The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-19


 right to appropriate money and we are asked in this bill. in the very next sec tion here, to provide that all bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives, and just listen how 1t reads: But the Gov ernor. Auditor and Attorney General, shall, before the regular session Of the Legislature. prepare a general revenue bill to be submitted to the Legislature for it's action. and the secretary oI State shall have printed for the use or the Legislature a sufficient number of copies of the bill so prepared which the Governor shall transmit to the House Of Representatives as soon as or 1anixed The Senate may propose amendments to revenue bills. one hundred and five Representatives In the House cannot propose an amend ment. They sit here like dummies ana tools, and fools. I ask this Convention to pause and think what they are oo- ing, You have abused the Lesisiature evey since we have been in session. Has inc time come when the Governor shall be President, shall be chairman of the Ways and Means Committee or the House, and is he to have all the nSwer and to be the only wise man m this State? I am ready now to adopt . section to provide that no Legisla- ture si1all ever again meet in the State of Alabama. That 1t shall be organiz- Cd and may be called together py the Governor, but 1t shall have no power on this earth except to call a Consti- tutional Convention. That Is exactly what yo, do when you adopt this sec ton, Do you propose to say that the people of this State shall not manage their own affairs? We say in one sec t,cn that the revenues shall De esti- mated and that the Legislature must take that as their medicine, and here in sectiont2s, you say that the Governor end Auditor shall prepare the revenue bill. and that the House shall not even have the right to offer single amend ment What is the use of your Lesis- Iature if yeu have that? Has 1t come to Iass that we are unwilling to trust inc peopIe of the State of Alabama! Has our government become so corrupt trat the Legislature of Alabama can. not he trusted? Shall we surrender all mower to the Governor? If so. let us % 10 hin, cn our knees. and let the Leg is,at ture go to him and gay, 'Oh, Most FSceilert and Mighty Governor, give us the right to appropriate $l0 10 the coromon schools" Go to him and say. "Oh. Mort Excellent and Mighty Gov- ernor. we, the Representatives or the 0e0plS or AtdD1Ifd, OCb Soe' SAN' ua frame a revenue bill." Go to him an3 say. "Give us the right to regulate
 tho wa,iskey licenses in the state or AIafama" for you even deny that right In this section. You silence tne voice of the Legislature completely. You make them sit here and appro- criate money, but you give thenN no
 power to raise money. except to pass revenue bill prepared for them, to which they must not even oner an amendment It is time that the mem
 hers on this floor were thinking what
 they were doing Have you so far for- gotten yourselves. and are your minds so poisoned against the Legislature, that you think they are all rascals ana will he rascals for a hundred years to come? I believe that this Convention will lay upcn the table the section re- norted by the committee, and adopt the sunstituta offered by the gentleman from Dallas. which has been the run d~ rr ~ntal law of this State, as iano-
 mark. ever since 1t has been state.
 V is an oid landmark in every state of the Union. There has never been so radical a measure as this proposed in any Constitution of the United ststes. It says that you cannot even offer an amendment to revenue bili. but it must be drawn up by the Gov ernor. Attorney General and Auditor before the Legislature meetes. what do you want with Legislature? DO ycu need them? You say to them whea they come here, that thus far you can go and no farther, and you | Ipsoluteiy put Tn the hands of three men the exclusive right of raising every dollar of revenue in the State of Ala | Ina ma.
 Mr O'Neal-I will suggest an amend- l ment and read it to see if 1t meets with your approval: The Governor, Auditor. Treasurer and Attorney Gen eral shall be ex-officio members of the | ..SIelatule and shall direct and control all legislation.
 .mr. 4-un8--.Mr. President, l am op- posed to that, unless they are elected | .ls members of the legisiAtu by the people They have no right 10 be ex- otlicio members of the legislature. | Gaughter.) 1 now move if no one else wishes to speak on this subject. the previous question on the amendment. Mir. Chapman sought recognition. Mir. Long (Walker)--I viil withdrew my motion, as 1 see the distinguished gentleman rise. They all want to de- | fend 1t. and I want them If they can cnnghten the people of Alabama as to
 the reason why they put measure so Iadical as this in the Constitution. MT. Chapman-Since the speech of my distinguished friend from Walker, l am afraid that they have bored an oil well up in his county. and they have found combustible oil, and he Is | imbued with the spirit of combustion. It does seem to me that my good friend is a little off, either on oil or on this section. Now, Mr. President, and gentlemen of the Convention. what does this section provide? I hope that the reading of it will be oil on the troubled waters with my distinguished friend from Walker. It reads:
 Sec. 29 All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Repre- sentatives; but the Governor. Auditor. Treasurer and Attorney General shall, before each regular session of the leg islature. prepare a general revenue bill to be submitted to the legislature for its action, and the Secretary of State shall have printed for the use of the legislature a sufficient number of copies of the bill so prepared which
 the Governor shall transmit tN the House of Representative as soon as organized. The Senate may propose amendments to revenue bills. No ap- nropriation or revenue bill shall be passed during the last five days of the session.
 I believe. MT. President. that I was the originator of the, idea and it was
 for this reason, every man in this Con vention who has ever been in the leg
 islature. or who knows anything about
 it's practices, its habits. and it's rules.
 knows that the most difficult thing is