The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-11
SHELBY COURT HOUSE
MarrER AGAIN BEFORE CON-
 MENTION COMMITTEE.
Representative Deans Examined at Length as to Passage of the Act-Several Other Wit
 nesses to Testify.

B0undr1eS or the SonstitutioHai Convention met last night in the hall of the House of Representatives at the Capitol and continued their investiga- ton of the Shelby County Court House removal bill. Chairman George H. Parker presided and a quorum of the committee was present.
 Hon. Cecil Browne of Talladega, 2 member fof the Convention. appeared for the Columbiana faction and Hon. w. L. Martin of this city for Calera.
 Representative G. B. Deans of shelr by, a member of the present House of Representatives, appeared before the committee and testified as to his con- nection with the bill H. 1587. providing for the removal of the Court House from Columbiana to Calera. and of H. B. 1886. which related to the ex- tension of the limits of Calera. MT. Dean testified in part that he was the author of the bill providing for the removal of the Court House from Columbiana to Calera. It was intro- duced. reported and regularly passed. He had heard and read what had been
 
 changed on the bills. He said the bill extending the limits of Calera was written by Mir. Wilson and he told him he would favor 1t if Senator Oliver was in favor of it. The Senator said he had no objection to the bill if his cotton field was taken out of the pro- posed limits. If that was done he would favor the bill. The amendment was interIined and he then suggested that the bill be typewraitten. which was done. He then took the original bill and pasted the typewriter copy over it. He handed the Court House bill to Hon. W. E. Striplin of Fillmore and he carried it to the committee men in the House and they signed it. The bill was then reported as he was in a hurry to get in the bill as the time was short
 He said the bill was read three times in the House and passed regularly. He gave as his reason for introducing the bill and being so anxious to get 1t through, that he had heard prior to as- sembling of the Legislature that there was a plan on foot to build Court House at Columbiana without regard to the law and without law to issue bonds. Several persons had told him that they were going to build Court House and Jail at Columbiana. He had been told and saw a notice in a paper that a bill had been introduced to issue bonds for $60000 to build Court Houpse and Jail at Columbiana. He then became aroused and he was afraid that a bill had been gotten in without his knowing 1t, but he could not find such a bill upon the most dil- igent investigation and inquiry.
 He said pr. G. C. Oliver had told him that a resolution on the question had been considered by the Commit tee on Resolutions of the Democratic State Committee in regard to Shelby Court house, but that it would make no report on it. He said the election was unfair in Shelby County on the Court House removal when Columbi- ana won 1t. The Montevallo and Ca lera boxes were not sent up. Word went out to many of the precincts that Columbiana said Ego ahead" that the penalties of the law would not be en- forced and they had changed boxes and the result was affected thereby.
 MT. Davis said he had been Demo- crat, afterwards a Populist and wastI now a Republican. He did not know at whose instance the Court House bill was left off the calendar of the House and out of the proceedings in the papers. He had not asked the printing company to leave it off the calendar of the House.
 Tine bill was introduced February 26. and was not on the Calendar of Febru- ary 2S, the day after it was reported favorably. It was passed on February 2S. The two bills, H. B. 1586 and 15S7, the Calera land bill and Shelby Court House bill, were not on the Calendar when the Journal showed that they ought to have been, and the Journal and Calender were introducd to show it.
 MT. Deans said the bill was passed in the afternoon of the last day. He had heard that the Governor had re- marked when be signed the bill that it was the first Court House removal bill that ever got through without con- test. He said he did not know that he had introduced any other bills with out titles The cover of the Court House bill was at one time on the Calera extension bill. MT. Wilson had 1t there and he took it off and pasted the type written copy over the original Calera land bill, which left out Senator Ol- ver's property. He did not know why the bills were left out of the papers. He did not know how the fasteners got in the bill. He did not get the bill to keep it out of the paper or off of the Calendar. He got Mr. Martin to write the bill He told him what he wanted in the bill, and he prepared 1t.
 Hon. John F. Proctor, a member Of the Constitutional Convention from Jackson County, then testified as to how bills were introduced and passed. He has served as Secretary of the State Senate and Assistant Clerk of the House. He said that after the second reading of a bill it would be very diffi- cult to change the title. If any de- ception was practiced or changes made it must have been done before the Committee reported. If any one de- sired to do so. one bill could be very easily substituted for another, and members deceived as to what they were acting on.
 MT. Proctor demonstrated to the Committee the modus operandi of get ting bills through both houses. He said that sometimes bills were left off the Calendar if they were introduced too late in the afternoon after the Cal endar had been prepared.
 The Committee then adjourned until 3:30 o'clock this afternoon, there being several other witnesses to be examined. The Committee will probably conclude the matter this afternoon.
 An Alarm of Fire.
 ho,,t 1.20 o'cIock this morning an