The age-herald., 1901-03-01
LONG BILL ALSO SMOTHEREO
 
 fg Southeastern Tariff Association Comes Off Victorious
MANY LOCAL BILLS WERE PASSED
Measure to Detach Blount County From the Ninth Congressional Dis trict Finally Gets Through the
 ,House-Hot Debates.

Age4Herald Bureau, Clancey's Hotel Montgomery, February 2S.-(SpeciaD-Th school book bill, which was murdered by the Senate yesterday afternoon, was in tered by a. committee of that body to- day,
 The Senate judiciary committee, by an almost unanimous vote, agreed to ad- verse the bill, and it now rests in peace, but sleeping a sleep which will know an awakening.
 It was currently reported among the Senators today that several of them had voted to recommit the bill yesterday under a misapprehension, and today an effort, after fashion, was made to re- consider the vote by which it was committed.
 Senator Jenkins was addressing the Senate, when Senator Meador asked leave to make motion.
 MT Hipp of Belmont, who has led the fight against the measure. was in the chair. When MT. Meador attempted to get the 1eer MT. Jenkins declined to yield for the purpose of permitting the motion, and the chair ruled the Senator from Morengo out of order. While MT. Meador was endeavoring to get the floor MT. Wiley made the point that the hour of P noon had arrived, and the chair held that the notice to reconsider was out of order and could not be entertained after that hour.
 During the afternoon hour, MT. Stevens, of the judiciary committee, announced that his committee had adversely reported the bill It is understood that the meas ure had only one friend in the committee. .. Long Bill Smothered.
 The Long insurance bill was also smothered in a Senate committee today. The Senate committee on banking and insurance held a meeting this morning and heard arguments on the measure pro and con.
 Colonel J. M Falkner and MT. Batre, of Mobile, spoke against the measure, and Messrs John w. Tomlinson, of Birming- ham: Pettus of Limestone, and Long, of Walker, appeared for the measure. The fight was an intense one, but only one Senator voted to place it upon the calen- dar, bill which passed the House by an almost unanimous vote. Senator Wind hamsvoted for the bill.
  'considt ation of many bills. With only three more days remaining, everything Is t,in a rush. and even at that the calendar .cannot ae anything like cleared F The House today adopted q. resolution asking the joint rules committee to fix Ia day forS final adjournment. x The House.. 3 Practically all of the morning session lJof the House was consumed in the con aisideration of bill to provide that State Econviots could be leased in squads Of latwenty instead of fifty, as at present. f The bill was offered by MT. Bulger of saTallapaosa. and he led very successful fight for 1t, having the combined oppo- : sition oftaI the members of the special .conviet committee, who sat during the : recess.
 ,. MT Benners of Jefferson WAS first to attack the bill, saying that he had ob- iserved while Investigating the several camps that where the greatest number of eonvicts were kept, there they were best stprovided for. Housing was better, food was more plentiful and they were bet ster clothed
 ' This was the argument of the other f,members of the committee, MessTs. Pet f1us, Arnold. Brooks and Seibels, speaking in opposition to the bill. Speeches for the bill were made by Messrs. Bulger, Gold
  4of Montgomery and Harwood.
 In opposing the bill, MT. Pettus of Rhinestone insinuated that the members from the black belt counties were sup porting the measure from a selfish mo- tive that they desired to be able to hire the convcts in small squads and bring them in contact with free labor on the farms.
 MT. Goldsmith of Lowndes was quick to resent this imputation and he brought bit of politics into -he discussion. He said that it did not come in good grace for North Alabamian to critcise a a blackbelter when that section had savedz the Democratic banner few years ago while the hill Billles' were desertfng and bushwhacking.
 MT. Henley of Escambia, an unrecon- structed Democratic Populst, desired to know of the gentleman from Lowndes where the votes had been secured which kept the banner of Democracy af1oat
 'They were cast by our Democratic niggers," MT. Goldsmith retorted
 Mir. Dill of Jefferson offered all amend ment to the bill, providing that it should not apply to mining and quarry!ng en- terprises. The amendment was adopted
 MT. Haywood was severe in his attack upon the present law, saying that il made possible a pool on the part of large conivcts He charged that the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company and the Soss- Sheffield Steel and Iron Company were in a combine to control the leasing oi county convicts; that the counties of the State were equally pro rated between the two concerns, and that they would not bid one against the other for the leases
 The bill finally passed by a vote of 6t to 15.
 The House passed the bill reapportion- ing the Senatorial representatives in the General Assembly. The bill leaves the several districts composed as they are at present.
 The Senate bill authorizing mining,