The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-19
DELEGATES IN CAUCUS
DIVISION or SCHOOL. MONEY
 CONSIDERED.
Effort Will Be Made to Divide Fund According to Taxes-Expected Suffrage Committee Will
 Report Thursday.

The next figh: of great consequence in the Constitutional Convention will he on the apportionment of the school fund. and strong effort is being made to have the fund divided among the races according to the taxes paid by each.
 There VI as caucus held in the ssn- ate Chamber yesterday afternoon. at which this subject was discussed at length. There were thirty-three dele gates present. They represented all parts of the Stata
 The subject was presented ana ar gued in It's different phases and it was found that thero was difference among those present as to the appor- tionmont. Some wanted to give the money to the whites and the blacks ao- solutelv according to the taxes paid ny each. Others were in favor of ois- tribating the money to the various counties just as at present and whtA it gets into the counties then apportion 1t equitably and justly among the races in accordance with the tax that they pay.
 Hon. Erie Pettus of Limestone pre- sided over the meeting and made strong speech in favor of the appor- tionment among the races. Messrs. Sanders of Limestone, Thompson or Bibb and Wilson of Clarke were ais" present.
 MT. Macdonald of Montgomery was the only delegate from this County present and he is reported to favor the plan of distributing the money among the Counties upon the present oasis and divide 1t up after it gets Tn the Counties according to the tax that each race pays.
 There were thirty-three pledges, t was learnedy .to make a fight on the floor of the Convention to have the change made. It is understood that the Committee on Education will stand for the present apportionment and 1t is not thought probable that the thir- ty-three delegates can overcome the other 122.
 Reduction of Area.
 The Committee on State and County Boundaries met last night and decided to report in favor of the reduction or the area of counties 10 800 square miles, An effort has been made to get the area placed to 400 miles and 1t Is said that there are many who will con- tend for 1t on the floor of the Conven- tion.
 The argument Is being made that there are many counties entirely too large, that visit very great hardship on the people. The further argument is made that the Countss are for the benefit of the people and not for the office holders.
 It is also understood that the com mittee last night agreed on the ordi- nance in the Shelby County Court House matter and 1t will be ready to be reported to the Convention today. The Suffrage Committee. It is expected that the Committee on Suffrage and Elections will be ready to report and will present the or- | dinance to the Convention Thursday. when the report of the Rules Commit | tee for two sessions . day will proh- ably be adopted. There are all sorts of runors and | guesses as to what the committee will report and while 1t is not positively known. what the committee will do. 1t | is safe to say there will be poll tax | A tax receipt and a character clause and Acknowledgement for almost all | crimes known to the law of grave na- | ture.
 When the suffrage report is made the convention will begin the real work for which it has assembled