The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-26


 done to limit the debate, and enable the Convention to proceed with its work. The committee has now bought it in in conformity with what it believed to be the wish of the Convention. It has no special desire upon its part, as com mittee. to limit the debate, and if 1t is the wish of the Convention that thtj resolution be not adopted, 1t will be satisfactory to the committed. Personally, however, it does not seem to me that the argument that has been made against it is a sound one. One of the gentlemen says that these questions ought to be discussed fully, and l agree with the gentleman. He says that the broadest opportunity for discussion should be given in this Con- Vention on every question, and l fully agree with him, but I differ with him as 10 what an opportunity for the oroadest discussion consists of. An other gentleman says if we desire to limit this debate, we can always do that by the previous question; that we have heretofore done it. and done it ef- fectiveiy. agree with this gentle man and yet l doubt the correctness of the CSnclusion.
 l think full debate by every mem- Der of the Convention who desires to speak, is advisable. and advances the public welfare and the interests of the State. think it is better that every man who wants to speak should have an opportunity to speak five minutes than that coterie should have an op- portunity to speak just as long as they choose to (applause) and until the Convention gets tired and shuts off the gentleman, as the gentleman from Jefferson has said.
 That is the way Is seems to me it has been fully debated. few gen. tlemen have talked until the balance have got tired and somebody has stop ped the proceedings by the previous question, and shut off other gentlemen on the question who are not so brave in asserting their rights. 1 therefore believe that if we would try the five minute rule day or two, the majority of the Convention would find it agree able.
 Mir. Brooks-Mr. President, I am not in the habit of making speeches fre- quently, and I do not think I make very long speeches so that personally I have not very much interest in this question, but 1t does seem to me that at this stage of our proceedings we ought not to limit ourselves by a hard and fast rule, but that we ought to be guided by the circumstances and if an emergency happens then we might change the rule for the time being, by going Into a committee of the whole, and having five-minute speeches or something of that sort, but whe.e we have only debated one article in the Constitution, and we have coming be- fore us matters of the greatest import ance, upon which cry few men can express themselves eiaborately and nrnnarlIy yaI ;,, utes. l think that liberal opportunity ought to be given to discuss the great questions that will be pending before this Convention before long. Perhaps not to the extent that we have discuss ed the article on the Executive Depart ment. but certainly to give it such con- sideration as it deserves. Now for in- stance, here is the question of taxation very important matter; the question of suffrage, the bone of contention in this Convention, and then the very committee of which the gentleman from Lee is Chairman. the Committee on Corporations. I would like to hear from before the debate is limited to five minutes because I do not know what they may report. or what they may not report, and it may require more than five minutes to speak to bring before the Convention in an elab- orated form such facts, figures and arr guments as are necessary to intelIi- gently discuss such a question. There fore, 1t seems to me that at this early stage of the proceedings We ought not to cucumber ourselves with a hard and fast rule, which can only change from time to time by the proposition of sus- pending the rules. which at all times Is an awkward method of procedure. l hope therefore that the resolution re- ported by the Committee at the present stage Of our proceedings will not pass, and If I am In order and no other gentleman proposes to discuss the Ques- tion, I move to lay It on the table. |. Mir. Coleman-Mr. President
 The President-Does the gentleman withdraw the motion to table?
 MT. Brooks-No sir, 1, have not with drawn 1t.
 gentleman from Mobile was to lay upon the table
 MT. Oates-I will ask the delegate from Mobile to withdraw the motion temporarily.
 MT. Brooks-I have had no request from any one to withdraw It.
 Mir. Oates-The delegate from Greene is the Chairman of the Suffrage Com mittee, and he ought to be heard.
 MT. Brooks-If the gentleman from Greene desires to ask its withdrawal, I withdraw it, with the expectation it will be renewed immediately after wards.
 MT. Coleman (Greene)-I have only a few words to say. MT. President. up on this question. and I started to say that all speakers know how embarrasS- ing it is to be limited to a fixed time: they hardly know how to express their ideas, or what tGp say. Now the argu- ment has been made here, and the question asked often, if 1t has taken us all this time to adopt the first article. how long will it take us to adopt the remainder of the articles of this Con stitution. I might retort by saying that if the gentlemen have read the re- port of the Committee on Banking they will see that Committees S report is ex- actly as it is in the old law, with the addition of a single exception. and the probability is that we will not con- sume a day upon that article. l can retort that if you consume only one day or a half a day. in adopting the article on Banking, as matter of course you would be very short time on the balance of them. It depends altogether upon the questions involved, and, Mir. President there are some questions which are going to arise be- fore this Convention that no man can discuss within five minutes. It would be utterly impossible to do justice to many great subjects that are coming up before us, and the motion Of the delegate from Montgomery that 1t lie upon the table to be called up at any time, is exactly in point 1t seems to