The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-21
BILL ID EXTEND \ CONVICT LEASE
 \ SYSTEM PASSED
Efforts of Two Representa- lives to Place County Con- viCts Under State De-
 pertinent Meet Defeat
By FRED II. GoRMLEy Montgomery Bureau. The Age-HcraId 221-2 First National Bank Building

Montgomery. October 2o--tSpe- cial.) .)--Efferts of Representative Chauncey Sparks of Barbour and Representative A. s. Van DeGraaff of Tuscaloosa to place county con victs under the state convict depart ment failed in the house of repre- sentatlves late Thursday, when an amendment to the bill extending the convict lease system until January l, 1924, was defeated by a vote of 5s to 10.
 After this amendment had been de- teated and a substitute had been adopted which eliminated county con victs from the bill abollshing the sys- ten, the bill was passed by vote of 57 to IF.
 Reimbursement BnI Passed
 Debate on this bill occupied the at tention of the house during great CT part of the afternoon. and only one other measure was passed at the final session of the day. The other bill. which had already been passed by the senate, gives the state govern ment the right to refund any money which may have been paid into the state treasury under any act or con- stitutional amendment which has been or.may be declared to be invalid by the supreme court. This was done principally for the reimbursement of counties which paid money into the treasury for state highway bonds, which could not be issued after the supreme court invalidated the consti- tutional amendment early in the year.
 Under the convict lease bill as passed by the house the lease sys- tenn must be discontinued at the end of 1923 This will give the legis- lature of 1923 and the next admins tration time to prepare for the change in the system. On the floor of the house 1t was charged that the postponement probably will mean that the system will be abolished.
 Provides Heavy Penalty
 The bill provides penalty of as much as S5,00o or Imprisonment in the penitentiary for as much as five years against any county official, state. official ors indlyidual who vio- slaeess the i'z. stae o-igHaA Dill s5ae provided that no county convcts should be leased. but this portion was stricken by the substitute.
 In presenting the substitute and arguing for the passage of the bill Representative ". J. Dansby of Choc- taw said thise would give W. W. Brandon and the next legislature time to prepare for the change In the system. This probably was the first time in recent history that, man had been mentioned .n debate in legislature as the next governor when the campaign for the office had not startedl
 Mir. Sparks amendment proposed that the state convict department should have the same supervision over county convicts as 1t now has over state convicts. Administration forces opposed this amendment on the ground that the state convict de- partment is no more than able al this time 10 care for the state con- victs.
 ]. W. Green of Dallas said the prisons are now crowded and when fifty more convicts are received the state will have the maximum called for by existing contracts. He argued that the state would be forced to feed and guard the county convicts with out having any return for it.
 Arguments of Opponents
 B Deg WaddelI of Russell said th+ Sparks amendment was dangerous and charged that somebody through this amendment was seeking to re-
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