The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-07

l but if anybody is deprived of the floor, I do not want to trespass further on his time.
 l The President-The gentleman from | Dallas will be protected in his right | to the floor.
 1 MT. deGraffenreid-Is there anything | in this Section prohibiting the Legisla- | ture from conferring jurisdiction on in- | ferior courts?
 MT. Reese-I am inclined to think | there is not. For the people in the Black Belt counties I think this would l be a good amendment, and it does not deprive the Legislature. MT. Espy-It Is not the intent of the | Committee to interfere with the Jus tice of the Peace in the rural districts more than absolutely necessary. The amendment of the gentleman from Dal- las would virtually destroy the juris- diction of Justices of the Peace in the rural districts. l move the previous question on the amendment and the | Section.
 MT. Fftts (Trscalecsa)-I have an | amendment to offer. | Mir. deGraffenreid-I want to offer an amendment before the previous ques- ton is called.
 Mir. Espy-I will call for the previous question on the amendment only, then.
 A vote being taken. the previous question was ordered.
 Mr. waddell-I have an amendment | to offer.
 The Clerk read the amendment as follows: Amend by adding the follow ing al the end of the Section: Provided. that Justices of the Peace shall not have final Jurisdiction in criminal | cases"
 | The President-The, question will be upon the amendment of the gentleman from Russell.
 | MT. Sir,s-I will ask the gentleman to yield for a moment. Mir. Waddell-I will yield for a mo- ment.
 MT. Fitts-I just want to say that my amendment can be discussed al the same time with your amendment.
 The Secretary read the amendment offered by MT. Fitts as follows: l Provided, that the inferior cour. shall be established at all places where | there Is a sorry lawyer who wants a job with good salary" | MT. Duke-I call for the reading of the amendment. We cannot hear in this pan: of the hall. l The amendment was read again.
 The President-The Chair VIII rule the amendment out of order.
 MT. Burns-I desire to offer an amendment
 The President-The Chair recognized 1 the gentleman from Russell as entitled to the floor.
 MT. Waddell-It seems that this Committee has recognized the fact that there was good deal of evil existing In the office of Justice of the Peace. ana they have attempted to correct that evil in the cities of the State. wtnout giving any relief to that part or the State which needs it the most In the rural districts of the State is where this evil exists in its greatest extent. I have known Justices of the peace to grant dvorces. There are sec | tions in this State where they have ab- solutely established a convict system and run it. Under our law they are not allowed to sentence a prisoner for costs, but they go and make special ar arrangements with farmers whereby they take the prisoners and pay the costs and work them as convicts on farms in the State.
 A Delegate-Where do they do that?
 Mir. Waddell-I have heard of sev- eral instances of that sort related in this Convention on this floor. One in- stance was in Tallapoosa County, and that is rot Black Belt county. I say that the evil should be corrected, and that Justices of the Peace should be deprived of final criminal jdfisdfction They have not the power under law to sentence for costs. and they exer- else improper Jurisdiction in that d- | rection. They deprive persons of the right granted 10 them under our Con- stitution of fair and impartial trial. They have no t. al They take them up and try them for felony. In numbers | of instances 1 have known this to be the case. MT. President. I now move the previous question on my amend ment.
 MT. Greer (Calhoun)-1 move to lay the amendment offered by the gentle man from Russell on the table.
 A vote being taken the motion to table was adopted.
 MT. .deGraffenreid-I have an amend ment.
 l The Secretary read the amendment as follows "By striking out in lines two and five thereof the words twenty five hundred, and inserting in place thereof the words fifteen hundred
 The President-The question will be upon the amendment of the gentleman from Hale.
 Mir. d6Graffenreid-As far as I am personally concerned I have no interest in the amendment. I offer 1t in order that some towns that are situated near where I live may get the benefit of | this ru"ovision in the Section. You take such towns as Uniontown in Perry county. where they have 1.5O0 inhab- itants. if not more. Livingston in Sumter County and Gainesville in Sum ter. A great many of these counties would. I presume. get the. benefit of this palti ular Section. I have been | requested by a delegate who resides in one of those towns to introduce this | amendment in order that his town at | least might be able to get the benefit | Of r. I trust that the Convention will | adopt this particular provision. | The President-Ihe question is on the adoption of the amendment of the gen tleman from Hale. Does the gentle man from Dallas (Mr. Burns) desire 10 | offer his amendment?
 The delegate from Dallas did not re- spond to the interrogation.
 A vote being taken. a division was called for and a further vote being taken the amendment was adopted by a vote of A ayes to 27 noes
 Mir. Sanford GPike)-I move the pre- vious question upon the section.
 Avote being taken. the previous question was ordered and a further vote being taken the section, as amended was adopted.
 The Secretary read Section 30 as fol- lows;
 Section 20. The Attorney General shall be elected by the qualified cleo tors of the State at the same time and