The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-26

t4r.s Jones kMOut&OfueFyt-N4y MSk
 the gentleman question. Would not | main subject?
 | Mir. Harrison-well. it might inci- 1 dentally.
 Mir. Jones, ;Montgomery)-Take the | suffrage question for instance and the | grandfather clause; if some member | moves to strike 1t out, or to put 1t in, | would he be limited to five minutes | under that resolution?
 | Mir. Harrison-If he moves to strike l it out he would be limited to five min utes under this rule, and yet the whole clause, upon its adoption, those for or | against 1t would not be limited. and | it would bring a direct vote sooner | upon the main proposition. I submit. Mir. President, if 1t is the wish of this Convention that we are not bound by the enabling act: if 1t is l the wish of the Convention that we think 1t is a duAy we owe the State of | Alabama to stay here and listen to these eloquent addresses from which we may learn something for the next six months. 1t is all right Mir Oates-Hasn't a great part of the time been consumed or has not the time been consumed chiefly in the Committee rooms preparing work to be brought in. and was 1t not perfectly natural that the first report made and taken up for consideration should provoke more debate than almost any other important measure that will be brought before us?
 Mir. Harrison-That is a matter of conjecture.
 But it Is to be presumed, and we ought to hope. and I did hope. that gentlemen would become satisfied with speaking but it seems to me that gen. tlemen speak about as much as they did two or three weeks ago., and that they do not seem to be satisfied.
 We may learn much, MT. President. It is merely as a business proposition that I desire to have the Convention to look upon the matter. We will no doubt learn something from the elo- quent gentlemen here. We learned a great deal from them in debating on the Great Seal for the State. There was a great deal of the beauties of his- tory set forth, and we have learned great deal upon many questions, but to come down to a business proposition, do you intend to spend hix months here? Unless you adopt this. or some other rule. which will reach 1t. but II you continue as you have been going on, amendment after amendment. as soon as one is passed something else is brought to us, if we adopt no limit, we will be unable to complete our du- ties within the time prescribed In the enabling act. Whether we are bound by the act or not we are bound to the people of Alabama to get through with this work in a reasonable length Of time
 MT. Cobb-Do you understand that we are limited to fifty days here?
 Mir Harrison-I understand that we are limited at least to pay for fifty days.
 Mir. Cobb-Very well. Can't. we pay our own way. and isn't it better to d2 that for six months and make a good Constitution, than to adjourn hastily and make a bad one?
 MT. Harrison-I think, MT. President, if we work a little harder and speak less, that we can get through in the time prescribed by the act.
 MT. Wilson (Washington)-Will 1t not be within the power of the Convnetion to suspend the rules anl len2then the time for speaking at any time when the occasion seems to demand 1t?
 MT. White--It takes a two-thirds vote to do that.
 MT. Harrison-But it is very unpleas- ant to do that. and I submit that to do it takes up time.
 MT. White-And 1t takes three quarters vote
 MT. Long Cwalker)-In the interest of harmony, won't you make an ex- ception, and provide that this rule shall not apply to Montgomery County? 1 (Laughter0s
 Mir. Harrison--Mr. President. I ap-
 preciate what other gentlemen have
 said, and perhaps there Is necessity for the proviso offered by my distin- guished friend from Montgomery, who
 desires not to include in the five min- utes the time consumed in answering questions. This may possibly demon ! strate the utility of his amendment. am not welded to any particular form. I rather think the Rules Committee has improved my resolution as orig finally introduced. I only desire as the
 mover to state tersely my reasons for 1t, but it's propriety 1t seems to me is made more patent to the delegates of this Convention by their own observa- tion than anything I can say, and 1 simply desire to state briefly why in- troduced 1t. and why l support 1t, and why trust the Convention will adopt it, or provide something better. For one 1 feel we should take some action to expedite business here, and 'lo more work and less talk.
 MT. JoneS-I do not believe there has been any memDer on tnlS nOOra With perhaps the exception of the Chairman of the committee having in charge hte article which was recently under de- bate. who has spent more time than he ought, or who has worried any mem
 Der, or who has in any other way taken up any more of the public time than was necessary, perhaps with the exception of the numerous parliament tary points which have been made since we have sat here. 1 want to say this to my friend from Lee, that the Executive Committee was the first one that the Convention got an opportunity to get at. Naturally when they got through with them, their spurs. are worn down, and a little dull, ana they won't bother the other committees quite as much, and the idea .hIt we are to make a limitation, beca ISe some gentleman gets a little restive about what the press say about us, and say that the delegates of the people of Alauama cannot speak but i've rlirutes on an important question, It SC ms to me is unwise, and we are going 10 make a bad Constitution if We do it. Men are not going to speak when you do not want them to. You cln plake dissent; you can get them Town, and 1 think we had better let this resolC- ten take the course suggested by the gentleman from Montgomery. Half of our time here has been taken up read ing ordinances. I introduce q resolu- tion, which was referred to the IIules Committee, some two or three weeks ago, in accordance with the practice here in the I,egislature. and in lcco-1-