The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-26

 been made in that body to begin the organization of civil pension list has failed' and mainly for the reason that when you begin this civil pension list there is no end to it. there is no stopp- age. You cannot say thus far and no further" because the argument will come and it will be overwhelming. that If the family of this civil officer is pensioned. the family of that civil off, cer should be pensioned. and strong reasons will be urged. Therefore I re- ueat the Government of the United States has hitherto steered clear of the establishment of civil pension list. Now as to the necessity. want to ask my friends here who are so earnest upon these propositions, to tell me whether or not the sheriffs of the State of Alabama have hitherto failed to do their duty?
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-Are you asking me?
 Mir. CobbLYes. you.
 Mir. Jones (Montgomery)-Yes. in several instances. There was a case In Fillmore County where the military were run around for four or five miles to keep them away from the mob. There have been lots of cases where the sherkffs have failed to do their duty, not through cowardice, but because they felt 1t was morally wrong to defend some worthless prisoner. Mr. Parker GElmore)-I want to ask the gentleman from Montgomery question.
 The President-The gentleman from Macon has the floor.
 Mir. Parker (Elmore)-I will ask the delegate from Macon the question and the gentleman from Montgomery can answer 1t.
 The President-Does the gentleman from Macon yield to the question?
 Mfr. Cobb-Oh. yes.
 MT. Parker (Eimore)-Was it not the not led around purposely bN the Sheriff and didn't they fail to do their duty on that occasion?
 Mir. Jones (Montgomery)-I don't un- derstand how.
 Mir. Cobb-whether the military were no. misled by the Sheriff running around?
 Mir. Jones (Montgomery)-If the Sher- if, when the life of his prisoner was at stake, deluded the strong arm of the law and led the military on the wrong trail, what was that but the fault of the Sheriff?
 MT. Cobb-This is not my fight. The question I want to ask the gentleman from Montgomery is this. Do you know of a single instance in the State of Ala bama where a Sheriff stood up to his duty that he was ever interfered with by a mob?
 Mir. Jones-I do not believe do, ex- cept in a case the other day in Hunts vile where the Sheriff stood with his pistol and the mob would not face him, but smoked him out with chem icals; and one other Sheriff in Jeffer- son County was assaulted by an armed mob and he killed and wounded about forty and no mob has ever been around that jail since.
 MT. Cobb-Therefore when the Sher- if does his duty. the mob retires?
 Mr. Walker-And desire to state that the Sheriff of Madison County is not an applicant for pension.
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-And I de- sire to state that the Sheriff of that county is not dead. and it is not a ques. ton of what ought to be done for his widow or dependent children if he had been killed,
 The PresiGent--Does the delegate from Macon consent to be interrupted.
 MT. Cobb-I do.
 There were no further questions.
 The President-The gentleman will proceed
 Mir. Cobb-I never talk without I think I have something to say, others l may not agree with me, but at all events, I want to get through with this | business. There is a sentiment pre- vaiing in the State of Alabama and in every other State in the American ma tion and in all civilized governments that the walls of a jail should be, as against illegal entrance from without, as strong as adament although made Of gossimer, and that sentiment has de- terrent effect upon any mob that ever assembled. Whenever the Sheriff does his duty. the history of this State is to the effect that the mob after mak- ing some show, retires. They will rot face the music and hence, l repeat, as against mob violence. the Sheriff is is1 less danger than policeman in Mont gomery every night. MT. Whitc-Will the gentleman per init a question
 MT. Cobb-Yes.
 MT. White-If the mob retires. will we have to pay any pension?
 MT. Cobb-No, sir; and if he does 6is duty they will retire without having before his eyes the question of pen sion or not. I have heard, and you have heard MT. President. and Sll of us of the killing of Sheriffs by des- perate men whom they were attempt
  Are you going to pension a Sheciff be- cause a desperadO he is attempting to arrest kills him? MT. Hinson-I would like to ask the gentleman a question.
 The President-Does the gentleman yield for the interrogatory?
 MT. Cobb-I hate not to do it-oh, go on.
 MT. Hinson-Does the Sheriff get any financial benefit from arresting the man?
 Mir. Cobb--Yes. Mir. Hinson-Does he when he IS de- tending the prisoner? MT. Cobb-Certainly, the same. MT. Hinson-How? MT. Cobb-I will show you If you give me time.
 MT. Burns-WiH the gentleman let me ask him a question?
 MT. Cobb-Onc at time, gentlemen. The Sheriff of the county gets no spe- cial benefit from arresting prisoners. He gets S2.50 and he gets about the same amount or more for keeping his prisoner in the Jail, and where is the difference when it comes to pay? The Sheriff receives pay which the law considers adequate taking into consid- eration all the risks of his work.
 But to come back tC the question, the main question is the establishment ia the State of Alabama, for the first time in its history, Of a civil pension list.
 MT. Barefield-I move to lay the amendment of the gentleman from Ma con on the table.