The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-12
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Notes by the WaySide.

The State election is to be held this year at the time oI the election tor Con- gressmen in November. The time was cnanged from August to that time by the lale ConstlIutionaI convention. The cleo ton for State oIncers has been held in August since 1Si6. the change being made by the General Assembly ot that year for the reason uf the menace of the prev alence of tederal bayonets at the polls, State affairs being divorced as far as possible from those of the Federal gov ernment in the State. It was deemed wlse and safe to go pack to the old time. The people were heartily sick and tired of so frequent elections, the reason Tor the severance having long since disap- peared. It must be remembered that the elections this year are all to be held then in November and there are to be elected at that time all the State officers. who are to serve for four years and who are ineligible to reelection In the sue ceeding term; member Of Congress Tn each of the nine districts, Senators in the even districts, and from the Thirty fifth District, Representatives from the various counties to the lower House of the Legislature, justices of the peace and constabies. The new Constitution extends the terms of those Senators who repre- sent the odd numbered districts under the law in force prior to the ratification thereof. until the day after the general election in the year 1906. and until the expiration of his term so extended. each
 
 this Constitution bearing the number cor responding with that for which he was elected. In the vear 1906. and in every fourth year thereafter all the Senators and Representatives shall be elected, Thus it is seen that in 1906 and thereafter the Senators are all to be elected at the same time and not one half at a time as in the past. The number of Senators Is increased to thirty-five and Representa- tives to 1o5. the two new districts being made up of Cleburne, Clay and Coosa as the Thirty-fOurth and Henry as the thir- ty-hfth. Calhoun and Talladega being made separate districts and Dale and Ge- neva district to themselves The coun- ties that are increased from one to two Representatives are Butler. Elmore Eto- wah. Walker and one to Jefferson. which gives that County seven. The time for the meeting of tho Legislature has been changed from the second Tuesday in No- vember to tho second Tuesday In Janu- ary. ami the Legislature which meets next January may sit sixty days. but af- ter that the sessions arc limited to fifty days. as in the Constitution of 1875. It has also been provided under the present Constitution that the Governor. Auditor and Attorney General shall before each regular session of the Legislature, pre- pare general revenue bill to be sub mitted to the legislature, for it's infor- nation and the Secretary of State shall have printed for the use of the Legisla- ture a sufficient number of copies of the hill 90 prepared which the Governor shall transmit to the House of Representatives as soon as organized to be used or dealt with as the House may elect No reve- nue bill shall be passed during the last live days of the session.
 It has been the custom in the past at every session of the Legislature, almost without exception. to increase the salary of some public official in the general appropriation bill. which, when incorpo- rated in that bill with the multitude of other salaries and appropriations has passed almost unnoticed and rarely at tracts any attention. No especial harm has been done in the past, but 1t was recognized bv the members of the Con 'titutional Convention to be unwise and dangerous, and a provision was added that will prevent 1t being done in future. It was added to the section in regard to the general appropriation bill that the salary of no officer or employe shall be increased in such bill, nor shall any ap- propriation be made therein for any officer or employe unless his employment and the amount of his salary have all ready been provided for by law" Such appropriations must hereafter be made in separate bills and each stand or fall upon its merits.
 While oil the subject of the Consttu- ton it may not be amiss to call atten- ton to the fact, and l wager that there