The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-26
AMENDMENT BILL
 ON AGRICULTURE
 DEPARTMENT LOST
Opposition to County Con- viCt Lease Measure Fades and Bill Passes
 "A to 0
Montgomery Bureau. The Are-feraId 221-2 First National Bank Building

Montgomery, october Special. )
 Although a large majority of the
 senators favored the proposed consti a
 tutional amendment bill ubmittting
 to the voters the question of abolish ing the state department of agricul- ture and industries, the measure lost because 1t did not get the required three-fifths majority Tuesday. Nine ] teen voters desired to submit the question to the voters, as against nine | in opposition. This was one of the
 most important bills disposed of in ! the state senate, and arguments of an hour or more were made by the friends and enemies of the bill, intro duced by Senator Espy of Henry l county The bill proposed to ask the people whether or not the depart ment should be abolished and it's duties given over to the Alabama l Polytechnic institute at Auburn. There 1 developed suddenly strong friends of such proposal, and when the roll was called the bill received two less than the required number of votes. The roll call shows the following vote:
 Senators Butler. Carlton, Car michael, Cowan, Craft Ellis, Espy Evins. Kelly, Miller, Moore, McDow- ell. Phillips, Rogers of Lauderdale, Rogers of Sumter, Sims, Smith of Coosa, Tally. Teasley Webb-19.
 opposed-Baker, Beale, Bedsole. Brown. Harper, Leith, Morris, Prest- wood, West--s.
 Pass Judicial District Bill
 By vote of 22 to 2 the senate passed a bill of Senator Phillips of Lee, with substitute by Senator Acker of Calhoun county. which di- +vides the state into judicial districts and tends to expedite work in the Fifth and Eighteenth circuits.
 Senator Leith of Walker county claimed the bull was designed for po- litical purposes, but the other sen ators did not agree with the Walker senator.
 Opposition to bill of Senator Tai ly of Jackson county, which permits county boards of revenue or courts of county commissioners to lease out county convicts, was entirely re- moved Tuesday when the Jackson senator had adopted an amendment which does not permit the convicts to be leased for a longer period than one year, and then not to coal min ing companies engaged in mining of coal. The Walker senator objected to the leasing of the conyicts to coal mines. and it was agreeable with the author to have it amended The vote for the bill was 24 to 0, this meas ure having been taken from the "scrap pile" Monday, when the senate voted to reconsider the vote that killed the measure.
 Bedsole Presides.
 Senator T. J. Bedsole of Clarke county acted as presiding officer of the senate Tuesday afternoon. Lieu tenant Governor Nathan L. Miller went to Birmingham at noon and MT. Bedsole served as president pro tenn.
 MT. Bedsole experienced the diff culties of presiding officer during the afternoon when the senate got into q lively discussion as to what time the special train would return to Montgomery from Birmingham Wednesday night after the members of the legislature greet President Warren C. Harding and other distin- guished guests of the Magic City.
 Bills passed by the senate Tuesday | follow:
 House bill No. 96 (by Mir Dansby), 1 amending the acts of the regular ses- | sion of the Alabama legislafure so as | to 3decrease the amount paid by state | banks for the maintenance of the l state banking department, this being | done to take care of a ruling of the | supreme court which said all state | banks must pay a franchise tax, the | legislature desiring to reduce other payments so as to cut down the bur den against the banks.
 Senate bill No. 7s (by Mir. Crafb-l Amending an act of the 1919 legisla- ture. and requiring that the public schools teach lessons on the humane |