Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-02-16
Mississippi
Legislature
AGAINST new CONSTITUTION
POSSIBILITY FOR CONVENTION
SEEMS TO HAVE ENDED.
Senator Bufkitt Would Request State
Committee to Order Primaries to
Select Candidate for President.

Jacksonville question of holding .
presidential primary election in Missis-
sippi became a live issue in the legisla'
ture. Senator Burkitt introduced a res
olution in the senate requesting the
Democratic state committee and the
county committees to order primaries
for the selection Of delegates to the
Democratic national convention at Bal
timore and to express a preference for
q candidate for president. Senator Bur
kits resolution went to the committee
on registration and elections and will
some up for action in the senate as soon
as the election committee passes upon it.
The senate adopted the house concur-
rent resolution inviting Congressman
Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama to ad-
dress the legislature OIL national poll,
tics, in a date to be fixed by Mr.. Under
wood.
The legislature will not call a consti'
tutional convention during the present
session. That fact was made plain by
the senate. That body refused to pass
the Mounger constitutional convention
bill by the decisive vote of nine yeas to
twenty-four nays. The issue has not
yet been tested in the house, but nc
matter what action the house may take,
the vote of the senate blocks the consti
tutional convention plan for this ses
sion.
The senate adopted a resolution in
scrting into the constitution an amend
ment adopted by the people providing
that all amendments to the constitution
adopted by the voters shall be inserted
into the states organic law at the next
session of the legislature held after the
election. The old provision in the con
stitution requires a residence of one
year.
The senate debated the age of con
sent bill this afternoon and finally re
committed it to the judiciary commit
! tee.
The fact was revealed in the hous'
that a plan is being worked out TO
an equitable distribution of the publi
school fund throughout the state, pro
vided the scheme proves to be constitu
tional when tested in the courts. Fo
many years some of the counties in tn
state have complained bitterly about tn
unequal distribution Of the school funds
Under the constitution the school fun
Is allotted to the counties o a basi
Of the scholastic population. This ha
the effect of sending large sums of none,
TO the counties where the negro childre'
predominant, and enabled the schools i
these counties to run eight and min
months in the year, while in some o
the other sections of the state, wher
the white children are in the majority
small sums were allotted, which KEEP
the schools going only four or fv
months each year. Under the operation
of this system the white people hav
been paying to run negro schools eigh
and nine months, while schools of thei
own race in certain counties could no
operate over four or five months with
out especial taxes to keep them going
The constitution always blocked tn
path.
A resolution introduced by Mr.. Sim
mons of Smith county revealed the fac
that members of the legislature and tn
attorney generals department have pu
on foot a plan that may surmount tn
obstacle in the constitution and at tn
same time not violate the organic law
Mr.. Simmons resolution providing TO
a supplemental appropriation for tn
public school fund in addition to the reg
ualr school appropriation.
The house passed the public schoo
appropriation bill to defray the expens
of the schools for 1912 and 1918. Thi
will be joyful new to hundreds of schoo
teachers in the state. In some of tn
counties the teachers have not receives
their salaries since November, becaus
The appropriation of the last legislator