The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-04

tion he takes. He has been Mitigating at every point, not only before the Supreme Court of Alabama. but before the Supreme Court of the United States, and they have in recent deci- sicns delivered. absolutely trampled the position assumed by him, under foot. and yet after all these decisions, he comes up smiling and says he will look and see what the Supreme Court of Alabama will again say upon the subject and he is now before the Su- preme Court of Alabama testing question, though the decision of the hifhest court in the land Is against him. The case of village of NOrwood vs. Baker. decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. was seized upon by the gentleman and others in- terested in this class of litigation to cry 'Confiscation! confiscation!!" end yet the very first time the Supreme Court or the United States has an op- portunity to pass upon. compare and Distinguish this case with that of Par sons vs. the District of Columbia. they made the distinction so clear that the yell raised by the gentleman and oth- CTS, that 1t was confiscation. sank so far in the minrs of all reasonable men, that he does not dare raise It again. The case of Birdsnng vs. city of Mont gomery was a notable one and was de- cided against him. The Supreme Court of the United States has since that time also decided the proposition against him. Tn the city of Montgomery we have an indebtedness of about two million dollars. Five hundred thousand of it we have been laboring under for many, many years. It was approprA . ted by Republican administration to the building of a railroad under certain conditions which were never complied with, but the bonds were used for the purpose CT building the railroad. Six hundred thousand dollars of our in debtedness was caused by the purchase of our water works, and I dety any man on the floor of this Convention to take the report made by the Water Company and compare-It with the re- port made by the city of Montgomery, and not say 1t was a blessing that the water works are owned by the city.
 MT. Sanford tMontgomery)--The wa- terworks add a revenue to the town, nobody obects to that.
 Mir. Graham( Montgomery)-I have
 
 have great respect and almost affec- ton. I have heard him before. there is more bluster in him than anything else. We have condition existing Tn this State. MT. President, in respect to our municipal corporations and this Convention ought to meet 1t like brave men and not like towards, they ought to settle this matter in a way that will bring the greatest good to the greatest number" of people that live in these cities, and if they fail to do it, they will fall to discharge one of the greatest duties enjoined upon them when called upon to assem- ble in this Convention and 1egislate for the peo- pie. There Is condition existing here which we are bound to meet even though the limitation is put down to per cent. In the language of the gentleman from Lee, municipal corpo- raticns, cities and towns, extending from the boundaries of Tennessee to the Gulf of Mexico will go down :nto the depths of bankruptcy. That condi- ton exists. Is 1t our duty to jump on those that are down and trample the last particle of life out of them, or is it our duty to go to them with help- ing hand and ask If we can render them assistancey and. if answered in the affirmative. to render them the as- sistance which we ought to render?
 MT. Harrlson-Render assistance, but don't bring all the others down.
 Mir. Graham-Yes, render assistance T understand the motive of the gen. tleman who makes this argument-my distinguished ffend. whom I helped in this House in 1882 to save his county from a condition of utter helplessness
 Mr. Harrison-A burnt child dread: the fire.
 Mir, Graham-Yes, when you get fellow we'll burnt, the least little flame that comes around runs him crazy That's the condition of my friend from Lee. The exception that is made here is in the interest of these municipali ties. The city of Montgomery. as stated before, owes in the neighborhoot of two millions and unless relieved by legislation in this Constitution we vii go to the wall.
 MT. Coleman-Does not this meet your case: Provided. this limitation shall not apply to indebtedness alread, existing or authorized to be created? 2
 MT. Graham-No. 1t will not, MT President, every man that comes to the city of Montgomery, the capital of thu
 
 condition. If our streets were in th' condition they were twenty years ago there would be fifty men on this floo who would get up and ask to have thu Capitol removed to Birmingham, O some other city in Alabama.
 Mir. Coleman-Do you propose, then for all the towns of the State to b taxed in order that the Capitol be kep here in Montgomery?
 MT. Graham-No, sir; but if that lav is passed. the very life of every muni cipality in this State will be chokeC out of it.
 MT. Macdonald-Do I understand yoI as advocating that the total cost o sidewalks. street paving and sewer should be taxed upon the abuttini owner?
 MT. Graham-No. sir, and the amend ment of the gentleman from Lauderdal does not say anything of the kind. say that the city at large ought t bear a proportion of the expense O paving, that 1t ought to do it's share All of us are living on the streets am ought to bear our proportion. l appea to the delegates of this Convention after the manner of my distinguishes friend from Lee, to save the munic paiities of the State from destruction which is threatened here by the posi- ton taken by distinguished gentlemen on this floor.
 MT. Chapman-would it serve you purpose to have Montgomery exceptet from the general law?
 MT. Graham-I don't want to pla. the dog in the manager.
 Mir. Chapman-You don't want to pu all the other dogs in, do you?
 Mir. Graham-No, sir.