The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-19

Nr. Chapman--It is not prepared there. 1 want to explain to the gentle man exactly how that is. We know that the preparation of q general rev. enue bill Is the most dificult of all bills that are presented in the leGisla- ture, 1t requires, more time, more tal- ent, more investigation. and more study than any other bill that is presented to the legislature. Now, was inter- rupted, when was speaking about the last session of the legislature. At the eral revenue bill was not presented until about ten or fifteen days before the legislature closed. and what was the result of it? It was not consider ed by . single man in the legislature. except the five members who eventual ly had to be appointed to determine what we should pass, and we sat here among the other rnummies-I was among them--we sat here and intrust- ed to that committee of five. within fifteen days of the close of the session,
 down into the committee room, or somewhere else, don't know where, and they brought up a bill of about three hundred sections. involving the State and the people of the State, and we did not know what was in it, and I don't know until this day, because the Acts have not yet come out. do not know what was in that bill. and yet I voted for it. and all the balance of us did. My good friend over there. and my friends all around us here. voted for 1t under the same circum- stances. Now. this section is simply nothing more. It says that Rll bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives. New. II will have my distinguished friend from Montgomery to understand that the duty imposed upon the Gov ernor, the Auditor and Attorney Gen. eral is not the origination of the bill. but 1t is doing nothing more than the Governor has done for fifty years, ad- visins the Legislature as to the finances of the State. that Is all it does, and all 1t proposes to do, but we know this
 The President-The time of the gen. tleman has expired.
 Mir. Long (Walker)-I move that he be allowed to complete his sentence, and not be cut off in the middle of 1t. MT. Chapman-If my time is up, Mir. President all that 1 can do is to pray to the Lord to give me time in the next world to finish on this. I have not and cannot within ten minutes pos- sibly reach the merits of this Section. It is purely advisory and nothing more.
 MT. Lomax-I submit that the sub- stitute offered by the gentleman from Dallas tMr. vaushn) for this Section ought to be adopted. There is no 1e- cessity for this. It is a mere matter of suggestion on the part of the Gov ernor and the other State officers, and there is no necessity in the Constitu- ton, because the Governor has it now, and will have 1t under this Constitu- tion, to make suggestions as to a rev enue bill, if he sees fit to do so. It Is a dangerous innovation upon the prln- ciples of American government. We tion, and in every American cGnstitu- tion. and in the Constitution of the United States, that measures for the raising of revenue must originate in the House of Commons, or in the House that comes from the reople, which Is the House of Repr ssensatives under our system of government Now to say in our Constitution that the Governor. the Auditor, and the Attor- ney General, or any other officer of the State. shall prepare and present to the Legislature a revenue bill, in my judgment seriously encroaches up- Oh LhO AA6htS OL khC RCVRf6 Aili3 uI@ rection. It Is utterly unrepublican. The power of suggestion carries with 1t the power of persuasion, and the power of persuasion carries with 1t the power of threat, and the Governor might come to the General Assembly. and hold 1t by the throat and say if you do not pass my revenue law, your bills will either be pigeon holed or be vetoed in the Executive Office. Are you prepared to put in a Constitution which will last twenty-five or> fifty years so dangerous an innovation upon the rights of the people? We have made changes enough already. We have changed the biennial session of the Legislature. We have taken away the right of the people ever two years to change their Representatives, and now you propose to come in and say to this Governor that you put 1t in his power for four years to say here is the revenue bill that I have pre- pared, adopt 1t, or refuse to adopt 1t at your peril.
 We cannot defend these changes and these innovations before the people. They are not expecting them. They were not demanding them, so far as my information goes, and I had oome- | thipg to do with the canvass that pre- | ceded the calling of this Convention, and I tell you when you make iEno- vctions of so serious a nature, you cannot successfully defend them betore the people who are watchful and anx- ious as to what the work of this Con vention will do. The legislative power ought to be separate and distinct power; there ought not to be put into the hands of the Executive of Alabama l anything which encroaches in the slightest degree upon the right of the peoples representatives to say what their laws shall be. By this amend ment you put the hands of the Execu- | tive upon the many strings of gov- ernment when the English idea and the American idea has always been to keep the hands of the Executive away from them and to put them into the hands of the people.
 Mir. Sollie-Wiil it not strike down the system of checks and bs Iances which has always been at the fiun- dalton of our Government in Amsrica |?
 Mir. Lomax-In my judgment that would be it's tendency. It says he may suggest 1t merely. That is all right. The language sounds innocent cno:gh.
 Mir. Macdonald-You say 1t is un- democratic and unwise to put an ob- ligation upon the Governor to make suggestions to the General Assembly {? MT. Lomax-No sir, I do not; cn the contrary I said that the Governor now had the power to make suggestions. Mir. Macdonald-Is 1t not hls Cuty to make them?
 Mf. Loma2-Yes, it is his 6uty and he has the power to make it. but it don't say he has the power tn make a