The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-15

l
 believe that they may strike 1t. but
 make no brag on that. we might bore
 a we'll for oil and miss it four hun dred miles and then again we might | strike it. I just want to say that
 hope this Convention will vote for the report of the Committee for this Sec
 tion B. The State will be in no dan- | ger whatever. I understand our finan-
 ces. and I understand our condition.
 and she can meet every obligation tha
 she owes. and also make this appro- | priation of three mills for all future time to come for the education of the people in the State of Alabama.
 Mir. Burns-Is it not a fact that in
 the city of Birmingham real estate is
 not taxed for more than one-half of
 its real value?
 | MT. Handley-How is 1t in your | county? Cheers and laughter)
 MT. Greer (Calhoun)-Mr. President, | I am in favor of the common schools of Alabama. I rise to support the re- port of the Committee and to oppose the amendment offered by the delegate
 from Barbour. Now. Mir. President, in
 the first place it is the duty of the | State of Alabama to educate it's citi-
 zens. If the amendment offered by
 the delegate from Barbour should pass, | | ed friend from Randolph, should not
 be realized. with ten mills reduction | in the tax rate in Alabama it would
 mean in my honest judgment two hun | dred and fifty thousand dollars taken | out of the common schools of Ala
 bama. Now. MT. President, of the pres ent amount appropriated about forty | thousand dollars of that fund goes to | the normal schools of Alabama, and | then with the tax rate reduced and for 1 the schools to get only the amount which is left. 1t would mean in round numbers three hundred thousand dol | lars taken from the common schools of Alabama. In all seriousness and in all ! earnestness, I ask the gentlemen of | this Convention, can they afford to de- priye the people in the country dis | tricts of means of an education. You have placed and 1 have voted to place upon the people after a few years an
 educational qualification for sunrage,
 and it is our duty to provide the
 means for that education. for the boys
 and girls who live in the country dis
 trcts of Alabama. They expect It. | they demand nothing more-notnlng
 less. You who live in the towns and
 have your magnificent school system
 won't feel this as we do in the coun- try you who live in the favored dis | tricts where you have special schools, will not feel it, but, gentlemen. we who live in the country have no other source. no other means by which we can educate our boys and girls than the common schools, and l beg you Tn
 behalf of those boys and those girls
 to fix in the Constitution this three
 mill tax. It is not an increase or the present amount that we receive. on the contrary, 1t is a reduction or tnlr-
 ty thousand dollars. and yet we are
 willing to stand that, but we beg you
 not to say that the reduction of two
 hundred and fifty thousand dollars shall come out of us-if 1t is to come from anywhere, if 1t is necessary-and gentlemen. who have st@uied that ques- ton say we will have ample funcs 10 meet all obligations, but If we snouid not I beg you not to take 1t from the common schools in Alabama. Voted I want to say against this reductlon
 because 1 feareo at the time that u would have to come from the common schools of Alabama. that 1t would De
 the means of depriving the boys ana
 girls in the country districts Of an eo- ucation. or else it would have 10 come
 from the amount you are giving to the old maimed and disabled Conted-
 crate soldier We can never. never consent to that. But of the two prop
 ositions there Is the lame ana dlsapieo Confederate soldier to be provided ior, if is true they are old and dxcrepit ana arc unable to earn living but they gave the best years or thelr lVes Ioi their country. These young boys com
 ing up are the hope of our country
 they must be educated, that they may
 make useful men, and if you take rom
 o--ortVnifiad nf eQuCdIlOn
 vou need not expect them to be eau
 cated. I want to say to you gentle-
 men when you go before the people ln the country districts you cannot meet the argument that you did not TX the amount of the school fund, that you have fixed an educational quailliGa- tion for suffrage and yet you reluseu-
 Mir Cobb-I wish to ask the genue-
 man a question. l simply want .o know who 1t is upon this tloor tndt 10 nroposing to take anything from the common schools! AL. .,,as-
 MT Greer-I will answer the ques- .,o.a Mr. President. The amendment of Inc gentleman from Barbour says in u,ords or substance, that only su3h a,oount shall be appropriated TOT com raon schools as is left after all other concentrations have been nldue. 1',d like to ask the gentleman II ne has any objection to stating to t1e neonle just what he proposes to do. 1T tou are not going to take anylnlhs from the common school then you shomld not refuse to state to the peo- nle of Alabama in Convention asee
 pie that vou do not propose to do so. DieI eIr Snhb-I say I do not propose 10
 J.. so The difference between us IS, think this is a legislative matteN anu T do not believe that any Lcglsiatuie which would assemble in Aiao''"na would refuse. . n,,ar,ar
 Mr. Greer-I will ask the gentleman if he has not been supporting some noatters pertaining to legislation in tn's
 lMr. Cobb-I have seen legislative walters passed here, but l thinK that tbe Legislature of Alabama is amply competent to take care or the puoNe
 AIT. Greer-I yielded to a question. not for a debate. I am sure that It touched the gentleman in tender spot I am not surprised that he arose 10 orestion and then endeaVored to ue- Fate T want to say to you gentlemen
 when VOL touch the common school fund. the public schools of Alabama vou touch me, and touch every other friend to the common school Tn Ala hama. because you touch the boys and qirls who live in the rural district of Alabama. who will be unable to obtain an education unless you provide the mcans here. I believe the feftilizor