The age-herald., 1901-08-08
amendment when the convention ad- Journed until ss0 o'cfbok.
 Afternoon Session.

Joufned until 3.30 o'cfbCh.
 Afternoon Session.
 The convention reassembled at siso o'clock with 94 members present.
 Mir. Long of Walker gave notice that at the proper time he would offer sub- stltute to the entire constitution, viz the present constitution, with the suffrage ar ticle added.
 Mir. Macdonald of Montgomery then re- stunned his remarks in favor of the san ford amendment. He suggested that its provisions needed some slight ameno- ment to make them definite
 Mir. Weakley moved to lay the amend ment on the table. This motion was ta- bled by vote of 30 to 35, the chair cast ing the deciding vote.
 Mfr. Hood of Etowah moved to table the section and the Craig amendment. The committee then accepted the Cralg amendment and the section as amended was tabled by vote of A to S1
 Section 4.
 Section four was read as follows: Section 4--No city, town or village snail be authorized or permitted to grant any franchise or privilege or make any con tract in reference thereto for term ex- ceeding twenty years, nor snail any cfy, town or village grant any right of way oyer or right to use any street or puphc way or part thereof except to the person or corporation offering the highest sum therefor or the highest percentage or gross annual receipts to be derived from the business so using the right or way or street or public place No such prlyhese shall be granted until the applicant there for shall have given notice by publication for thirty days in some newspaper pup lshed in the city, town or village Of his intention to ask for such franchise and the date upon which |, such appncatioh shall be made and the person, nrm, asso- la Al,x.. fn svufhn franchise. Is granted shall be liable Tor any damages Inflicted upon the property or abuttins properties
 MT, Brooks of Mobile moved to amend by providing for notice in towns where there Is no paper. This amendment was accepted by the committed
 MT. Smith of Mobile moved to amend by allowing franchises to be given TOT fifty years instead Of twenty. Mir Weakley said he was opposed to granting any municipal franchise in any event for a longer period than thirty years.
 This was the consensus of opinion Of most of the Mayors who had studied the question. He reviewed the past custom of granting franchises and said the mod ern tendency was to limit their duration. This section and amendments was. on motion of MT. Dent of Barbour, tabled by a, vote of AT to 35.
 
 Section 5.
 Section s was then read as follows: Section 5. No street railway gas, water, steam or hot water heating, telephone, telegraph, electric light or power com pany within a city, town or village shall be permitted or authorized to construct Its tracks or mains or erect It's poles, posts or other apparatus, or string It's wires upon the same, along, over, under A4-- 1n4r public grounds of such city, town or vil- 1age without the consent of the proper municipal authorities of such city, town | or village being first had and obtained. This section was withdrawn by Mir | Weakley, who asked leave to substitute a section which provided that no person, | firm or corporation shall be authorized to use the streets of any city or village for | the construction of any public utilities or | private enterprises without the consent of | the municipal authorities.
 He explained that the provisions were | somewhat similar, but he thought the | substitute was in better verbiage. General Harrison of Lee stated there | was a similar section in the report of the | committee on corporations. and he moved | to postpone the consideration of the sec- | ton to be considered with that report Judge Howze of Jefferson said the sec ton belonged in the article on municipal | corporations and its consideration ought l not to be postponed
 Judge Coleman said the action of the | convention in tabling the sections show | ed there was no necessity for an article on this subject in the constitution and he moved to table the section and substi- ute. This motion was lost by vote of 3i to A.
 The section as amended was adopted. Section 6
 Section was then read as follows:
 Sec. G. The General Assembly shall not enact any laws which will permit a person. firm, corporation or association of any character to pay privilege li- 1 cense or other tax to the state of A1aba- ma, and relieve him or 1t from the pay ment of all other privileges and license taxes in the state.
 MT. weakley explained the section and | MT. Foster of Tuscaloosa expressed him. self as being opposed to all privilege taxes whose occupations did not require police protection. MT. Boone of Mobile | spoke in favor of the section.
 MT. Graham of Montgomery spoke in favor of the section and said the state nominally protected sleeping car and ex- press companies, but that the cities real ly protected them. Yet the legislature had exempted these corporations from I | He did not think it was fair or right to exempt them.
 Dr. Cunningham of Jefferson asked If under the proposed section a city could extend its corporate limits and exempt manufactories7 It was answered by MT. O,Neal that 1t could not and pr. Cunning ham then said he would be opposed to 1t
 MT. Weatherly of Jefferson said the state of Alabama ought not to be allow ed to collect a privilege tax and put II in the state treasury, but that 1t ought to be distributed to the cities equitably by the state. He favored allowing the state to collect license taxes from such corporations as express and sleeping cal companies. but thought the present sec lion was too broad in its provisions.
 Tha previous question was ordered and the section adopted
 Section '.
 Section [ was read as follows:
 Section T. No county, oity, town VII lage, district or other political supdivis ion of county shall have authority O be authorized by the General Assemoi! after the ratification of this constitution to issue bonds. unless such issue of bond shall have first been approved by major itv vote by ballot of the qualified voter of such county, city, town village. distric or other political subdivision of a count. voting upon such proposition. In deter mining the result of any election held fo this purpose no vote shall be counted a an affirmative vote which does not shov on it's face that such vote was cast Il approval of such issue of bonds. Thi section shall not apply to the renewal, re funding or reissuance of bonds lawful.