The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-16

The amendment was read as follows:
 "Amend the amendment of the dele
 gate from Macon by adding the fol-
 lowing: Provided. that the funds
 raised by such taxation shall be dis
 trfbuted for the benefit of the school
 children of the county"
 MT. Cobb--I move to lay that amend
 ment on the table.
 Mir. Coleman-I have not yielded the floor.
 MT. Cobb-I do not mean to cut him off.
 l Mir. Coleman-The very argument
 made by the distinguished gentleman
 from Jefferson. and by the Chairman
 of this Committee. shows the injustice
 Of any such provision without the
 amendment. There are municipalities
 In Alabama where the wealth of the re-
 mainder of the county Is concentrated | and you will cut off all these poor | children of the county from the bene- | nt of such taxation if you conrine the appropriations to the children of the | municipalities. I say if you are going
 to raise money by taxation for schools let the poor children, those from the County. get the benefit of it, who are not able to educate themselves, or to
 be educated by their parents. Let them get the benefit of 1t. You are bringing up the same evil which was so ably discussed here of allowing the rich to educate themselves. and depriving the poor. those who are entitled to the ben eft. and who ought to be educated. from the benefit of such taxation. and 1t Is wrong in principle and the amend ment ought to be adopted. MT. Cobb-If I understand his amend ment 1t means that the taxes raised in municipalities shall be distributed over the whole county. That manifest ly is unfair.
 MT. Coleman-May ask you a ques- tion? What would you do if the city of Birmingham. and the city twelve
 miles below it. where the wealth Is concentrated. and the poor children out in the rural districts are not able to educate themselves?
 Mir. Cobb-The county has an oppor- tunity of voting on this. My amend ment does not contemplate the levying and raising of any taxes in any muni- cipa1ities, where the county acts. Now the preference is given to the county. The whole county may raise this special tax if they desire to do it. Wherever they refuse to do it. or do not want to do 1t. or neglect to do it. then any of these municipali- ties afterwards, if they were to decide that they wanted to act, have an op- portunity to come in and get the bene- fit of part of the funds raised in the cities?
 MT. Greer (Calhoun)-well. after the cities have once acted, would the coun- ties afterwards, were to decide that they wanted to act, have an opportun- fn tn nd Coft ho nf part of the funds raised in the cities?
 Mir. Cobb-I judge that that could be regulated largely by legislative en- actment. but If afterwards the county acted. 1t would nullify the action of the municipality.
 MT. Coleman-How could it nullify it |?
 Mir. Spears-Take the county of lief ferson. and suppose the whole county acts. and the city of Birmingham acts in conjunction with them, and they de- cline to levy the tax: then the city of Birmingham comes along and acts for itself. would the city of Birmingham, acting in conjunction with the county. defeat the right of the county to levy in the first place. and then fall back on its right to levy in the second place?
 MT. Cobb-Possibly SO. But am not apprehensive about that matter. Il think it Is hardly to be presumed that such a municipality as the city of Bir- mingham would pursue such a selfish course as that. I do not think that Is hardly reasonable and, as suggested to me, if the county refuses to act. then 1t could not have another vote, as I understand it, within four years.
 MT. Graham CTalladega)-I desire to make a correction. At one time we had that four years, but we substituted in stead. the time which," so the election when held would prescribe the time. I call attention to the error.
 MT. Cobb-This was merely as sug- gested to me. I have not kept up with the course of the debate on this point. But be that as 1t may. I think I ami right in the assertion that the adoption of my amendment would not interfere in any particular with the powers of the counties to act at any time at wh ch they are authorized to act under the constitutional provision in this regard.
 MT Harrison Gee)-If you will read the first part of this Section F, you will see whenever one of these elections is ordered the time Is submitted to the people when it shall go into effect. | Now. under your amendment, if the county has not acted, you allow the municipality to violate this act and | make this proviso: they can fix it. say. for ten years, and then where would | the poor county districts be. if they wanted to add them afterwards?
 Mir. Cobb-My amendment provides that the Legislature of the State may | first authorize these municipalities to | act. and the act of the Legislature | would be so framed as to meet these questions presented here by the various gentlemen.
 MT. Harrison-This very section au- thoriZes these people voting and fixing | the time, which it shall continue, and | the purposes thereof shall have been | first submitted to the vote of the quail flied electors.
 MT. Cobb-What section are you read ing from.
 MT. Harrison-Section F. on lines three and four.
 MT. Cobb-If the gentleman from Lee will suggest an amendment that will carry out his views in that matter will accept it.
 MT. Harrison-I have no amendment but I would like to make a motion