The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-13

nlIte0 Bft4B HhA3L4ke when We pro- vided that the Legislature should en. act . law and the Legislature should not be the judge of whether 1t was Q !! local or general law. but that the courts should be the judge. I can see where many hardship will come to parties who have vested rights under existing laws and afterwards those laws are de clared unconstitutional by the courts of the country. l think one Of the wfsest decisions in Alabama is when the Su. preme Court said that the Alabam Legislature was the judge as to wheth- CT It's law was local law or a general ia,:.
 Mir. Rogers (Sumter)-I rise to ad- vocate the adoption of the substitute offered by the Chairman of the Com- mittee on Local Legislation. It seems to me that this Convention in sup pressing local laws have made a mis- take that we are trying to do away with local legislation II SO, that is an error. The local laws of the State of Alabama are of far more import ance to the citizens of Alabama than the general laws, upon the same prin. ciple that we are more interested in cur Probate Judges than we are in the President of the United States. These large provisions, which every man re- cognixes, don't bear SO directly upon ths citizens. It has been asserted by the gentleman from Tailapoosa that i. Is safer to trust the making of local laws to a hundred men of the Lexis. lature and thfrty-three men in the Sen ate. than 1t Is to the local county board. Now, Mir. President, and gem tiemen of the Convention. you all know that is not the question. You all know fhak nnAop vrhaf tAA~ t, courtesy to please . member of the General Assembly, one man comes here. not 100 nor 133, but one man comes here representing his county, sitting in the Senate over wonder. and can absolutely put through or block any legislation affecting his county ip the House. I speak from personal ex perience; and no argument can he made upon this question aisputing the abil. ity Of local county boards to enact good legislation for a county, that does not reflect upon the people of that county. Who elects the members of the Legisla. ture? The people of the county. Who elects the Board of County Revenues? The people of the County. I assert shat the people of Alabama use more dili- gence in the selection of this Board than they do in selecting members NNtA@shAo eO tAtS <1S tc&&but6 OI Al0D3n ma. Whyr Because they have the vested rights of the county in their hands and they pass upon all matters that go before them: and in the expenditure of the peoples money they are very careful. I know how 1t is with us. and I presume it is so everywhere else When you have this local board in your county accessible to ali the people or the county, you will never have any Columbiana or Caiera business coming up before the Convention. That will stop hereafter and nothing of the kind will be possible. No secret ses- slons. no midnight passage of bills, no slipping bills through which are uues- tionable because thls board sits there confronting all the people, whether 1t pc the Board of County Revenue or a board created by the Legislature of Alabama. Now, Mir. President. if seems to me that every argument Ia in favor of creating a local County Boaru rather than against it Some gentleman has said it Is the purpose to make laws easy to find. He inar- Ines, suppose. as a great many of them do, that we are making the laws of this State for the benefit of %he lawyers of the State of Ala bama. We are trying to bass laws for the benefit of the people oI Alabama; and assert that Tn all coun . ties the local laws are on record in books kept fin the Probate office. just exactly like they are kept in the Capi- tol of the State of Alabama, ana are as easy to find, whether passed by a local County Board or by the Legisla- ture of AlabamP
 Mir. Sanford (Montgomery)-wo Wouldn't it be the same almost to require deeds to be registered in Montgomery?
 MT. Rogers (Sumter)-The same proposition. Now, MT President, don't know that I can add anything more to the argument in favor of this section. It seems to me that this sec ton is absolutely essential You know that yeu cannot pass eny general law. with our great diversed interests in the State of Alabama which would work eouitably upon all portions ot the State.
 MT. Bulgsr-Do you believe that the Legislature can pass laws covering ev- cry local question that could arise in the State?
 Mir. Rogers-I am satisfied they could pass laws covering all local questions in the State; but whether it would be such q cover as would keep them warm in winter and cool in the summer. is something that l do not know. but l do know that laws in Walker County do not fit Sumter, and I know the peo- pie of Walker County know what they ISant better than the Legislature. And when these Boards are confronted with the people of their county, there will be no danger of such a thing hap pening as took place before the Gen eral Assembly in reference to the Shel- by County matter. And you will never have such an occurrence again as that In Alabama, if you will give to the To- cal County Boar the right to pass laws for the people. Of course. under the limitation of the Constitution of Alabama or under the limitations as suggested by my distinguished friend from Montgomery (Sanford) of the gen eral laws of the State of Alabama There can be no sensible argument urged against this proposition. Any man who would oppose it would oppose 1t upon the ground that his peo- pie have not got sense enough to select a wise Board to pass upon their mat terS. and that is the sum and substance of it, I would like to know If there are men sitting here in this Convention who think that their people have ex- hausted their senses in sending them here. Don't you suppose that they have got sense enough left to select men as good as you are? Why is 1t that these people can select such fine repre- eentatives to the Legislature and yet 1t is feared that they won't be able to select satisfactory County Boards to handle these mattersg
 Al, TJarriaou HSee)-I desire to move