The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-13


 Iessthan rix hundred sauare miles, but to provide that no new county shall be formed with less area than six hum dred square miles. The majority re- port of the committe favored the estab- lishment of an area five hundred square miles. both as applicable to new coun- ties to be formed. and to the old coup- toes from which these new counties are taken. My report contempiates leaving the old counties with an area of not less than six hundred square miles, and wherever It is desirable and practicable new counties may be formed with an area of not less than Tour hundred square miles. Now these are the three propositi,ns that are to De presented for your consideration. I say this. not because these propo- sitions are Esow before you, but it is
 Tn order that you may be advised of the course which is
 oelns pursued by the several di- visions Of the committee. The present
 proposition is whether you shall re. tain the majority report of 500 square miles. or whether you will strike out the word five and insert the word six. so that the pending proposition is that q county shall consist of not less than oVV square miles. That is the only question, excepting the quest. on that ! nave just presented to you, touching the manner in which the new counties snaH De formed, upon which there is a cinerence between the two minorities, | Now that is the whole question, and | the whole case. do not propose now to enter into anything like an elabo- fate argument in support of my propo- sition of retaining 500 square miles as the area of the old counties. am l iuLy aware of the force of the reason- ing which would ask reduction from 600 to 800, but the reasons upon That side arc not all of the reasons in the 1 case. There Is another side to this l proposition, and just to give you a few pointers, in the first place, by reduc- Ing the area of the counties from 500 square miles, now obtaining in the old counties. to a lesser number of square miles, you destroy the symetry of the l old counties. Further than that, you incur the danger of leaving old coun- ties and making new counties with an insumcfency of wealth in them to sus- tain the counties with the proper dig nity. My friend here speaks of the small counties In certain other locali- ties to which he refers. Small counties, gentlemen of the Convention, belong to the thickly populated States, where there IS great wealth. They do not properly belong to a State where the population is not dense enough to en- l able each one of the counties with dig nity to sustain tfe county which they form. With respect to what has been | said of Georgia, the gentleman Is en- tirely of the track when he says that the people of Georgia are content with their present condition.
 MT. Howeil-Do you think the dig l nity of county is paramount to it's conveniencef
 Mir. Cobb-Yes, sir. I do: emphati- cally yes; but there is no conflict be- tween the dignity and the convenience. Convenience is a relative term. It is 1 not absolute. and, therefore. what you may call convenience under one set of circumstances. would not be entitled to that designation under other and dit- fArent conditions.
 MT. Rogers (sumter)-what No you call the dignity?
 MT. Cobb-The dignity Is the power Of a county, being a part of the gov ernment of a State, to m Nirtain itself with dignity. With population enough. with intelligence enough to maintain itself, with that degree of dignity which applies to the State of Alabama in providing for all the machinery of it's government.
 Mir. Rogers (Sumter)--How would you compare the dignity of Cleburne County with that of Jeffersonr
 Mr. cobb--I cannot make that com. | parison, because I am not prepared to know anything about these counties, but I say that a county Is not main- tained with dignity as it is over here across the border in Georgia. where, as my friend over there told me the other dny, matter Of his own personal knowledge. the Judge of the Ordinary, Corresponding to the Judge of Pro- bete in AlAbama), could not get fees enough out of his ofiice to support him. self and, therefore, he had about six days in the week to work on his farm, and had one day to come to town to att tend to business.
 Mir. Sanford-That is a blessed con dition,
 Mir. Cobb-The same way with the sheriff, and the same way with the other officers. My friend says that is a blessed condition. His idea of gov- ernment Is quite different from mine. The idea that a county shall be form ed. without the ability to provide for these officers, who should stay in their places of business every day in the week, and who should have pay enough to relieve them of the necessity of pull ing the ropes over a mule six days In week.
 The President-The time of the gen. tleman has expired.
 Mir Sanford-I move that he be al- lowed to continue his argument
 MT. Cobb--No, l do not care to con- sume further time
 Mr. Parker (ElmoTe)-Mr. President and gentlemen of the Convention, am very diffident when. for the first time, I appear on the floor since this Con vantion convened, and if I was not impelled by sense of duty, to eX- press myself on this occasion, l would I content myself. as have in the past. | by listening to the speeches of others | and voting on the pending question. 1 But feel that it is my duty to make | some remarks in line with the minor- | ity report that has been submitted to | this Convention on this question. AS Judge Cobb. who has just preceded | me, has said. we do not take issue | with the amendments propozed by the 1 gentleman from Hale in all particulars 1 but I deem that it is proper now to | say what I have to say in reference l to this question of counties and county | boundaries.
 MT. President. this is an economic | question. The conditions in Alabama | are such tLat it is unfortunate any | number of square miles should con | stitute the unit of county formations in Alabama. If we were for the hrst time forming a Constitution for the | State of Alabama. and we had the | diversified interests that we have now,