The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-17

I | many yeats before the State pat n- cense on them for any purpose, and | thert tore did not withhold from the State Treasury, but taxed her own peo- | pie for the schools.
 Mr. Whte-That I suspect ie ID r;ubt
 true. but 1t was about that .inle that the different States of the Union com mehced to tax or impose a license tex as a matter of police regulations uron the sale of vinous. spirituous ari malt lquors. How long Mobile imposed ti:e tax before 1t was imposed by the Sal- ance of the State, I do not know, Tut I do know that 1t has been imposed for a 'ong time since the State has been imposing it upon other countiAs, or upor. that industry in other counties
 Now I say I hope there Is some good
 reason for this, something that will
 satisfy the people of Alabama and
 make them feel that 1t Is right can
 not believe that Mobile will want any
 thing that is wrong. I Feel that rhas
 great county wants to be fair and 1ust. And when we see the interior coul.,es struggling for education where sducs- tion has been denied them for nearly a half century, how can 1t be fair for Mo-
 bile to withhold from the public treas
 ury $44,000 which ought ;o be iistrib- uted. and allowed to flow to the public
 
 That is not the worst of it. either.
 Mobile does not only withhold from the public treasury this amour. of money, but this very Section provides thu the only way upon wh ich the ublic school syste m of Alabama shall bear upon the county of Mobile save that superin- tendents shall make report and that there shall be T separate school district for the two races is that Mobile shaM a fO ,svifI fI,I e,, !, ury it's share of the public school fund. Last year it withdrew from the public fund the sum of sl3.G00, ani ti:is year l am informed it will withdraw from the public fund for he schools in this State $25,000. Now if tn $ Is right if this can he defended, want to know 1t, and I know that hc- distinguished sons upon the floor Of ;his Convention can make it plain if 1t can be made plain. 1 am not in favor of tie amend nlent offered by the gentleman from "alhoun. ] dc not believe that another county ough, to be 13ded to that of Mobile. If it Is wrong for Mobile to have 1t, then it is wrong for Calhoun e have 1t.
 MT. Greer (Calhoun)-If 1t is right for Mobile to have it, is it no. also right for Calhoun to have it'
 Mr. Wh!te-Yes sir, then I will an- NcF tildl u IS ilSHL LOT every OtnSr county in Alabama to have 1t. I have sn amendment 1 am going to ofrer. It
 g not an amendment to tnis. it Is true, out l am going to offer 1t as a sepa- ate Section, that every county in Ala paTna will have a right to withhold all monies derived from the license of 'e;a ling for the purpose of applying | exclusively to the schools of the
 ounties from which it is derived. I believe then that would be nearer right.
 Mr. Barefield-I would like to ask the gentleman If We have too many amend .nents here this afternoon, If it does not virtually mean that the prohibition counties have got to 30 into the liquor business?
 Mr. White-No, I understand not. They would nave the distinction of be- .ng prohibit on counties and they might very willingly part with the revenue in order to get rid of the vice and evil, but even these little dispensary coun- les. as l understand it, over the State where the towns or the school districts whatever they are that are operating
 5ese little dispensaries have to con- cribute the public treasury ther share Of course the great county of Mobile shares in that with them when the very purpose was the main purpose of the diSpensary of course is to regu- late the sale or regulate this evil and then to save the money derived from t and apply it to the public schools of the towns or district. Now 1 say, MT President. it pains me to have to make this fight. These delegates upon the floor are my friends, but I feel that it is my duty and feel that I would not be discharging my duty to the peo- pie Of Alabama to allow this Section to go unchallenged into the new Con- 5ntut1on. They tell us that the Leg islature may regulate 1t, but how long have we waited for the Legislature to do it. We have waited since 1852. How long may we expect to wait? If we must wait upon the Legislature to take action in the premises, and if this oody the sovereign body of the people assem- oled as such body cannot do 1t, and will not do it, how can We expect the Legislature to do that which We our selves refuse to do?
 MT. Samford-I desire unanimous con- sent to withdraw the amendment I of- fered while ago.
 There was objection.
 MT Sam1ord-I hope no one will ob- ject to that.
 consent was given and the amend ment was withdrawn.
 MT. Smith (Mobile)-The gen. 'o'AA'A AioIh JeHeTSOn stated ne presumed that if there was any good reason why Mobile County should be exempt from the operation of this general law that her representatives ought to be able to state 1t. MT. Presi- dent there has been for some reason a consensus of opinion among the rep resentatives of the various sections of Alabama. since 1854 at least in the fact that there was some good reason why the county of Mobile should enjoy this exemption and if I knew nothing of the history of the surrounding cir cumstances of the matter I should be inclined to think. after so many men of ability. representing the people of the State through so long a period of years had assented to it's propriety. that there must be some justice or some equity in the claim or 1t would not have been so universally conced- ed. but. Mir President, the Mobile school system. which is separate and distinct from any other school system in the State of Alabama, had it's birth long before there was any such thing as school system in any other portion of the State. It was originated as a public school system before any other such system was known to the State. Money was expended by her people in the erection of buildings and in the cre- ation of the system that has acted as a stimulant and as an object lesson to