The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-20
AFTERNOON SESSION.

lHereupOn the COnVeHtlon doJouineu
 uDifi s:3o o'clock.
 AFTERNOON SESSION.
 The Convention was called to order by the President and the roll being called showed the presence of 109 dele gates.
 Leaves of absence were granted as follows: Mr. Haley for Saturday and Monday; to MT. Cardun for this after noon, on account of sickness; to MT. Pearce unti! Thursday; to MT. Davis or Etowah for tomorrow: to MT. Henln of Randolph for tomorrow. MT. Stanford (Pike)-I ask unanimous consent to be permitted to present petition, to have it printed in the stenographic report.
 The President-The gentleman asks unanimous consent to introduce a pe- tition. .ss
 Mir. Kirkland-I object.
 The Pressdent-Objection is made. MT. Samford-I move a suspens'on oi the rules that I be permitted 10 nave this short petition introduced. IL mas been universally accorded to every se"- tleman on this floor
 ton.
 The clerk then read the petition as follows:
 Petition by MT. Sanford lPike): Troy, Ala, July b ,lS0l. To Hons. I. C. Henderson. J. D. M,,rphree and W. H. Sanford men- hers Constitutional Conventions: We. the undersigned. respectfully pe- | tition through you the Constitutional ! Convention, to embody in the organic | law plenary powers to the K. l.. com mission, they to be elected by the oeo- ole and paid by the State. - Alex Henderson & Co.,. w. C. Wlno- | ham, J.. o. Pinson, J. r. wood. oon'
 Gamble. J. Randolph Brown. S: Sinpson. F. Brantley & Sons,, White x F.dn,ondson. H. T. Babcock. T. J. Dil- lard. V. D. Jones, Rosenberg Bros:' flames Walters, Bob Finn. Branner x Henderson, J. F. Paul. F. L. Enzor' n. S. Faulk, J. D. Murfree. Jr.. Red den Bros, Charles Carroll, Charles Henderson, J. F. Carroll. N. J. Ross. B. B. Wilkerson, Coleman S Wnite' Saul Parchten. Ben Rubenstein. Sei- | Iers Miller & O., Rainie Bros.. w. A. Sims. Mcleod Darby, w. B. Johnson R M. owens, J. M. Mullan, W. E.. Hanchey, Charles c. Williams. l. Jack son. Sam A. Williams, J. R. Darby & SoncF F. s. Wood. T. McBryde. J. ,. | Copeland, J. D. Williams.
 Referred to Committee on Corpora- | tions.
 MT, Sanford CMontgomery)-Wha is tho b,,siness before the Convention? The President-When the Convention | adiourned. the gentlueman from Tal- l lanoosa had the floor. The special or der for this afternoon Is the considera- tion of the report of the Committee on Legislative Department. The ConVen- | ton had under consideration Sectlon | 69 to which there was pending an amendment and substitute to the amendment and section. The Char recognized the gentleman from Talla- | poosa. ..t l.. MT. iBulger-When we suspended ln | the forenoon, l was undertaking 10 give my views briefly on this section or the report of the committee as amended. | It has been the experience or almost every Legislature in Alabama since the war that the most important and yet | the most complicated propositions with which they have to contend IS the framing and passing of a revenue Dill. If is important because it is one or | the ways by which the State govern | ment procures revenue with which to defray the expenses of the admlnlstra- | ton of the affairs of State. It Is com plicated because it necessarily em- | hraces A large variety of enterprises | that go on in every part Of the State. | Now, one way by which the state pro- cures it's revenue is by an ad valorem | tax. This Convention in It's wisdom | has reduced the rate of taxation rom seyenty-fiye cents to sixty-five cents. | thereby reducing the revenue rom | that source about a quarter or q mil | lion dollars, making it important that every other source through which rev. | enues must be obtained shall be care fully guarded by this Convention and bv the House of Representatives Of the State. Now, I submit that the average | Representative who comes to the Leg | islature is not prepared to go into and 1 ascertain the necessary information 10 | intelligently draw a bill like this. He l comes from the everyday avocations. he is not familiar with the affairs or l State, and the ordinary man WILL take | from thirty to sixty days 10 acQulre l this information and become 1amiilar enough to draw q bill on this subject. Now. I understand the purpose Of thls | section renorted by the committee is l to aid the Legislature in preparing this particular bill. Now, if representa- l tive is to have information on any inn portant subject like this. 1t is tmpor- tant that he have the best information obtainable. He Is unable to get 1t from the people who send him here. he iS
 hardly qualified to go into the Auditors office, and into the Treasurers ottice and get the information. Now. this bill
 proposes to relieve him of this labor and put upon his desk when he comes here this information so that he can net be mistaken about what It is. Now, this section proposes to have that in formation to come from the Chief Ex- ecutive of the State. the man of all
 men who should/be informed about the
 necessities and financial condition of
 the State It also provides that he shall be accompanied by the Auditor
 whose business it Is to keep the ac-
 count of the State and be familiar with
 it's condition. The Attorney General Is
 not put upon this force for any such
 purpose, he is not expected to know
 any more about the financial condition
 of the State and its affairs than the ordinary representative. His business is
 in a different department. Now. when the revenue bill Is prepared and passed,
 it is important that it should be legal and constitutional. therefore, the com