The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-27

IlOH the HIOTG aDRAA gt4b AS tuC Oultd~ eeous injustice of It upon the farmers of Alabama. appeal toyou. gentlemen, of this Conv ention, to look at this mat ter seriously and remember the only question involved fin this Is one of Justice. If this tax Is just and equit- able, keep 1t: If 1t is unjust. if 1t is oppressive, if 1t is discriminate wipe it out, One of the delegates says, away with such narrowness." My reply to that s away with your unjust tax.
 MT. Long (walker)-Does the gentle man take the position that the farmers alone pay this tax?
 MT. Winn-Yee. sir. t.'
 MT. Long (Walker1-Then I will ask the gentleman g further question: Is 1t or not a fact that the tax which the State imposes on the doctors is paid by the patients? t,
 MT. winn-we generally get what tax out of the patients they are able to pay, and others do the same.
 am informed that the school at Marion Is not a school at all, only an experiment station, I reckon that is on the same order a man with salary of Si, 500 and a doctor with $1,200. Now. gentlemen, I again for the last tune appeal to you to consider this we'll and remember that the only question IS as to the justice of the tax. If the tax Is just and legitimate, hold 1t, if 1t is dis criminate against the farmer, sake 1t off. Though the heaven should fall, let justice prevail.
 Mir. Opp--I did not intend to make a speech when l requested the Delegate from Washington to remove the par liamentary paddock from my mouth. but only desired to explain the vote I intended to give on the pending propo- sitiop. And was considerably sur pri, ed at the acute parliamentary skill which had So suddenly been &C., quired by the gentleman from Wash ington. He led us to believe he was so innocent as to all this thing of par liamentary practice and l did not know he had so readily grasped the idea of cutting off debate; therefore, 1t fell like a bolt from the blue to hear a motion to table emanate from his supposedly untrainei lips,
 Now. MT. President, as I said at the outset. did not desire to make a speech. All I desired or contemplated was to put myself on reco:d on this pending proposition. desired that record to be writ large like John Ham cocks name to the Declaration of In- dependence, so that in future weeks or months, or years. it may rise before the fertilizer factories and those who rep. resent them, when they are cackllng and laughing at the adroit way in which they had fiim-fammed the Con- stitutional Convention of Alabama. I desired it to be understood throughout the length and breadth of Alabama that Covington County had not been deluded by the fertilizer factories, and that she has seen and will continue to see clearly through the schemes they have sought to work upon the Consti- tutional Convention of Alabama.
 Now MT. President, desire to be dis word of mine do I desire to be under stood as reflecting upon any gentleman who has advocated the contrary side of this question. know them to be able, pure. honorable, honest men who are incapable of entertaining an improper thought or a dishonorable intention. But, Mir. President, I believe-l am firmly convinced that if you will look between the lines as the gentleman we'll advised us to do, it will be dis covered it is not the man with the hoe. it is not the man behind the blow, but it is the man behind the coupon clipper who is egitating this move. ment.
 Now. desire to ask each gentleman of all these assembled here. was anything said about this pending proposition when the question was before the peo- pie of whether or not we should have this Constitutional Convention? Did any gentleman in any freak of imagi- nation ever dream that e body of men assembled for the purpose of framing an organic law for the State of Ala bama would devote it's time and tal- ents to the discussion of a proposition like this instead of ascending to the lofty and sunny heights where the people intended to place them? Here, under the focal and central glare of the light of civilization instead of build ing a noble and beautiful structure that should be the admiration of future years and all posterity, we are gFOvel- ing among guano tracks and proving false and recreant to the trust imposed upon us. 1 trust, MT President, we shall call a halt, that we will take a turn around ourselves and if some gen. tlemah of towering talents can be found to lead us out of the wilderness, If he can show Us the way" to conflne ourselves within constitutional bounds that gentleman will occupy place in the hearts and gratitude of the people of Alabama. and MT. President, like Ben
 
 So I say the gist of the whole matter is this, that regardless of the merits of the proposition. this Is something with which the Constitution of Alabama has nothing to do. It ought 10 be relegat- ed to legislation, I desire to say that the dominating note, the basic princt- ple of many of the propositions that have been advocated on this floor has been distrust of the Legislature which is lilly in accord with the genius of our institutions. and l desire to thank the gentleman from Limestone for rising In his place and defending the Legis- lature of Alabama from the aspersions that have been so literally showered upon that usually distinguished body of men. They are fresh from the loins of the people. They know the asperations of the common people; and if they can not understand the wants of the peo- ple, it is difficult to perceive how the gentleman from Pike and the gentle man from Henry, making, goo-goo eyes at the Hill Billies can ever be induced to set them right On the matter of their dear duty.
 But. Mir. President. whether it is amongst the denizeps of the hills or the men you find as you move amidst the lonE aIcades O. stately whispering pines in Coeington county, all of these men in every district of the State are looking to this body to build Con stitution for the State of Alabama. We must uut discussing matters purely lesislatlve. salaries of Governors a IU things Of that character, advocated by as talented men as tEey were. All things of this kind should be relegated to the General Assembly. because 1t Is competent to deal with them. and