure prisoner
 Convention Opens.
 The thirty-frst days session of the constitutional convention was called to order by President Knox at 10 o'clock. A prayer was offered by Rev. A. J. La mar. Roll call showed 145 members pres- ent.
 Gov. w. C. Oates. chairman of the committee on legislative department, then made it's report as follows:
 Legislative Department.
 MT. President.
 The committee on legislative depart ment instruct me to report the accom- panying ordinance to supply the place of the article in the present constitution on the subject.
 Without deeming it necessary to re- port specially upon the numerous ordi- nances and resolutions referred to it. the committee has carefully considered them, and substantially embodied in the new ar ticle a number of the propositions which they embrace. The ordinance herewith reported will show to what extent their provisions have been adopted. These or dinances and resolutions are herewith respectfully returned.
 The provisions of the following sections of article ". of the present constitution are recommended for adoption without change: 4, 6, :, 10, II, 12. 13, IA, 16. IS, 19 2, 25, 26. 2S 30, B. 34, 35, 36, 39, 40. fl, 6, A. 47, 4S, 50. 51, 53. 55 and 56, down to and including section '. They have iden-
 
 to 20 inclusive the corresponding matter is incorporated in sections of the new arr ticle numbered in each instance one less than the old. from 25 to 2S inclusive three less, and after 2S two less.
 The Changes Made.
 In the following statement the mater ,iai changes recommended by your com mittee are set forth in the order to which they relate to sections of article ". of tba mt 0ncti fnfiO Qe arad therein
 To conform to the usual and popular expression, the title of the legislative de- partment is changed in section 1 from "General Assembly, to Legislature. " This amendment extends throughout the article.
 By an addition to section the enacting clause of the bills. etc, is not to be re. peated. but sectional divisions are to be made and designated by figures merely This Is done in the interest of brevity, and to prevent needless formality in the style of enactments
 Section 3 is changed in the respect that the terms of representatives and senators shall be four years. The provisions of section 9 for issuance of writs of election by the Governor to fill vacancies is trans posed to section 8. Provision Is made that senators and representatives shall be elected by the qualified electors on the first Monday in August, 1902, and every four years thereafter. unless the legisla- ture shall change the time of holding elections; and that the term of office oi both senators and representatives shall be four years. However, as the senators from the odd numbered districts have still two years to serve, the chairman of this committee recommends that the election of senators in the even numbered districts at the general election in 1902 shall be for the term of two years only, and that thereafter all the senators and represen- tatives shall be elected to serve four vars; and he also recommends that the Governor. Lieutenant Governor. Secre-