The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-12
ORATORY IN SENATE ON !: SOLDIERS' PENSION BILL

A\ - &~ANSAVAS 9S&
 by reason of them. Why not put them | runs short, let all the appropriations suf fer"
 Senator Harrison, like Senator John- I ston, declared that rather than let the old soldiers suffer, the Governor should exercise his constitutional power to ne- | gotiate loan of $300, ,OO0 The Senator from Lee also eulogized the veterans and their service, and pleaded | earnestly that the message be snt back to the House without the concurrence of | the Senate.
 Opposed by Screws. Senator Screws of Montgomery then took the floor against the motion Of Sena- tor Johnston. No one in the Senate. he said, was more , of a friend of the Confederate soldier than he. He recognized their worth and the value of their service. He had been called on to speak before many assem- blages of veterans. and had always paid especial tribute to their love of country. He still believed they loved their country | and Alabama, and he did not believe | that a Confederate soldier would accept | a cent of pension money if by his accept
 
 | fair name of Alabama would be embar- rassed.
 He called attention to the words of the Senator from Tuscaloosa, who had plead ed that the old soldiers be kept out of l the poor houses. In almost the same breath. the Senator had said that the ad- ditional appropriation only amounted to ' cents a day.
 will cents a day keep. anybody out of the poor house?" asked Senator Screws. The Senator from Montgomery said that bill would shortly be brought before the Senate which would keep them from the hcmes for county paupers. He referred to the Falkner home. He then pictured in eloquent metaphors the rest which the veterans would there find and how much more charity 1t would be to send them to . place of that character than to keep them practically beggars on the city streets.
 Goldsby of Mobile.
 Senator Screws was followed by Sena- tor Goldsby of Mobile, who began his re. marks by saying that he was at least one of the young Senators who would stand for the relief of the comrades of his fa- ther.
 Tt is not 8 question of commercial ism." said the young Senator from Mo- bile. "It is a question of debt, and that debt has to be paid now or never"
 He eulogized the veterans and appealed for non-concurrence.
 He was followed by Senator Jones of Wilcox. who also spoke in favor of the Johnston motion.
 Senator Frazer of Bullock smoke in fla vor of concurrence. He said that he was the son Of veteran and that no one has ever more highly respected and loved the achievements of the Southern soldiers than he. but this time, he said, was not the time for sentiment: 1t was the time Tor cool. conservative thinking on the question.
 He said that the Senator from Baldwin (Mr. HaiD had employed a stenographer to take verbatim the words of the Sena- tors, who opposed non-concurrence. He thought this action on the part of the Senator not in good taste and useless. T would like to see the color of the eye of a constituent" said the young Senator from Bullock. who could make me quail in the least on account of my opposition to non-concurrence." He closed with an eloquent appeal for conservative action.
 Thomas of Barbour. He was followed by Mir. Thomas of Bar bour who made a fine speech against the motion. He said that many of the SenH-7 tors had made It appear that those who opposed non-concurrence were guilty of treachery. lack of hlial piety and patriot ism but he eloQuently cited as a predicate for the actions of the opposition to the motion, the devotion to duty of the great leader of the Confederate army who sac rifed love, sentiment, power and prestige for duty. Duty pure and simple, he thought, had actuated all the Senators who opposed the motion of Senator John ston. No political gain could be derived therefrom and no sane man could doubt the grief 1t caused the sons of veterans and veterans to vote against anything which would be of benefit to their com rades.
 Senator Thomas spoke eloQuently for some time on different phases of the bill and in conclusion received round of ap- plause from his colleagues. Senator Blackmon of Calhoun then spoke purely on the legal aspect of the bill supporting Senator Frazers point on the unconsututoinality of the measure.
 The bill will again be taken up this morning at 10:30 o'clock. Hipps School Bill. The general school bill of Senator Hipp was yesterday morning passed by the Senate, after long discussion.
 The bill met with violent opposition from members of the Recess Committee. A substitute which that Committee had framed was lntrOuuCcu AS Au duicnuLlehIS which the Senate refused to adopt by | tie vote, l4 ayes. 14 nays. Lieutenant Gov ernor Cunningham casting the deciding vote.
 The amendment provided for a plan of school government, not so intricate as that proposed by Senator Hipp but which the members of the Senate thought not so effective.
 After the defeat of their amendment, the members of the Recess Committe and several followers frequently interposed minor amendments, most of which were defeated Considerable time was lost in this manner, and although the bill came up at Il o'clock it was 12:30 o'clock before the bill was passed and ordered forward ed to the House without engrossment. Provisions of Measure.
 The Hipp bill provides for the township | lines for school purposes to be abolished. l It also provides for the redistricting of each County in the State in school dis tricts and the organization of board for this purpose, to be composed of
 County Commissioner, the County Super
 intendent of Education and the County
 Surveyors.
 This board shall lay out the County into
 permanent public school districts, accord
 ing to centers of population and natural
 barriers. The districts shall be so ar