The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-17
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.

The Convention reassembled at S:S0
 o'clock. 125 delegates present. MT. Lomax, Chairman of the Com-
 mittee on Preamble and Declaration |,called up the Article on this subject
 which had been passed and engrossed. Upon request of MT. Lomax the Arti- cle was read a third time and on an aye and nay vote was adopted. Ayes, 116: nays 2-Messrs. Byars and Willett. The Article was ordered to be print
 ed and referred to the Committee on Order and Consistency of the Consti- tuition.
 The Convention then took up Section
 4 of the Article on Legislative Depart ment, which is the same as the exist ing Constitution. It defines the eligi-
 bility of Senators and Representatives. The section provides that Senators shall not be less than 2 years old and MT. Duke of Chambers. sent up an amendment making the age limit 25 years. MT. Duke made a careful and earnest argument in support of his amendment.
 The Chairman of the Committee, Governor Oates. said he had no ob- lection to the amendment. Mir. Heflin of Chambers. made an eloquent speech in support of the Duke amendment which was adopted. I3 to 39. MT. Nesmith of Lamar, one of the youngest members of the body voted against it's adoption.
 Mr. Eyster of Morgan, sent up an amendment that members of the House | shall not be younger than twenty-five years of age.
 Mir. Pettus of Limestone, one of the youngest members of the Convention promptly moved to lay the amendment | on the table and it was overwhelming l ly tabled. sst . r lu An. amendment by MT. Burns of Dal- las. providing that Senators and Rep | resentatives shall have been qualified | white electors three years before cleo | tion was laid on the table. Section as amended was then adop- | ted.
 provides that the Legislature shall
 meet every four years. It shall remain I in session sixty days at the first ses-
 sion held under this Constitution and at all sessions thereafter shall be in
 session fifty days.
 MT. Williams of Barbour, sent up an
 amendment providing for holding ses-
 sions of the Legislature biennially in- stead of quadrennially. He addressed the Convention. Mir. Williams showed that the members of the Legislature
 are close to the people; that four years
 is a long time for a bad law to be
 operative. It was an innovation and | he hoped it would not be adopted. | Mir. Long of Walker, offered a sub-
 stitute that the Legislature meet every two years and remain in sesion sixty days the first session under the new l Constitution and thereafter twenty five days. MT. Long made an argu-
 ment in support of his substitute. l MT. Lowe of Jefferson, spoke in sup
 port of the amendment of Mir. Will Hams. He declared that the movement
 for four year sessions was not in the
 interest of the people. There was a
 motive behind the movement.
 MT. Rogers of Sumter, argued ir
 support of the Committee report, and
 appealed to the Convention for foul year sessions of the Legislature.
 The President Sustained. | The question recurred to the amend
 ment of MT. Long, for two-year ses- sions of twenty five days and on a call of the ayes and nays the Long amend
 ment was lost, 15 ayes and 105 nays. | The Williams amendment. which pro- vides for biennial sessions of the Leg l islature, was then taken up. A call for 1 the ayes and nays were sustained and 1 by a vote of ayes 4S, nays 76, the | amendment was lost
 | MryERogers of Sumter, moved to re-
 consider his vote, and thereupon moved
 to lay his own motion on.. the table.
 This was done for the purpose of cut | ting any one else from moving to re-
 consider. The motion to table was adopted.
 Section as reported by the Com
 mittee was then adopted by viva voce vote. and Messrs. Sollie of Dale, Jones | of Montgomery, O'Neal of Lauderdale
 and Burns of Dallas, gave notice that | they would move today to reconsider the vote.
 The Convention then at $50 o'clock.
 on motion of Governor Jones. adjourned
 until this morning at 9:3O o'clock