The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-18
LOAN SHARK BILL PASSED BY HOUSE Several Amendments Are
 Made to Measure LONG SPEECHES MADE House Along With Senate AdjOurns to Meet Again Next Tuesday
 Morning-Routine Work
 in the House
LONG SPEECHES MADE
By BERRYMAN G. BETTY

Montgomery, February 1I.-(Special.)- The priaclpal feature of the morning MT. Chamberlain's loan shark bill the vote on the measure being 9 to 4. The bill as passed is entitled, 'An act to regulate the assignment of unearned salaries and wages of all persons in the state, and to prescribe conditions under which such as- signments may be made
 In the bill as it appeared on the cal- endar provisions were also made to reg ulate the assignment of earned wages, but as this feature of the measure raised con siderable objection, an amendment was offered by MT. Percy to make all assign ments apply only to unearned wages.
 A companion bill of the one passed to- day was introduced by MT. Chamberlain at the beginning of the present legisla- tive session. but objection was offered to the first bill on the ground that it was probably unconstitutional, and it was ad- versed.
 The bill that received the favorable vote of the house this morning was offered by MT. Chamberlain some weeks ago. at which time it was amended in the com nittee, it being pointed out that there might still be some question as to the con- stitutionality of the instrument. The bill made in the committee meeting was to exempt the bill from applying to as signments made in return for the neces- sities of life. The amendment today makes all assignments of salaries and wages apply only to unearned wages.
 Debate on Bill
 When the bill was called up by Mir Chamberlain the author of the measure spoke of the purpose of the instrument. and of the evil which 1t was designed to cure. He said that much injury had been done the poor of Mobile from the opera tions of the money-lenders. many of whom had practiced methods of extreme extortion.
 MT. Mcdonald of Birmingham spoke against the bill, declaring that he consid- cred the measure unjust, and that 1t would work a hardship against the labor ing man, many of whom had to resort to the money-lenders. He made a most earnest fight against the passage of tn, bill and interposed number of objec- tions to the measure.
 MT Mcdonald was followed by Mir. Martin of Jackson, who said there are many people in the state seriously af- 1icted by the system of usury and he urged that the house put itself on rec ord as being opposed to the methods practiced by the money lenders in the state. He said that the system of ex acting an exhorbitant rate of interest from the poor had obtained since the time of Moses
 He called attention to the fact that possibly in no city south of Chicago had so many bankrupt petitions been filed as in Birmingham. the reason of which. he declared. was due to the operations of the various "loan sharks" in that city. The bill. according to Mir Martin. would relieve thousands of ignorant negroes and poor whites who are oppressed by the present system which obtains. a system which victim izes people all over the state and drives them into bankruptcy in oruer to pro- tect themselves.
 Sullivan Speaks
 Representative Sullivan of Mobile spoke in defense of the bill, setting forth the conditions which obtain in his city He declared that he had not heard a single objection to the pass age of the bill from the laboring men, the only opposition being made by the money lenders throughout the state. "1f the wage earner wishes to secure small loan." said MT. Sullivan, This em- ployer will consent to the assignment, but surely not to an assignment such as may be made under the present law"
 MT. Stollenwerck declared that if the bill would minimize the present loan shark evil. it should be adopted. and he stated that the bill. in his opinion, was a good one. and that 1t should be passed. His position was also taken by. MT. James. who spoke for the pass age of the bill
 Loan Sharks
 MT. Pitts of Dallas denounced the money lenders in the most unmistak- able terms. He said that the evil should be suppressed, that 1t was crushing out the life of the poor or the state He declared the "loan shark" was all that the name implied "A shark, Mir Speaker, one of the worst enemies of mankind. This bill is for the protection of the home. the wife and the children of that poor, unfortu- nate man who Is not able to protect himself"
 MT. Green of Dallas also spoke for the passage of the bill, being followed by MT Burton, who opposed the measure on the ground that he did not conceive it to be the duty of the state to act as the guard ian of the people afflicted by the loan sharks He declared that if the evil was as bad as it was represented the state should punish the 'scoundrels."
 The next speaker was Mir Milner, who defended the bill. declaring that 1t was a meritorious measure, and that 1t should pass. The. previous question was then called by, MT. Lavender. and the vote on the amendment was taken. There was no opposition to the amendment and the b1l was put on its final passage, the result l,air,ur a rnfa of n In faynr of the hill and