The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-27
Measure Gives $25,000
 for Premiums.
MOBILE IS INCLUDED IN
 GIFT AT ELEVENTH HOUR
Amendment Adopted Takes in Gulf
 Coast Exhibition.
Warm Fight over Appropriation Ends In Close Vote of Fourteen to
 TweIye.-Strother Municipal En- actment is Passed.

AChhhNht AS
 The bill to encourage agriculture by giving of State premiums through the Fair Associations of the state was passed by the Senate last night by vote of seventeen to twelve. At the last moment, and unexpectedly, an amendment to put the newly organized Gulf Coast Tropical Fair Association on the same footing with the Birmingham and Montgomery Associations in the distribution of these premiums was in- troduced and acted upon favorably.
 The contest over this bill was per haps the hardest fought and most ex- citing in which the Senate has engaged since the beginning of the session. The larger part of an afternoon session. and all of a night session was given up to the warm debate over the question, on which the Senate was nearly evenly di- vided. Under the bill as passed, Mont gomery, Birmingham and Mobile will each receive s6,500 while Selma and Huntsville will each receive s2.700. Mobiles fight was made in the elev- enth hour of the exciting contest. It was begun by Senator Hamburger with an amendment to increase the appro- priation to $33,500 and give Mobile sS,500 of this amount for premiums. This was tabled, on motion of Senator Thomas. who immediately offered an- other amendment, which provided that Mobile should get share of the $25,- 900. This was adopted by the Senate.
 The first test vote, and the vote which ehowed how closely the line was drawn, was cast on a motion to indefi- nitely postpone the bill, and the pend ing amendments. Those who favored the State helping in the payment of agricultural premiums voted aye on that motion. The vote follows:
 Ayes-Bar bour, Blackmon. Doster, Forester, Glenn, Hamburger, Hammer. King. Miller. overton. Reese. Spragins. Teasley. Thomas--14.
 Nays-Bayles, Gardner. Horton Lelth Lowe, Merritt. Moody, Mcwhorter, Reid, Reynolds, Strother, White--l2.
 When the final vote was taken, the number of those who favored the bill had grown to seventeen. Several at tempts were made by the opponents of the measure to amend 1t. but all the amendments were defeated.
 The friends of the measure moved to reconsider the vote by which it was passed, and then tabled the motion so that there could be no reconsideration of 1t.
 The agricultural fair bill came to the front late in the afternoon as the Senate was making its way through the special order calendar. MT. Teas
 
 State would Pay Out Money.
 There has been some misapprehen- sion about this measure said MT. Teasley. Tt does not appropriate any money to the fair association of any city. It only provides that the State shall pay premiums to the best products of agriculture and stock in the State. The winners of these pre- miums collect them from the State. The Fair Association officials do not touch the money, and not dollar of 1t can be used for any other purpose than the paying of premiums on az ricultural products,
 '"The bill constitutes the Governor, the Commissioner of Agriculture and a board to pass on the payment of these premiums, and when the pre- miums are awarded the winner collects direct from the State Treasurer"
 Senator Reynolds opposed the bill on constitutional grounds. He was willing to help in any way he could the agri- cultural interests of the State. and in his opinion these interests would De helped by the bill under consideration. But the bill provided not only for the payment by the State of the premiums, but it provided as well for the exemp- tion of these associations from all taxes and licenses and in his opinion this was done by the bill in opposition to the Constitution.
 Senator Teasley informed the Bibb County Senator that the point had been carefully considered by the friends of the measure and they had been as- sured by distinguished attorneys the bill was not unconstitutional.
 Senator Gardner was opposed to the measure on principle. He paid a trib- ute to Montgomery and the remarkable i,, city, but he argued that if the appro- priation could be made to Montgomery if could be made to Mobile and if made to Mobile 1t could be made to Troy, and ie Montgomery was entitled to 1t, Troy would be. too.
 "Is not Montgomery as much enti- tied to a Normal School as Troy?" ask ed Senator Reese. and a smile went around the Senate.
 Senator Gardner, however, replied that Montgomery was just as much en- titled to a normal school as his home city of Troy
 He argued that the fair associations should remain a private corporation. backed by private capital. It was run that way last fall. he said, and the fair was an eminent success. The Montgomay papers, he declared, had come out In big headlines, telling of the money the Association had made, and the merchants of Montgomery one after another had given interviews to the paper telling of their great busi- ness and saying that the money put in the Fair Association had been splendid investment.
 MT. Gardner was speaking on the hill when the adjourning hour of 6 o'clock struck.
 sIOO, 900 in Four Years.
 Senator Gardner submitted the point that nerhaps the senators did not un- derstand the bill would in four years take s1OO, GOO out of the State Treas ury. Al. amount received each year from the State Treasury by the State Normal school al Troy, Senator Gardner said hc was willing to answer any perti- mfnt question while he was discussing a measure on the floor. but he would respectfully decline to answer that question. Everyone he said, knew the amount of the appropriation to the normal schools
 tar Ia