The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-03
DISCUSSED NEW COUNTY
spEEcHEs BEFORE THE BouN-
 DIARIES COMMITTEE.
Delegate cornwell Opposed by His Colleagues from Jefferson on Proposition to Give Bessemer-
 ties Court House.

The Committee on State and County Raundaries or the Constitutional Con yention met in the hall of the House of Representatives last nigat. d quorum being present.
 The question under consideration by tsa committee was the proposal for a new county to be called Bessemer to b.. made up ot territory contiguous to' and surrounding the Fcity of Besssmeb' Mir. smith of Bessemer was the nret speaker and he strongly urged the TOT nation of the new county TOT the pest interest of the people in that .ocaHty and for the advancement and growtn of that immediate territory. He saio II would be better if Jefferson was cut m into several counties. He asked why if was that the issue was not made in the election of Representatives to the General Assembly? The reason Tor the formation of the new county Is the game reaser, for the formation of the other county. He earnestly urged the creation of the new county or propet action be taken by the Convention looking to that end.z zzsr MT. Beddow spoke dof the old county of Jefferson. He said fhat four of the ! six delegates from Jenerson county were from Birmingham and two rom the county. The gentleman engaged III the movement for the new county were his friends and he would not be guilty of inc ingratitude of activity opposing what they desired here, but he would vote against the matter If It should come before the Convention. He gave sfrons reasons why the new county should not be formed
 Mir. ,o,Neill, one of the delegates from Jefferson, did not think any mlstaKe should be made about the matter and if let alone Jefferson would send up the biggest majority for the ratification or the Constitution ever given in any eiec- stion.
 Captain White said that Bessemer was so dear to him that he did not want to part with it. Seriously he said there was no necessity for any new county and court house at Bessemer for they already had court house there with Jurisdiction to try ail cases. except jail cases, and with every means of transportation desirable there was no need for the thing asked for. They had Criminal Court open all the year and Circuit Court running much of the time.
 Y None of the causes which bring about the formation of new countries exist in his opinion. The Sherin and the Circuit Clerk. the Superintendent of Education and two out of live Of the r.o,iutv Commissioners are BessemeI men and the people of Jefferson have never been unfair or unjust in any way to Bessemer..
 He asked if the Convention was called for the purpose of dismemberlns oi breaking up counties? Has a Conven- tion ever done anything of the kind; The Committee. he said. had stood by the old area for counties of 500 square miles, and that is an expression against the idea of new equities, ou' the matter Is still with the Legisla- ture and if the reason is urgent a new county can be formed at any time. Ii the new county is formed it would moi be right to take its representative from Jefferson. as the county is now entitled to nine on the population basis. Jet' ferson is not at all greedy in the dis tribution of offices. but the county could not consent to be deprived Of it' power in this way. If the new count! is created the Representative will haV' , to be taken from some other county Let a man run on the issue Of the neV county and he will not get any vctei outside the district of Bessemer. l had never been made an issue and I the Convention favored 1t Jefferson would be dismembered without eve having had an opportunity of express ing an opinion on the subject.
 Mr. Cornwell. the delegate from lief ferson who lives in Bessen1er, said h did not like to indulge in threats, tu the vote heretofore shows that the De mocracy of Jefferson has never giv ei more than $500 majority, and to SC cure that they had created smiles al over the State. If the county was not di vided and If the Bessemer people sr continually denied their righss, the cannot be expected to vote .o ratif the Constitution. He said the Constitu tional Conventions of other States la established counties, and the delegate are here to establish precedents in thi State. In arguing the question tn opponents of the new county did n seem to take into consideration t.. 10000 people beyond Bessemsr-the would be fourteen miles nearer tn Court House, and that would be gres convenience to all who live in the lowe end of the county. He asked that the be given an expression by the Conven tion if the Committee could not repor 1t favorably.
 The Committee adjourned 10 mee Tuesday night a: S:50 o'clock to de termine the matter.
 
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