The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-18

judges and CnHncoftOrD at any VtHcf time than that fixed for the election of other officers. The term of Judges or the Probate Courts Q reduced after lsto to four years, and the terms of the other Judges and Chancellors in- creased to eight years after 1910. We do not deem 1t to the interest of the State that the term of Judges of the Circuit Court and Chancellors shall be reduced to four years, and as It seems impracticable to let said terms remain at six years, we deem 1t the better poll icy to fix the terms of those Judges and Chancellors at eight years. We be- lieve that better Judge can be found for an eight-year than a foar-year term.
 We, therefore. beg leave to submit herewith a substitute for each of said Sections IS and IT. The substitute for Section 16 is as follows: et
 Section 1e In the year 1904. Judges of the Probate Courts, Judges of the Circuit Courts and chancellors, shall be elected by the qualified electors of the respective counties, circuits and chancery divisions for term of six years and until their successors are elected and qualified. In the year 1910, an devery four years thereafter. Judges of the Probate Courts shall be elected
  tive counties for a term of four years. and until their succe ssors are elected and qualified. In the year 1910 and every eight years thereafter, Judges of the Circuit Courts and Chancellors shall be elected by the qualified elec- tors for the respective circuits and chancery divisions for term of eight years, and until their successors are elected and qualified. The right of such Judges and Chancellors to hold their offices for the full term hereby prescribed, shall not be affected by any change hereafter made by law in any circuit, division or county in the mode or time of election.
 The substitute for Section II is as fol- lows:
 Section 17. Tn the year 1904. the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the qualified electors of the State for term of six years and until their sue cessors are elected and qualified. In the year 191o and every eight years thereafter. the Chief Justice shall be elected by the qualified electors of the State for a term of eight years, and until his successor is elected and qual- flied. Two of the Associate Justices elected in 1910 shall hold their offices for the term of four years. and two for the term of eight years, and until their successors are elected and qualified, and in the year 1914, and every four years thereafter, two of such Associate Justices shall be elected by the qualified electors of the State for term of eight years. and until their successors are elected and qualified. The Associate Justices of said court elected in the year 1910, shall draw or cast lots among themselves to determine which of them shall hold office for the terms ending. respectively, in the years 1914 and 1918, and until their successors are elected and qualified, the result of said deter mination to be certified to the Govern or by such Associate Justices or ma jority of them prior to the first day of January, 1911, and also to be entered upon the minutes of the court. In the event of the failure of said Associate Justices to make and certify such de- termination, the Governor shall desig- nate which of said Associate Justices shall go out of office in 1914 and 1918, respectively, and issue his proclanla- ton accordingly. In the event of the increase or reduction by law of the number of Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, the General Assembly shall, as nearly as may be, provide for the election every four years or one half of the whole number of Justices, including the Chief Justice of said Court, for a term of eight years.
 Respectfully submitted.
 Thos. H. Watts,
 ,lssz Norville R. Leigh. IT,.
 Edward A. Graham,
 J. Mclean Jones,
 Wm. H. Sanford,
 H. Pillans.
 Mir. Smith-I move that the reports of the majority and of the minority as we'll together with the Articles, De printed and that the Article be made a special order of business after the special orders already designated.
 A vote being taken the motion was carried.
 MT Blackwell-I want to make a personal statement In justice to Gen eral Jones of Wilcox. On Saturday last when the report of the Committee on State and County Boundaries was LID and while we were considering the proposition to reduce the constitutional area of counties from 600 square miles to 500 square miles. I overlooked the fact that was paired with Gen. R. c. Jones. If he had been here he would have voted against any reduce ton. I desire to make this statement SO that General Jones may be made to appear properly.
 The President pro tem-The next or der of business will be the considera- ton of the Report on the Legislative Department.
 section 6 was read as follows:
 Sec. 6. The pay of members of the Legislature shall be $4 per day, and 10 cents per mile in going to and return ing from the seat of government, to be computed by the nearest usual route travelled.
 Mr. Oates-I rise to ask unanimous consent to insert word that seems to have been omitted. It is the word 'the" between pay of" and mem bers" It should read The pay of the members" etc.
 By consent the word was inserted.
 Mir. Murphree-I have an amendment.
 The amendment was read as follows:
 Amend Section 6 by striking out the word ten and inserting the word five" and add at the end of the Sec tion: "The members using free rail- road passes shall not be entitled to any mileage from the State."
 Mir. Murphree-I have no objections if the members desire to vote separate ly on these two propositions. The first iss to strike out "ten' and insert five" for the mileage of members of the Leg islature. It seems clear to me that the members of that body should not be allowed to charge 10 cents per mile, when they only have to pay 3 cents. That is more than three times what 1t costs and I cannot see the justice of 1t. Of course, where they have passes in their pockets they ought not to re-