The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-15

| they Will say the prfEctpte " tnS @@%z*< We have pledged ourselves not 5o raise taxes, When you take care of tne Governor. why not take care of the Att l torney Generaig Why not take cafe 9E ! the Treasurer Why not take care of | the Secretary of State and the state TreasurerY Why not take care o< every Judge in the State of Aiabahnag Why not take care of the poor members ok | the Legislature. and fix their salaries
 at eight or ten dollars 4 dayE IT you are going to fix one and make &ps ex-
 ception, why not picse. all salaries in
 i admit that the oficc of Governor in great office. hut it was never the inss tention of the Democracy of this state | to make this. an office of money. ls was intended to be an office of pront. Q.aughter). I can see no reason Wny~ tLaughter>, I mean an ofice of honefs but 1t is not intended to make it an -ef- l dce of profit so to speak. Mir. Presiaetn. I hope that the minority. report of the | committee will be adopted. | Mir, Hendersor-f have an araena~ ment-
 The amendment was read: Amend I Section !, by striking the words sLteu- tenant Governor from the first line es | said section"
 MI. deGraffenreid--I move that it ee laid on the table.
 | Mir. Long twalker)--T make the point
 of order that the minority report has | precedence over any amendment offered | by any member on the floor. The President-The chair is of the opinion that under. the 'rules a minority report shall be treated as an anaend- nent, and consequently the point cf not well taken, and the question is up<s on the amendment offered by the gen< tleman from Pike.
 MT. o'Neai (Leuderdalel-I move ta ! lay the amendment on the table. MT. Blackwell--I want to ask what the effect of that will be. Won't 1t car% ry the minority report with II MT. deGraffenreid--No, sir. The President Pro Tem.-No. not un& der our rules. The gentleman frens Lauderdale moves to lay the anaend<
 ment on the table.
 The motion to table was carried. Mir, Burnett-f have an amendmenA The amendment was read: Amen@ Section of the minority report by in-
 serting in the first line after the wore | the the word Governor.
 The President here resumed the chair.
 The President-The question is on tha
 amendment proposed by the gentieman | from Conecuh.
 Mir. o'Neal Uauderdale)-I rise to 4
 point of order.
 The President-The gentleman wits
 state the point oe order. Mir. O'Neal-As understand it, tho amendment simply embraces what the
 minority report of the committee al<s ready covers.
 Mir Burnett-The gentleman is in error.
 MT. vaughn-The minority report
 has the word Governor" in 1t. Mir, Burnett do not understand it. As I understand 1t the minority report is like the majority report. with the exception of fixing the compensation of the Governor at fiev thousand dol% lars.
 The President--The gentleman whd made the minority report says that t& l contain sthe word Governor. MT. Rurnett-It has got "GovernoEY | in there. .-5r# The President-Yea. Mir. Burnett--I withdraw the amenaA | ment then.
 MT. o'Neal (Lauderdale)--I regret | that I am unable to agree with thas l proposition of the gentleman from l Walker. The office of Governor is that l highest in the gift of a people of anSs | State. and ita compensation should h@{ | commensurate with the dignity and | the responsibility of the position. IS ' is we'll known to be 8 subject of just l criticism to our form of governments. ! and its practical operation that men | occupying the highest and most exalt- | ed positions frequently receive less compensation than petty officials. 10 l Is a well known fact that many sheg~ | iffs, Probate Judges. the Clerk of the | Supreme Court, Clerks of courts and I other officials in this State, receive ! more compensation than the Chief I Magistrate of Alabama. The result is | that no man who is an incumbent okl that high office. unless he has cssSa sources of income or revenue. can ae- cept it without pecuniaEy sacrifices l and 1t operates as a positive bar tol I gubernatorial aspirations by men oGs meagre financial resources. Only the rich, old bachelors or those who are | content to live in Montgomery hotels l can afford to accep tthis high post< 1 tion.
 Now the purpose of the committee is l to raise this salary, commensurate
 with the dignity and responsibility of that, high office. It is no answer to
 say that the Legislature can adjusn this salary. We know as matter off fact that for twenty five years bills oG | this character have been introduced tn the legislature without passage. WSs know, as the Chairman of the commit~s tee wisely stated that the short irl-s tercval that elapses between the meete ing of the Legislature and teh inaugnss ration of the Governor, does not furss
 nish sufficient time for the passage o61
 such law.
 Mir. Pettus-rNGay ask the gentles mani a question?
 The President-Does the gentleman yield?
 Mir. O'Neal-Certainly. Mir. Petus-Would 1t not be compe~t tent for the Legislature at one session
 to provide for an increase in the sa5-E
 ary of the Governor to take effect fon the next Governor elected? MT. O'Neal--Yes, of course 1t woulG
 be competent, but they have not don@
 it, and never. will do 1t. The legisia@
 tors of Alabama are so much enGrossed
 in local legislation, and in looking after the interests of the particular beat tn
 which the member resides, that theH
 do not generally have time to give ats
 tention to legislation of this character
 We know as a matter of fact that btu
 after bill of this character mas been in~
 truduced, and never has been passed and never will be passed. The office or Governor is the highest office within
 the gift of the people.\I It is the peoples office, and while the people of Alabama are just they are not parsinlonious-- Mir. Long (Walkerl-May ask q utIaaffOn -t