The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-06-19
DEBT FIGHT TO
LEGISLATURE
Houston County People
See Governor.
MATTER NOW In COURTS
Hope to Get Legislature to Act
Before Decision.
-e
Houston County objeSts to the Cali Of
Henry County For Funds to
Cover Indebtedness.

The Henry Houston debt squabble
threatens to be carried into the very
Legislature and 1T win be fought out
there IL Governor Conner looks with
favor on the earnest requests of a
large committee that came up from
Houston county yesterday to get MIN
| to put the matter In the call for an
extra session. 1T 10 the hope OF the
/ Houston county coterie to beat the
Supreme Court to the final settlement
| Of the question, and the tactics may
succeed IL the Legislature convenes
| very soon.
State Senator Benjamin A. Forrest
| err headed the delegation that I'M
portuned the Governor yesterday TO
include in his call the perplexing
| night over whether Houston county
shall be made to share the indebted
| ness of Henry county from which the
| former in 1908 was carved to make
the sixty-seventh county of Alabama.
OF course, the effort TO get the ques-
| tion In the call for an extra session
is only to avoid the necessity of get
ting a two-thtrds vote for the pro-
posed bill. which the Houston coun-
ty crowd will submit. anyhow. to the
| Legislators.
The contest 10 now In the Supreme
Court from a legal standpoint and un-
less there IL legislative aid It is fear
ed by the Houston county people that
their case will wind up adversely to
them as was the outcome of the noted
Biount- Cullman case.
Could Have Paid.
There IL a general provision in the
Code which says that when one coun-
ty Is cuiled from another II shall bear
It's share OF the indebtedness of the
old county. The Houston contingent
claims that at the time of separation
or division OF territory there was
over $4,000 net in the Henry county
treasury, that the county could have
then with this amount more than paid
or the existing Indebtedness. But
things rocked along until about year
ago, when II was realized that sew
eral thousands of bonds would mature
January I. 1910 and some more in
1914. Henry county authorities began
to look for the wherewithal and call
ed on her sister county for her pro-
portion Of the debt. This was point
eddy refused and SUIT was instituted. It
Is now in the Supreme Court, this
suit, and q decision 10 expected any
day.
The contention of Houston county
is, that, though the debt existed at the
time of division. the bond issue in
question was optional with Henry
county and there was a time when the
debt could have been retired with more
than enough money In the old county
treasury. Indeed. they are about to
claim their share OF the surplus as 1t
is alleged such a surplus would have
existed.
Those who came with Senator For
roster to see the Governor about the
dispute were; George Malone, of Do
than: Judge George Leslie, probate
Judge OF Houston county; B. G.. Farm
err, Commissioner Brown, Clerk w. A.
Brown. OF the circuit court; Thomas
Mc0rifh, OF Columbia and Commission
or Parrish. Of Pansey. The Governor
was apparently interested in the mat
ter. but took no definite action. The
party returned home last night.