The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1903-09-06
NINETEEN DAYS ARE LEFT
Normal School Appropriation
Causes Debate.
After Much Discussion by House
Members Four Institutions
Were Put on the Same Basis.
Adjourned Until Tuesday.

The first week Of the September session
of the Alabama Legislature ended yes
terday, a week in which there were three
working days, and though each of them
there flowed stream of new bills
In the three days there were introduce
ed in the House go new measures. Nine
teen of the sixty days allowed for the full
session remain. On the calendar of the
House 160 bills were ready for passage.
In the first three days five of them were
passed. and five more were put away by
an outright defeat or by the equally eff
fective method of an indefinite postpone
fnent. The. new bills. include the sixteen
general measures prepared by the Senate
Recess Committee to conform the stat
utes with the provisions of the constitu-
tion. On the provisions of these general
bills there is wide diversity of opin-
ion which is expected to result in pro-
traeted debates when the bills come up
on their final passage.
Task Before Lawmakers.
With this condition confronting the Leg
islature, and with nineteen working days
before them, the doubt of the Legisla-
ture thoroughly clearing the calendar has
assumed considerable proportion. 1t is
predicted that a majority of the intro
duced bills will never leave the commit
tees
Considerably over half of the INTRODUCE
cd DlilS are OF local nature.
1t IL the understood purpose of the
House leaders to give general bills pref
erence in every way. So far no local bill
on the calendar has been considered
Every measure taken up and passed or
defeated was a general bill
The Legislature adjourned yesterday to
meet Tuesday at 1880 b. m. Under the
original resolution providing for sessions
on alternate days, the House was to have
met Monday and recessed Tuesday for
committee work. but the Walden reso-
luton adopted by the House, and by the
Senate, after amendment both Houses
will suspend Monday in honor of Labor
Day, and reassemble, Tuesday.
Normal School Fight.
An interesting fight was waged yes
terday in the House over the Senate
amendment to the Normal School bill.
The bill, House measure, having been
passed during the winter session increas-
ed the State appropriation to the Normal
schools at Troy and Florence, from ST.
500 to $4,000 annually. When the bill came
up in the Senate the upper House put all
the normal schools of the State upon
the same footing. by arranging for the
Jacksonville and Livingston Normal
schools to share evenly with the others,
the benefits from the bill.
In view of the Houses intolerance of
appropriation bills as shown by Thurs
days proceedings. the friends of the nor
NAL schools were nervous and apprehen-
sive over the temperance of the bill be-
fore the lower 1awmaking body. The fear
was felt that perhaps the House had I'M
dergone such a radical change of heart
that 1t might undo it's work last winter
in passing the bill.
The normal school supporters FASTENED
to make clear the point that only the
amendment and not the entire bill was
~
less. however. The amendment went
through although some of the House
economists contested it bitterly Speaker
Tunstall took the floor for the first time
this season in support of the bill and
amendment
Lusk and Kelly Spoke.
The most bitter opponent of the bill was
Representative Lusk of Marshall. He de-
clared that both the bill and amendment
was wrong. 1t took away, he said, money
from the small pittance of the common
school child and gave it to the student of
the normal school. The pupil of the COM
mon school, Mr.. Lusk said now received
only 81 ,3S annually, while the normal stu
dent had the benefit of over $1S1 a year
from the States Treasury.
Judgment day hasn't come yet," said
Mr.. Lusk. THE time hasn't arrived when
you can take from those who have moth
ing. even what little they have, and give
to those who have
Mr.. Kelly of Choctaw supported Mr..
Lusk.
I'VE folks In the piney woods want our
share of the school money" said Mr..
Kelly. 1--WE don't want education in Ala
bama to be for certain people in certain
places"
Representative DuBose of Jefferson said
that the purpose of the bill had surely
been misunderstood. The bill was of
great benefit to the public schools by
supplying Intelligent and trained teachers.
The crying need of the Alabama schools
was efficient teachers. If the gentlemen
who opposed the bill would take the
trouble to look over some of the examina-
ton papers on file in the Department of
Education ne said they would be astound-
ed at the daring spirits who wanted to
teach the youth of the State.
Representative Simpson of Lauderdale
explained that the amendment and not
the bill itself was before the House for
consideration. The House was to decide.
he said whether all the normal schools
should be put upon the same basis.
Lees Maiden Speech.
Mr.. Lee of Butler made his first speech
in the House in opposition to the bill. The
bill. he declared, took cents of the 81 3s
allowed the child in the common school
and gave 1t to the students of the normal
schools The bill. he declared. uplifted
those who were already up and doing
we'll.
In answer to the arguments of Mr..
Kelly, Mr.. Scale Of Sumter said that the
Representative from Choctaw certainly
did not know how many poor girls from
his County had been helped and uplifted
nv the Livingston Normal School. There
had been a great Improvement. a great
reform, he said, in school matters in Ala
bama and this reform had come largely
from the graduates of the normal schools
who had gone out and done missionary
work. Good teachers were absolute me-
cessities before good schools could be had.
sense of fairness, Mr.. Blackburn or
Jefferson said. demanded the passage OF
the amendment. In arguing for the bill
and amendment he pointed out that the
.arnhars frnrn Iaharsnn County favorad