The age-herald., 1901-05-19
Body of Men Meet Tuesday, to Revise the Constitu-
 ton of Alabama
DELEGATES SLOW ID ARRIVE. ].
The Convention Will Be Called To Order By Chief Justice Mcclellan. Several Contests for the
 Minor Offices.

Age-Herald Bureau, Clancey's Hotel, Montgomery. May 1s.-(Special.) )-The con- vention called to revise the constitution of Alabama will meet in this city at noon next Tuesday. While the date for the converting of the convention Is only two days distant, very few of the delegates have reached the city. A large number of the 155 delegates chosen to compose the convention are expected tomorrow, and then will come the familiar lobby scenes attendant upon such gatherings.
 The race for convention officers will open in earnest with the arrival of the first bunch of delegates, and there are some pretty contests in prospect
 Everything at the Capitol has been gotten in readiness for the convention. The hall of the House of Representatives has been prepared for the sessions. This hall was originally constructed for the accommodation of 100 delegates, and to make room for the 55 additional delegates 1t has been necessary to remove the rail- ings which have separated the legislators lIOiu tllo lODDy dilQ lHe tnllTt toDDy IOoIn filled with desks and chairs. Desk room has been arranged for all of the mem bers and electric fans have been placed 1 in the hall to make it comfortable. 1 pn Excellent Advantage. l There sss one evecellent advantage in the limited space in the han where the 1 convention is to meet, and that is the 1 lack of room for the objectionable lobby 1 ist to crowd into the hall and interfere with the proceedings by the customary buttonholing tactics They will be forced to remain in the lobby prepared for them. and desiring to hear the debates must so to the gallery prepared for this purpose.
 The convention will be called to order at noon by Chief Justice Mcclellan of the Alabama Supreme Court. This will bethe fifth constitutional convention to assem- ble in the historic hal1 the conventions of 1861. 1865, 1868 and 1875 having been held there. It seems probable that Justice Mcclellan will be called upon to preside through two days, unless a caucus for the nomination of officials is held Mon day night. It has been customary for the General Assembly to elect it's officers dur ing the session of the second day, the nominating caucus being held during the evening of the first day.
 The First Week.
 Practically all of the first week of tho convention will be consumed in the or- ganization, appointment of committees. etc. A president, secretary, assistant sec retary doorkeeper and assistant door keeper are the offices to be filled by election in the convention. All of these offices will be named in caucus and as there are thirteen antf-Democrats in the < convention. it will require seventy two votes to make a nomination.
 There are rather heated contests for each of the positions. The race for the presidency is of overshadowing interest. The contest is between Hon. John B. Knox of Calhoun, Hon. Tennent Lomax and Gen. w. c. Oates of Montgomery. There are not sufficient delegates yet present to form an idea of the race. but 1t is generally conceded that MT. Knox is much the stronger of the three candi- dates His friends are predicting his nom ination on the first ballot. The Mont gomery candidates. however do not con- ceed this lead to MT. Knox, and they are pursuing the contest with vigor.
 Race for Secretary.
 The race for the secretaryshfp prom ises to be one of the liveliest of any sim liar contest yet had at the capitol There are three candidates, Frank N. Julian of Colbert, R. E. l.. Neil of Dallas and Fillmore Garrett of Calhoun. Mfr. Gar rett is at present secretary of the State Senate. and has several times served as secretary of party conventions Mir Jul ian is assistant clerk of the present House a position he had filled with cred it through two terms. MT. Neil was secre- tary of the Morgan campaign committees. and also of the last state convention An attempt to pick the winner in this con- test three days ahead would be nothing more than idle guess
 There are four contestants for the as sistant secretaryship. They are W. E. Herbert of Montgomery, J. F. Giilis of Clarke, J. B. Barnett of Monroe and J. c. Kyle of Jackson. These candidates are all members of the younger Democracy, capable of filling the position sought
 For doorkeeper there are three candi- dates Robert Hasson of Etowah, Miles Merriweather of Montgomery and MT. Payne the famed ''Hill Billie statesman of Winston It is not known If Captain Tom Fain of Dale has opposition for the position of assistant doorkeeper. The the convention may designate-probably four.
 One of the first important questions brought before the convention win be the matter of determining whether the proceedings of the convention shall bs taken in full by stenographers. This would probably require an expense of some 5000, but 1t would preserve. it is argued, some very valuable history. It is understood that three propositions will be submitted to the convention for this work-E. l.. May, Pat McGauley of Mont gomery and w. E. Hoffman of Mobile, being the understood Bidders The mat ter of taking the proceedings in fun is not new, other States having adopted such plan. Tho stenographer who hold this position during the Missouri conven- ton Is now in Montgomery. andit 10 un- derstood that he is bidding for the work through one of the Alabama hiddexe-
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