The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-09-01


 not agitatcd early In the session and before the Committee on Legislative Department, and if the effect of 1t was not called to the attention of the C9n- vention and the reason why 1t was not done.
 MT. deGraftenreid--Y sir, that Is my recollection, and I want to say further, that when the dei- egates to this Convention came direct and fresh from she people. when these delegates who are now here first came to Montgomery, dare say that. If the proposition now before this Convention had been placed before 1t, there Is not delegate here leave the question with you.
 MT. Srni.n (Mobile)--So far as the majority of the Committee is concern | ed. they acted upon this matter abso- lutely independent of any question of controversy between the sherifs and the gentlemen who seemed to have been opposing the interests of the sheriffs. Some portion of the Committee that voted In favor of the resolution have, I believe, consistently voted against the
 propositions made by the sherins, so | that l believe they were actuated in | passing this resolution, not by any de- sire to make compromise with the sherisfs, or from any fear of threats on the part of the sheriffs. So far as am Individually concerned, I have said | a number of times. and 1t is undoubt- | edly true, that in my section, no light | that Is advocated by the ofi1ce-irolders,
 as ofice-holders can succeed. If the office-holders get together in my section
 of the country and make fight as body. we will whip them every time | kE- kf~~ s1t 1Af fhxu | make 1t an ofice-holders' fight and the people will turn them down. voted | for this, however, not with any idea that the sherins had us under whip and | lash, but because I saw no reason why | the election of the executive officers should not be put upon a uniform ba- sis, It has become necessary for us to | extend the terms of one set of sheriffs. | We have got to do that. Either the present sheriffs have to have an addi- ! tional term of two years. or the sheriffs elected as their successors have got to have an additional term of two years. Mir. Greer (Calhoun)-Don't you think 1t would be much better and will be more agreeable to the people to elect these sheriffs for six years, knowing at the time that they voted for them they were to have a six years term, than to legislate them into office for l two years?
 Mr. Smith--No. sir. We have got to
 extend the terms of one set of sheriffs or the other Now the election of every other constitutional executive officer | falls in 1906 and not in 1904, and to | extend the term of the sheriffs to 1906. | places their election upon the same | date with the election of the other con- | stitutionaI executive officers.
 Mr. deGraffenreid-The Convention, l by its action In providing that the sheriffs elected in 1904 shall hold office until 19f0, settled all conflicts in the matter of elections, did it not? MT. Smith--Not if this Convention
 votes for this resolution, they have not. MT. deGraffenreid-But if 1t stands where it is now, 1t has, has it not? Mir. Smith (Mobile)-Yes, everything is settled, if nothing is changed. Ev- erything In life or In the world Is set- | tied, as 1t Is, if there Is no power to change it. What I called settled is something irrevocably done.
 Mir Piiians-Does not the resolution of the Committee on Rules provide merely for an ordinance independent of the Constitution? 7.
 MT. Smith--It Is for the purpose of reconciling the provisions of the Con- stitution that 1t is reported.
 Now, then, to reply to the gentleman over there (Mr. Greer of Caihoun), who wanted to know if the people would not like 1t best to extend the terms of the sheriffs that they will elect the next time, will say I think
 the gentleman's idea of what the peo- pie like. of how much they like to give
 one man a certain odice at one time' and of how much they like to give an other man the advantage at another time, is all humbug.{
 Mir Greer--Is not the principle wrong to legislate man into ofhce? Mfr Emith--r will try to answer one l of the questions, and then I will try to answer the other. As I said before, ] this idea that the people are all anxious and hankerIng after giving some candt- date an advantage is humbug. It Is the office-seeker who is always parad- | ing about how much the people are de-
 sirous of supporting him. believe the people have selected the existing sher- | ifs with as much good will as they have ever selected any other sheriffs or ever will select them. and l believe | that they would just as soon have their 1 terms extended two years as to have | the terms of the next succeeding sher- | ifs extended.
 Mfr. Rogers (Sumter)-Is it not req sonabie to suppose that a majority of
 the people elected the last sheriffs, and. therefore, If they are continued in of- flee two years. they have ben put there by the will of the majority?
 MT. Smith-Undoubted and not only
 that, but the people. when they shall
 have voted upon this Constitution, will
 have determined whether we have done
 right in this and all other matters, and
 if R is just the love of having the pow
 CT to say that they did it. then they
 will have that privilege under those
 circumstances, as well as the other.
 MT. Pillans-Will the people have a
 vote on an ordinance extending the terms Of officers not mentioned in the
 Constitution? Is not their vote confined
 to the Consultation alone?
 MT. Smith (Mobile)-I do not think
 the people will vote on any single ordi-
 nance, section, paragraph or resolution
 in this Constitution.
 Now, in answer to the fourth or fifth
 question of my friends from Calhoun
 I have forgotten the number of 1.-the
 wants to know whether 1t Is right to
 legislate people into office. l do not
 understand when a man is in office that
 we are legislating him into office. I do
 not understand when we extend his
 term two years we are doing any more
 legislating into office than when we say
 the next man shall have the extra
 term, He is there not by our election,
 but. by the grace and vote of the peo-
 ple and so far as I know, the people
 are not dissatisfied with what they did
 in the last election, and if we do what
 Is right to harmonize our Constitution,