The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-04

we've got too many criminals in Jeff ferson County" spoke Senator Morrow yesterday in advocacy of his bill to com pei lessees of convicts to return them to their home counties, when their terms expire.
 s"rhe number of criminals is increasing in Jefferson County every day and 1t Is for no other reason than that the con- victs, when they are released from the Jefferson County mines, do not return to their native haunts. but prefer to remain in Birmingham. To this also may pc ascribed the fact that the criminal record of Birmingham so greatly outclasses that of any other Alabama city or city in this section of the country.
 i've want it stopped" continued the young Senator from Birmingham 'and the only way 1t can be done is to make the counties sending their conviets to the Jefferson mines reclaim their own, when the sentences expire. Seven-tenths of the convicts of the State are sent 10 dig coal in the mines of our section of the country. When they are released. they prefer to become miners instead of tillers of the soil and the laboring population of the farming counties is thus being gradually taken to Jefferson. We don't care for that population"
  statistics. however, when you want a factory to locate In Birmingham" inter- posed Senator Bost.ck of Jackson. "The present law" continued Senator Morrow, 'is that the lessees give the convicts transportation back to the coun- ties. where they were convicted, but the | convicts invariably sell their tickets to | scalpers and remain in Birmingham. My bill will stop this condition" said the Jefferson Senator. "I propose that the lessees, the day before the sentences ex- pire, take the convicts under guard to their home counties. and when the sem tences expire release them on their native l soil"
 "If the Senator will suffer an interrup- | tion," said Senator Goldsby of Mobile, 'T will inform him that will vote for | the bill if he takes back what he said about the farm counties becoming de- | populated, by all the people offending the | law and being sent to Jefferson County, Anyhow" added MT. Goldsby. i've don't want the convicts. Keep them in Jef- ferson."
 .we don't want them either," echoed several Senators iaughinsly.
 MT. Morrow astutely observed the risi. bility of his colleagues and asked unani- nous consent to informally pass the t....
 Birmingham has the same fight for ar annexation bill that Montgomery had during the winter session. Montgomery | fight to annex its suburbs rather monop olized the attention of the lawmakers las | January. Birmingham Is preparing tt | spring the same sort of fight. A Greatel | Birmingham bill annexing the Magic Cit,
 suburbs will be Introduced at an earlI
 date and the House and Senate will hav' a rather lively time with 1t.
 l Tn the House, the bill will probably en counter no serious opposition. In the Sen ate it's friends expect it to encounter mor' or less trouble. Senator Morrow will vot' against the bill, it is said. as the con l vention which nominated him deciare' | that the question should be referred bacl to the people for a vote.
 Mayor Drennen. City Attorney Smith and Aldermen Gray, Altman and Forney are in the city 4ooking after the interest | of the bill. -
 The Senate yesterday passed law fixing the legal method of computing tho time of day.
 The bill was introduced by Senator Castleberry. It fixes standard time ai legal in Alabama.
 In explaining his bill, Senator Castle berry said: s..-s s..--..zs
 'The exegencies of passing this bil can be easily seen when I tell you that few months ago, a building in Louis vile. Ky, burned at 12:o6 by sun time The insurance policy on the structure ex pired at noon of that day, The policy had not been renewed.
 "Now standard time differs twenty-ont minutes from sun time and using stan dard time the fire ocurred before noon 4 law suit followed. don't remem kber how 1t came out. but you can readily see the necessity of fixing legal methot of computing the time."
 The dignifed good nature of Represen tative Starr of Dallas avoided what migh have been an unpleasant incident durini the debate on the old soldiers pension bill in the House yesterday. Mir. Star supported the suggestion of Governo Jelks that the pension fund be increased by $50,OOO instead of by $l0o0o0 while Rep