The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-16

and Limitations prescribed in the case Of a bill.
 Mr. Jones-There is an amendment pending to Section 13.
 1 The President--Let the amendment be read from the Clerks desk.
 The amendment was read as follows: Amend Section 13 by striking out the words Tor recess" and by adding after the words 'in which case ft shall Tot be a law" the following words, But when return Is prevented by a recess, such bill must be rsturned to the House in which 1t originated within two days after 1t re-assembling, otherwise it | shall become a law"
 Mir. Jones (Montgomery)--I want to explain that without the amendment if the Governor was prevented by re- cess from returning bill in five days there would not be any obliga- tion on him to return 1t at all, he could pocket it. The object of the Commit tee IS that when the return is prevented by recess in five days, the Governor must return 1t to the House in two days after it's reassembling.
 I MT. Heflin (Chambers)-Can I ask the gentleman a question?
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-Ce
 MT. Heflin (Chambers)-Thata amend- ment does not refer to that part of the Section which says bills presented to the Governor within five days be- fore the adjournment shall remain with him and he shall have the power to approve or veto at any time within ten days after the final adjournment?
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-No. we are speaking now of the case of recess, not of an adjournment.
 Mir. Heflin (Chambers)-I have sn amendment to that.
 l. The President-Does 1t relate to the amendment of the Committee?
 MT. Heflin-No. sir.
 Mir. O'Neal( Lauderdale) May l ask the gentleman Q question?
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-I will an- swer all your questions with great pleasure as soon as we pass on the amendment of the Committee so as we can see what We are to be ha5lrle red over.
 A vote being taken the amendment offered by the Committee was adopted.
 MT. Heflin (Chambers)--I have an amendment.
 The amendment was read as follows: Amend Section IS by striking out the words beginning in line :1 but bills presented to the Governor within five days before the adjournment of the General Assembly may be appI owed at any time within ten days after the final adjournment if approved and de- posted by the Secretary of State with in that time."
 MT. Heflin (Chambars)-I simply de- sire to say that this puts 1t in the power of the Gov Ar1or to allow bill to go over that has been placed in his office only five days before the final adjournment. If the Governor should not agree with the majority of the House and Senate the power is placed in his hands to kill the bill. to refuse to allow 1t to become a law within ten days after the legislature adjeuIns, and the author of the bill is helpless and can have no relief in that line un- til another legislature is elected.
 Mir. Jones (Montgomery)-All that occurred to the Committee but under the present Constitution the General Assembly Is helpless after the firth day as to any bill they may send to the Governor After the commence nnent of the five days every bill that goes tllAre can be pooketed by :he Gov- ernor if he wants to do it, so that in that respect we have not put the Cen eral Assembly in any more helpless condition than under the present Con- stitution; but 1t is known to my friend from Chambers and to all of us that towards the heel of the session Gov ernor is so crowded with bills that he cannot read them. do noE think there has been man in that o'nce in at least twenty years who has read one-half of the bills which he has sign ed towards the close of the session; It is absolutely @ physical impossibility. He has to rely on the Attorney General and some trusted friends and they read in a hurry to avoid F o'clock at night on the last night and he is act ing in the dark. The object of this provision is to give the Governor Tn whom the people trust, an opportunity to calmly consider the mass of bills that is always piled on his table the night the General Assembly adtourns. Members of this House will remember | some very meritorious bills which were sent down to the Governor on the last night of the session, and, owing to his feahle health and not expecting any more bills, at a very late hour he left and under the common practice n thls State those bills died the dearn be- cause they were not signed bH1ore the adjournment of the General Assembly Afterwards the Governor taking aa- vice. concluded that the spirit of the Constitution. although it had never been acted on to that extent EI Ala bama, allowed him five days after the bill got to him to approve II. even 1T he approved 1t when the Legislature was not in session, and he did approve five of those bills. On principle think he was right but there had been so much doubt about 1t that lip to that time no Governor had acted on Dill after the General Assembly bad ad- iourned. Now, we must trust the in- dividual who is Governor. It Is the easiest thing in the world if the Gov ! ernor wants to. with 200 bills locked up in that little office that Governor Oates so eloquently described yesterday afternoon, to go off and come back a week afteFnards and sit in there m private and if he is bad man simply say to the Secretary, Here, MT. sec retary. I signed this before the Gen. Aral Assembly, adjourned"
 Tn a great many of the larger states if has been found absolutely necessary to give the Governor some time after he adfournrncnt of the Legislature m which to pass on bills that have been } nanding before him not more than five days. That is the case in New 1ofK oniy they give him thirty days. we thcugtlt there was an evil under the present practice and that it could De f rremediedJdhat it would advance wise and good legislation. prevent trickery and give people an opportunity to be heard. if need be, and relieve the Gov ernor and enable him to discharge hls Sduties more intelligently. For these freasone I regret that the Committed cannot agree to the amendment of the delegate from Chambers.
 MT. Heflir--I move the adoption of my amendment.
 I, a sAeTaTR Nfa n NV1 R-