The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-25

| MT. Malone-I dislike exceedingly to differ with gentlemen who have so much ability to argue their case, but | as understand it, the Governor conn | ing in with that legislature would be | interested to the extent of eight thou | sand dollars. to have that legislature pass that particular bill, and while might favor a salary of five thousnd | dollars to the Governor I am opposed to putting him in a position to get such | direct benefit from the action of the | legislature over which he has the pow | CTS that have been demonstrated here. | do not think it is right and I think | the General Assembly should be free to act as they see fit. I am opposed to the Governor being directly interest ed to such a great extent in any law | to be passed.
 Mir. Pettus-I regret also to have to take issue with the distinguished gem | tlemen who are advocating this amend | ment, but it appears to me, after We | have adopted the section to which the | delegate from Montgomery has allud- | ed. which provides in express terms | that the General Assembly shall rot increase the salary of any officers du- ring their term of office, 1t would be
 unwise to make an exception in the case of the Governor or of any other | of these officers. This Section of the | Committees report is taken. almost | verbat tim from the Constitution of 1875 | and it seems to me in engrafting that | section into this instrument we have recognized the wisdom of the prirci- pie that inducements should not be held out to any of the officers enuner- ated in this section to bring influence | to bear upon the legislature for the | purpose of having salaries increased. | am not opposed to an increase in the | Governors salary. if it comes through | the proper forum. and at the proper 1 time. and in the proper manner. but 1t seems to me it is unwise to nut in the Constitution at the end of the Article | proviso or an exception which in ef- l feet declares that the Article we have already adopted was unwise, or that | there should be an exception made to | 1t in any instance.
 Another reason why I think that this section proposed by the delegat from | Tuscaloosa should not be adopted at l this time is, that by resolution this | matter has been left to the General As | sembly. This Convention os the peo- | ple assembled here, has declared that | 1t is their opinion that the legislature
 should increase the Governors salary.
 It seems to me that is far enough to 1 go along this line. If we go further
 
 most compulsory upon the next legis- l lature to increase the Governors sal- ary, and it seems to me 1t will he suf- ficient for the pest interests of the
 State for the increase passed by the l legislature to be passed under the gem
 eral terms of the Constitution and not | to have any retroactive effect, and not
 to take effect during the term of office
 of the next Governor to be elected un-
 der the Constitution.
 MT. Jenkins-As a member of this
 Constitutional Convention, I want to
 say candidly that I am tired Of this question of the Governors salary. It
 seems to me that we were sent here
 but for one purpose and that purpose lis to raise the Governors salary. Ev-
 cry other day the question is brought
 up and this Convention is consuming time on these matters when we ought
 to be getting down to the important
 proposition for which we were actually
 sent here, namely, the reform of the
 suffrage.
 I am opposed to the whole proposi-
 tion of raising the Governors salary. 1
 believe If you raise the Governors sal
 ary you ought to give the Supreme
 Court Judges some higher pay. They
 are hard worked people and are break
 ing down under the work they have, l | they. l would vote ten times sooner
 to increase their salary than to in-
 crease the Governor, but I would vote
 against that proposition here today be- | cause we are not here to raise salaries
 and get up these outside discussions
 and consume time. The whole world
 don't depend on this. Every question
 along this line precipitates discussion
 and I say we should get to the propo- | cit &Ink In. F0y- md
 ought to vote down every proposition
 tending in any other direction. l am
 unalterably opposed to. this resolution,
 and l hope the Convention will vote | it down and that we may get on some
 thing else besides raising salaries.
 MT. Knox-It will be impossible for
 this Convention to take up the con-
 sideration of the report of the Commit
 tee oR Suffrage until that Committee l makes it's report. The object of those l who favor some increase in the Gov
 ernor's salary. is simply to shape the
 Constitution in such a way as that the | benefit of this increase will be enjoyed | during this generation. It is not to be
 supposed that those who sincerely fla
 Vor some relief to the Governor want l to postpone it until the next genera l tion, or want to put it off so many | years. The circumstances are peculiar i HI LIlS CdSes .DeCduSe IL IS pFOpOSSu tO | increase the term of office of the next l Governor from two to four years and
 so the benefit of this increase would | be postponed for five or six years. l Therefore. it seems to me as the gen. l tleman from Montgomery suggests, | that this case is an exception and that
 this proviso ought to be adopted. l therefore move the previous question
 upon the adoption of this section. l MT. Cobb-Will the gentleman yield
 to me. I have an amendment which l | think will be satisfactory, if he will withdraw that motion.
 The delegate from Calhoun yielded, and the amendment was read as fol- lows: Add at the proper place the words if the General Assembly shall so determine
 MT. Cobb-I have not the proposition
 before me. but those words can be in serted at the proper place. My object l is this: Inasmuch as we have refer red it to the General Assembly to de- | termine whether there shall be an in- crease of salary. my amendment pro- poses that it shall also be referred to | the General Assembly as to when that raise shall take effect. If the next 1 General Assembly, immediately after the adoption of this Constitution, Sc ees proper to raise the salary of the Gov ernpr, this also gives them the power to say whether 1t shall take immediate l effect or not, so that they would not be hampered by the constitutional pro- vision in making that addition to their act.
 MT. Heflin (Chambers)- )-Suppose tke l T,1 s,Lan ofca f1,o