The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-30
BIRMINGHAM AND
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Jared VERY WELL
At LEGISLATURE
No Measures Considered In
imical to District Passed
Except Tonnage Tax
Feature of the Rev.
enue Bill
nv w. i. ROLES


all OF the elective state officers and
the appointive heads of some of the
departments to $4,000 a year.
Two or three days prior to Saturday
appropriations for the salaries and ex-
penses of the legislative. executive
and judiciary departments were made
! by both houses and went to the gov
ernor for his signature.
| About midnight Saturday night the
| governor returned the bill to the SEN
ate. where it originated. without his
| approval. with an accompanying execu-
! tive amendment stating that if this
were adopted he would then sign the
bill.
| The executive amendment increased
| the salaries of the secretary of state,
| attorney general, auditor. superintend-
emit of education. commissioner of Gg
riculture and industries and certain
other officials from 5000 to $4,000.
The senate adopted the amendme Mt,
| the house concurred and within few
| minutes the bill was back ON the gov
| ernor's desk with the amendment.
part of the act and the increased sal
| aries assured.
These increases do not take effect
| unit, the expiration OF the terms of
the present officials, but apply to their
| successors. who take office in January,
1928
BILL PASSED TOO LATE
BY vetoing the bill levying a license
tax OF l cent a bottle on soft drinks
| Governor Kilby thereby reduced the
revenues of the state by something
! like 100000 a year, and this at time
when every conceivable scheme was
| being devised to put more money into
the state treasury. The governor
vetoed the. bill on the ground that it
ibid not reach his hands within the
time prescribed by the constitution.
The constitution provides that all
| revenue measures must be handed to
the governor by the forty-fifth legis-
lative day. This bill did not reach
I the governor until the forty eighth or
| the forty ninth day and. therefore. he
held that it was not legally passed.
Another bill that may be in the same
category. and which is expected to
raise anywhere from 100000 to $780,
600 year is the one providing for
the inspection of gasoline and other
motor fuels and levying of a tax of
| one-half of l cent a gallon thereon.
| 1t was contended by some that this
| was a police measure intended to pro-
| tect consumers of such oils and gases,
| but others claim that. in view of the
/ fact that it also provides that not
| more than 10 per cent of the fees may
\ be used for paying the expenses of
1.-The inspections and that the balance
| 80 per cent-must be turned into the
! treasury for the use of the road and
| bridge fund. makes it essentially q
| revenue measure. Whether Governor
.Kilby will take this view of it is not
| known vet.
LEGISLATOR RESIGNS
| Walker w. Hall. representative from
Marion county handed his resignation
! as such to Governor Kilby last Satur-
day, to become effective SATURDAY.
| Mr.. Hall will remove to Texas at this
end of the present year to join his old
/ est son. who has been in that sta.e
| for several years Mr.. Hall made
trip to Texas two weeks ago. and while
| there purchased a farm, on which he
and his family will live.
! In tending his RESIGNATION at this
time Mr. Hall stated that he had been
| informed that special session of the
| legislature might be called. and that
| in view of the fact that Marion county
! ought to- be represented in that ses-
sion, II it is held he was making it
possible for his successor to be elected
prior to the calling of such special
/ session.
MILLER is HONORED
| In presenting Lieutenant Governar
Nathan L. Miller with a silver loving
lcup on the closing Saw of the legisla-
| ture the senator's gave EXPRESSION to
| their esteem and admiration for the
| birmingham man who presided so ably
| and so fairly over the senate's pro-
| ceedings throughout the 1919 session.
| Although there were number of
| measures before the senate on which
| the division was sharp and the de-
| bate heated not once was his rulings
questioned by any member of that
| body Once or twice he voted to break
| a tie and in casting the vote.as he did
| It was recognized and admitted that
! he voted in accordance with his con-
| victicns and for what Ne believed to
| be for the, best interests of the state.
| Speaker Henry p. Merritt made a
good presiding officer and at the close
of the session had the respect and
| esteem of all members Of the house.
! He bad more parliamentary questions
to solve and the heat and passion. of
debate was higher a. times in that
body than in the senate. There were
numerous occasions when his rulings
| caused resentment among portion If
the house members. but when the
heat of debate subsidized the vanquished
In the battle conceded honesty of pur-
! pose ta him.
MERRITT HAD HARD JOB
AS administration leader in the
| house he had a hard Job on his hands,
as We'll as great responsibility. The
| programme mapped out bv Governor
Kilby demanded the united support of
every administration follower. which,
| at times. appeared impossible In the
| end, however. every important measure
put forward by the administration was
put through both houses and either
| now is or soon will De the law of the
| state.
| In this constructive legislation the
| speaker was ably assisted by Repre-
| sentatives S. A. Lynne of Morgan
county, Judge w. T. Murphree of Eto-
wah county and one or. two others. 1t
was no easy task. even with a s.b-
stantial majority back of them, to put
| through all of these measures over
| fighting and well-organized opposi-
| ton. led by such able legislators and
parliamentarians as Representatives
| ALI NJ Tunstall of Hale county, ]. Lee
| Long of Butler county ana our own
LGus Benners of jefferson.
I And by the way. Gus BenneTs made
quite a reputation during the session