The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-13
ARTICLE ON EDUCATION
Report of the Committee Made Yesterday. -
Local Legislation Completed and | Ordered Engrossed-Efort Will
 Be Made Today to Ad-
 journ for Ten Days.

The constitutional Convention yester- Aav completed the Article on Locai legislation by striking out the ciaus% allowing County Commissioners or rountv Courts to legislate for locah- lies, received the report of the Noin- nittee on Education and began the consideration of the Article on state and County Boundaries.
 The feature of the morning sessioh uas 4 heated colloquy between Messrs. smith of Mobile. and ONeal of Lauder hale. The feature of the afternoon see- sion was an extended debate on the huestion of reducing the area Of couh- ties. Numerous speeches were mdue and a test vote showed that a majority Iof the delegates are not friendly to the propos,tion to reduce the area of coun- ties to 400 square miles. The report oi the Committee recommends a reduction to 500 square miles. ~ Two sections of the Article were adonted before adjournment. The first section of the Article gives the Leg jsiature the right to acquire territory. This is a sanction of the proposltlon to annex Western Florida.
 President Knox yesterday announced the personnel of the special Commit tees on Retrenchment and Engross- ment, MT. Howell Of Clepurne, ls Chairman of the former. and Mr. sam ford of Pike, is Chairman Of the iatter: The Committee on Retrencnmeht "'ii meet Monday morning. S,AE It was said last night that pumper of delegates will make an effort today to have the Convention adjourn for ten days owing to thssxsTepely warm weather. s 2
 A sharp Debate. After the preliminaries incident to ouening of the Convention yesterday morning MT. Smith of Mobile arose 10 q question of personal privilege: ne said he had depended upon the ofi1cia! report for the remarks of MT. oNeal Thursday which reflected upon MO hiIe. He charged that MT. O'Neal had revised his remarks and that they did mt aupear in the record as they were MT. o'Neal denied that he had revis- ed his remarks. He thought the re- marks of Mr. Smith had been unwar- rantcd. He keenly satirized MT. Smltn as posing with cold grandeur ana sit-  terized MT. Smith as the Ajax from the Gulf City" and said that when the Mobile school question came up before The Convention he would act as his best judgment directed. MT. smith replied impassionately and in a dignified manner and a sharp pas sage between them was imminent when Mir. Barns of Dallas demanded the regular order and the incident was closed.
 MT. Carmichael of Coffee, introduced an ordinance relating to levies of taxes. Mir Grayson of Madison, presented a petition from citizens of Huntsville, asking for the abolishment of privilege taxes. man of the Committee on Education then sent forward the report or & ms Committee. and it was read and order ed printed
 Messrs. Pettus of Limestone, Opp oi Covineton, Williams of Barbour, and Hodges of Marshall, submitted a mi noritv report that the Governor shall not be a member of the Board of Trus- tees of the State University.
 Messrs. Ashcroft of Lauderdale, OpI of Covington and Hodges of Mar shall submitted a minority report pro- yiding for separate school districts fol the races.
 Local Legislation.
 The pending question was the con- alteration of Section of the Article on Local Legislation which delegates to County Commissioners the power tt leRislate for localities.
 Mr. Sentell of Crenshaw and Cover nor Oates spoke in opposition to the scheme to permit Commissioners tc leEislate for counties.
 MT. Sorrell, the quiet delegate from Tallapoosa, made his maiden speech ir onpositlon to the committee report. He vigorously attacked the scheme and made an excellent impression.
 MT. Blackwell or Morgan argued ir support of the committee report. Hf thought that those mstters upon which the Legislature had been prohibited from legislatinR should very properly oe turned over to County Commission CTS for legislation.
 Judge Howze of Jefferson thought i would be unwise to give the power tt Courts of Commissioners to assume legislative functions.
 The chairman of the committee, Mir O'Neal, closed the debate.
 The proposition offered by the com mittee was defeated and the substi tute offered by Governor oates author iEing the Legislature to pass genera IaWs pToIeclAHS ptho1S A'SASStS VI" adopted.
 Section defining local laws ant general laws was adopted without di vision
 MT. Boone of Mobile offered an ad ditional section that courts may talk Judicial knowledge of municipal char ters was tabled.
 An additional se"''pn by Mir. Watt of Montgomery thar no general laJ shall be amended so as to become 10 cal law was adopted.
 The article on Local Legislat ton Va then ordered to be engrossed and tn Convention took recess until 3:5 o'clock.
 lust before adjournment MT. Jcnkin sent up and had read q communicable