The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-11
It Was Prepared by Recess
 Committee.

OkSA se~AOA4SD- -kk8EIxU0u vagrancy Bill Also Passed. After passing several important b,,y. os general nature the Senate yesterday at- lacked the hfty-one page municipal bill framed by the Recess Committee. On motion of Senator Smith of Clay the measure was taken up section by section On the completion of the bill by this pro- cess the bill in its entirety was voted it being passed at the afternoon session without dissenting vote.
 An effort was made by Senators friendly to the Walker house bill to have the Re- cess Committee bill along with the Walk CT bill recommitted to the Committee on Municipalities. This effort, however, was defeated by B ayes, to 17 nays. The bill was then taken up section bv section. During the morning session g Of the 101 sections were adopted. These sections, however. involve provisions, gen. orally admitted to be the proper laws and only one amendment was submitted. Senate Begins Work.
 The Senate was called to order by Lieu tenant Governor Cunningham at 10:3O o'clock yesterday morning. The devo- tional exercises were led by Rev. J. c. Elliott of Montgomery.
 Twenty-eight members answered to roll call. The special order for the morning session was the consideration of the school tax election bill. which occupied the at tention of the Senate throughout the ses- sion of the preceding afternoon.
 The Spragins amendment providing for due notice to be given of the elections for special school tax was adopted with out opposition.
 Another effort was made by Senator Johnston of Tuscaloosa through an amendment to withdraw from the County Superintendents of Education absolute power in the disbursement of the school funds.
 Senator Jones of Wilcox opposed the amendment. He said that the Superin- tendent Is more familiar with the condi- tions of the various schools of the Coun- ty, their needs and requirements. than any other County officer and he thought that implicit trust should be placed in his wisdom and integrity. He moved to lay the amendment on the table. His motion prevailed, IT nays. nays. The bill was then passed by an almost unanimous vote.
 &OwSA S& ScA RO4 40 sAVAA1s
 The Recess Committee bill conferring and limiting the powers of private corpo- rations was called up. Three amend meirts covering technical points were of fered by Senator Hall of Baldwin and ac- cepted.
 Senator Harrison of Lee said that he was in favor of the bill but he thought that the whole measure would prove use- less unless the caption of the measure was amended. He thought the caption was unconstitutional by reason of its not setting out fully the whole purport of the bill. He cited the law in support of his point.
 Senator Goldsby of Mobile said that this point had been carefully considered by the Recess Committee when framing the bill. The members of the Committee had found that the Supreme Court on sev- eral occasions had allowed the captions much latitude. He asked, however. that the bill be informally passed until the re- turn of Senator Craig of Dallas who was in the Supreme Court Library getting to- gether the authorities to support the point.
 During the absence of Senator Craig, several local bills were passed.
 Opposed by Oliver.
 On the return of the Senator from Dal- las, Mr.. Oliver of Shelby spoke at length on the bill. He. like the Senator from Lee believed the measure to be unconsti- tutional on account of the insuff1ciency of its caption but he was opposed to the bill on other and wider grounds. The caption of the bill announced that the measure was to limit and confer powers on private corporations. Any limiting which the bill provided for. he had not found, but the measure reposed additional powers in the khak Nv, Id tafn calculated to mean the formation of trusts m Alabama against the sentiment of the people of Alabama and of the country. He pleaded earnestly for defeat of the bill.
 When the vote was taken 1t seemed that the measure was lost. The friends of the bill, however, brought in Senators from lobby and cloak room and for few moments the Secretary was busy record ing Senators as voting aye. who had not voted on the call of the roll. The bill was passed by IS ayes, B nays, the clos est contest since the reconvening of the Senate.
 Harrison Vagrancy Bill.
 The Harrison vagrancy bill was then called as a special order. At first 1t seemed that action would again be post poned on this measure.
 Senator Hogue of Perry said that the House had just passed a vagrancy law and he thought 1t advisable to suspend action on such a bill until the House bill reached the Senate.
 Senator Harrison said that a bill simi- lar to the House bill. which is simply the Georgia law, had been considered by the Senate Committee, and that com mittee was of the opinion that his pro posed law was better and more suitable to Alabama conditions than the House bill. Senator Hogue withdrew his ob- jection.
 Senator Thomas of Barbour introduc- ed an amendment. providing that any person arrested for vagrancy. shall be acquitted If the defence can establish that the person had, in good faith, sought work for a reasonable compensation.
 The senator from Barbour explained that his bill put no more on the proof of the State, but made the burden of proof in this respect lie on the defend ant. The objects of the bill were to pro- tect those, who had sought work in good faith and to make 1t prohibitive against employers combining, reducing wages and holding up the vagrancy law to their employees. who were unwilling to do valuable work for a meagre sti- pend.
 Senator Harrison said that he did not fear any such condition. but could not obiect to the safeguard offered by the senator from Barbour. The amendment