The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-14

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 tority and for the observance of the con- stitution. Now feel that have gained 1t least one convert, the gentleman from WallEer. think that the gentlsman's fears for his bill are groundless as 1t Is made obligatory upon the Legislature to pass an election bill"
 Don't Propose to Be Fooled. AGr. London said that he came to Mont- eomery pledged to an elective Railroad Commission and that he did not propose to depart from the instructions given him by 4soo voters of Jefferson County. .T don't propose to bs fooled by any promises," said Ar. London. land I don't propose to allow the majority of the House to be fooled if I can prevent 1t" He recounted in semi Humorous way
 his experience with the Committee on
 Commerce and Common Carriers.
 'T introduced an elective Railroad Com
 mission bill the very first day on which
 could do so." said MT. London, but something happened to that bill. I seem to have gotten on the wrong train. I am slowly getting on. I must have caught the freight or passenger. don't get ahead very fast. Why, Mir. Chairman. can't even get an adverse report on my bill. The gentleman from Walker says that will get favorable report on my bdli. but can't even get 1t out of the committee. That's what's the matter, can't get 1t out of the committee" Mr. London declared that the House should vote on the amendment then and vote on the bill when 1t got-a chance. Chairman Parker of the Committee on Commerce and Common Carriers, arose to a question of personal privilege, It had been intimated, he said. that the Crvv1pntffon An axxA .nx, Carriers had not treated the bill of the gentleman from Jefferson fairly, and he denied any such information. The bill, he said, would have been acted upon at the meeting of the committee Wednesday night but for the request of Mir, London that action be deferred.
 Kelly Says Hold Fast. Mir. Kelly of Choctaw, in his charac- teristic style, decried any attempt to postpone vote on the amendment. tswo've got the thing now and let's
 keep it," he said. 'swe'n hold fast to what we've got and we'll take what they give us next week"
 He wanted to know how Mir. Parker
 stood on the elective Railroad Commis- sion.
 T shall vote for it." said MT. Parker
 with emphasis.
 Mir. Werner of Tuscaloosa was unquali- fiedly for the amendment.
 '.If Section 25 has any business in tho bill" he declared, "the amendment has | place in the section."
 | It had been charged, he said, that a
 small minority wanted to block legisia- | ton.
 q want to say, Mir. Chairman" said | Mir. Werner, "that small minority may block legislation if they see it, but the | | to block legfsiation."
 Mir. Simpson of Lauderdale said that he
 could not possibly see how any lawyer could jeopardize his professional reputa- | ton by contending that 1t was constitu- | tonal to put the amendment in the cleo | ton bill. He was arguing that 1t was unconstitutional, when he was interrupt ! ed by MT. Wood of Macon. who asked: Simpson and Wood Tilt.
 How do you stand on the question of an elective Railroad CommlssionT' 'T submit." replied MT. Simpson with some warmth, "that the gentleman has no right to ask me such a question that casts an insinuation on me. If he desires | to ask a question that contains an tnsitua- | ton, he can do so elsewhere" 'T have the right to ask the question and he has the right to refuse to answer it." exclaimed MT. Wood with equal warmth.
 T am on neither side," said MT. simp- I son.
 He said that he had no hope of prefer ment from either side, and that both sides had made overtufes to him since he came to the Legislatures, but that he was still uncommitted on the question. l As Mir. Simpson concluded, Mir. Wood rose to a question of personal privilege. He disclaimed any intention of trying l to cast an insinuation on the conduct of | Mir. Simpson. He had, he said, only ask | ed a question for information. and the | gentleman had answered the question. Mir. Hoffman of Mobile defended the course of the committee and recounted at length the history of the London bill be- fore the committee of which SO much
 had been said. He had not he said. made
 up his mind as to how he would vote when the question came up for final pas- sage but he was opposed to the intec- | ton of the question into the election bill. He said that he was not committed on | the elective Railroad Commission ques- ton, as his people had required no pledges | from him. He argued that the placing of the amendment in the bill would be | clearly unconstitutional.
 | Wood Ready to Vote. MT. Wood of Macon. said that he saw | no reason for further delaying a vote on the bill
 Tt seems cIea<," he said, "that the Committee of the Whole is ready to vote on the bill. They only give various req
 sons for opposing the amendment. When | ever you talk about an elective Railroad Commission they always bring up the l Constitution and say you can't do tt.'' | Mir. Wood declared that the present Railroad Commission was a farce and in | saying that, he said. that he had no in-
 tentlon of refiecting on the members oi
 the Commission. It was not their fault | he said, but the fault of the law. | He said that the members practically | had no duties. One member of the Com mittee, he said, had not been to a meet | ing in six months and had not drawn
 his salary in person in that length oi | time. He was astonished, he said, at the
 statement of a member of the Commis-
 sion in the public prints that the Legis- | lature could pass laws making rates but that the Legislature could not delegate to the Commission the power to make
 rates.
 Criticised Commissioners.
 The laws governing the Commission. he
 said, had been in force for twenty years
 and never until the agitation in favor oi
 an elective Railroad Commission was
 started had anything been said about ad- dittonal powers. As soon, said MT. Wood as it appeared that the Commission would he made elective the members of the Commission came forward and interested themselves in laws giving them increased powers.