The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-09
LEAGUE OF MUNICIPALITIES
 CONFINES IN THIS CITY

V stitution were gone into. and of these MT. Weakley Is especially competent to speak, having been member of the convention which framed the new instru- ment At the conclusion of his address Mir. Weakley was loudly applauded. MT. Weakley's address follows:
 MT. Weakley's Address.
 "Gentlemen of the Convention: The organization of this League was enected at time when such an organization was mostly needed in Alabama. The growth Of the various towns and cities in this Statn has been sudden and remarkabies up to this time there has been no gem eral interchange of ideas as to municipal government. The charter of nearly all the incorporated places in Alabama Is special act of the legislature, and it's good or bad points is determined by the ability and experience of the particular city attorney who drew the bill. When tell you that in 1880 there were 116 i'm corporated places in Alabam, and that In l 1900 these had increased to 2D. you may have some idea of the growth of the towns up to that time, but even this will not prepare you for that statement that | the last legislature alone incorporated | twenty-six new towns and passed l64 local and special acts relating to the | government of the municipalities of this State; and In this great mass of special ! legislation is not included bills forming
 municipalities into separate school dis | tricts, or bills establishing dispensaries or | otherwse regulating the liquor traffic.
 "So 1t seems to me that in the midst l of so much municipal activity, it is both l prudent and patriotic for the executive heads of the various towns and cities or 1 the State to organize for the discussion of | important questions of government or ad- ministration which are daily presented to them, and to use their experience and in- fuence in practical manner to promote
 a better system of municipal government in Alabama.
 l "The organization of this body seems more opportune in view of the fact that | we have recently adopted a new constitu- | tion that deals largely with municipal matters and sets up limitations upon our | powers, which. were not heretofore em-
 braced in the fundamental law. Some | of these new provisions were inserted In | the new constitution as a direct result | of the efforts of this body. some of them
 were suggested by the speaker who had l the honor of being a member of the con- vention which framed the new Constitu- | tion, but from whatever source they came, the fact that these provisions so vitally affecting municipalities, are in the constitution shows there has been a great awakening in this State upon the importance of properly regulated muni- cipal government.
 Many of you will no doubt be interest" ed to know what changes the new consti- tuition will make in the manner and form of municipal government m this State and what new laws 1t will be
 necessary for the Legislature to enact to
 make the Constitutional provisions effec- tive,
 The Article of Local Legislation (Sec.
 104 provides that the Legislature shall
 not pass a special, private or local law , incorporating a city, town or village (Sub. 5 or amending, confirming or ex- tending the charter of any private muni- , cipal corporation or remitting the for , feiture thereof (Sub. 1S) but the Legisla- , ture shall pass general laws for these
 and other cases enumerated in the article. : It is clear therefore that the next Legis- lature will be called upon to perform the
 important duty of framing a municipal g code for the State, under which new cor porations may be formed. and by which 5 old ones may be governed, if they should . elect to abandon their charters. In. tho i, matter of the preparation of this code
 this League should have a voice, the work of building from the foundation up a
 new scheme for the government of all , the towns and cities of the State is a much more difficult thing than the fram- ing of the ordinary city charter. and
 recommend that this League at the proper a time appoint a Committee on Legislation Q whose duty it shall be to confer with the
 committee of the Legislature when that l body shall convene, with view of sub mitting such suggestions as they may deem best calculated to promote the in- z terest of the municipalities of Alabama Following up the idea suggested by the
 NEoG f mittee on Municipal Corporations of the ] Constitutional Convention prepared and , reported to the convention a section providing for the organization and classi-
 fcation of citie sin part as follows:
 ""The General Assembly shall provide , by general laws for the organization and classification of clties.- towns and vii. D lages, the number of such classes shal , not exceed four, and the powers of eacf
 class shall be defined by general laws SC 1 that all municipal corporations of tho , same class shall possess the same power: f1 and be subject to the same restrictions,
 then followed a provision for change 1T classification as a town should incrcas, l in size, and a further provision authoriz ing cities of more than 100000 population p to frame their own charters
 , If this section had been adopted tho work of preparing general laws for thu
 
 , different classes would have been easy , and the end desired, that of prohibiting the framing of a separate charter fol i every town in the State. would have beer reached. But the convention was told by one of its leaders who though a yer, , wise man. knew nor carod very little
 about municipal government. that such { , provision was dangerous and the con , vention refused to adopt It. And thi: i too in view of the fact that similar pro , visions in the constitutions of a number l of States. are regarded as the stronges features in them. Now let us see wha
 will be the result of the failure of tn, convention to adopt this section. In tho
 first place the State will be required t,
 adopt a municipal code. more elaborate
 and extended than the present provision: | in the code for the incorporation o will be called upon to frame a system O.
 government adapted to the varying need! and conditions of the various towns in tht I. State, the municipalities will, in effect ' have to be classified, but into how many classes? There is nothing in the con . stitution to prevent the indefinite exten sion of this classification, or in othei ' words there is nothing to prevent thu 7 creation of a new class for every towr in the State simply by skillfully framing the caption of the bill so as to make i apparently a general law, while in fact i . will operate and have it's effect only upoI one particular town.
 I've will soon be back therefore to thu
 ora of snecfal charters if indeed we eVe