The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-21

HIS D0SS8Ke. line hyStcE TeSOluuOn Wd0 adopted by unanimous vote.
 Chairman Mallory read a telegram from Chancellor R. B. Kelly of Annis- ton. one of the defeated candidates for Associate Justice. Judge Kelly was i'll | in Birmingham, but he telegraphed the committee that he accepted the result with gratitude for the support which had been accorded him and he assured the committee of his full support of the nominees.
 Mir. Herring of Marshall, gained rec ognition from the chairman. He said that MT. Lomax Smith of Walker county was present with a matter which he de- sired to present to tine committee. He asked that the courtesies of the floor be extended Mir. Smith, and this was done. Walkers Representation. Mir. Smith said that he came before the committee to ask that a larger rep- resentation be accorded Walker county in the State convention. He was, he said. the secretary of the Executive Commit tee of Walker county end that commit tee had asked the increase of represen- tation because conditions justified 1t. Walker county he said ''has exact ly the same representation that 1t has had for fourteen years, yet the popula- ton of the county has doubled in that time. Notwithstanding the fact that the voting strength and the population of Walker county has doubled in fourteen years. the county has only five delegates | in the State convention, the same num- | Der 1t had in 1890.'
 | He declared that there were 4,400 reg | istered voters in the county, and that in | the past year there had been collected | in the county over 2,601 poll taxes. The county, he said, had more voters than | Tuscaloosa and Sumter, yet they were given more representation in the State | convention. He declared further, that in | the election of 1902. Walker county had | cast third more votes for J. H. Bank head for Congress than Jefferson county | cast for Oscar Underwood for Con- | gress.
 Submits a Resolution. l He submitted the following resolution. which he asked the committee to adopt: Whereas, It Is shown from the pub lie records that the county of Walker | has paid during the past year upwards l of 2,600 poll taxes, and,
 Whereas, It is shown from the pub | lie records that the county of Walker | has among the largest Democratic votes in the State of Alabama, and.
 Whereas, It is shown, by the public records that the county of Walker Is among the first In registered voting | strength in the State of Alabama, and,
 Whereas, The county of Walker has been given one additional representative l in the lower house of the General Assem- | bly by the State constitution, and this l committee having heretofore apportio1- l ed five delegates to the Democratic State been given one additional representative the lower house of the General Assem- bly in fixing the representation for the county of Houston,
 Therefore, Be it resolved that 1t ts the sense of this committee that the | county of Walker is entitled to ten del vention."
 Debated by Committee.
 Mir. Thach of Jefferson said the quickest and most just way of changing the basis of representation was to leave the matter to tho convention which would meet in | May. He had been a member of the sub- i committee of the State committee he said which had reported to the State | Committee the resolution fixing the rep resentation on the old basis in the con- vention. This action of the sub-commit- ] tee had been recognized as agreeable al the time and 1t was taken as the quickest way of fixing the representation. There was perhaps now some need for changing the representation It had been called tc his attention that the new and large county of Houston had only five delegates | in the State convention. He thought that the question should be referred tc the State Convention and let the con vention rearrange the representation.
 Mir. O'Rear of Walker declared that the facts and arguments advanced by MT Smith had not been answered by Mir. l Thach. It was not to be doubted that Walker County was entitled to ten dele gates, no matter what basis of represen- | ,tation was adopted. He did not set why the committee could not pass upon the claims of Walker County without referring the matter to the State Con. vention. To grant Walker County's re- quest he said would be merely an ex- pression of the sense of the committee.
 "Mr. Chairman, believe that 1t is the sense of this Committee" said Mir. Sam. ford of Pike, "that there should be some encouragement In the basis of represen. tation. There Is some justice in the claim of Walker, but there is equal ol more reason why other counties of the State should get an increased represents ton. Take the county of Covlngton. Ii
 has doubled its population since 1890 Take it's sister counties of Crenshaw and Pike. they have practically doubled. The
 whole section of the State known as tho
 wiregrass has increased its population 5t per cent There Is Houston. the newest in the sisterhood of counties, a great population and great voting strength and with only five delegates in the con, vention."
 Crying for Fair Play.
 'It would not be fair for Walker Coun-
 ty 10 be singled out for an increase" MT
 Sanford went on, "when equal justicC demands increase of the voting strength in the counties of ''the wiregrass' Ever since this matter of increasing the repre-.
 sentation has been brought up In tho committee I hays received several tele. grams from Houston County asking that it be given an increase. These tele- grams are crying out for fair play"
 MT. Sanford declared that three
 fourths of the counties of the State had already selected delegates for the conven-
 ton and they had selected them with out protest. He submitted that the com mittee could take no action at this time which would be just and equabe to all | concerned. The matter was one which properly belonged to the State Conven- ton.
 As a solution of the question and as a substitute for the resolution which had been laid before the committee by Mir. Smith. Mir. Eyster of Morgan offered the following resolution:
 Resolved. That 1t Is the sense of the | State Executive Committee that the State | Convention rearrange and readtust the | representation to the State Convention. ''
 MT. Nathan, of Colbert was not sure | that the resolution was a good solution