The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-01
|  BEGINS TODAY Lawmakers on Scene Of
 Action. z MUCH WORK IS AHEAD Some Plan May be Devised to
 Save Time. Houses win Reconvene at Noon. Senator Goldsby Talks of Bills
 to Be Presented by Re-
 cess Committee.

At noon today the Legislature of Ala bama, which recessed for six months. will reconvene for the final twenty-two working days of the sixty days allowed ry the Constitution.
 Sr The Senators and Representatives. who rave come to Montgomery will enter up- ! on their closing work with the belief that the time is too short for the accomplish ment of the mass of work that will come before the House and Senate.
 There are on the House calendar 160 bills and on the Senate Calendar 114 bills. It was generally agreed among the leg tslators last night that more than 200 local bills will be introduced. Clerk Frank N. Julian of the House. who has seen a great number of advertisements of these local bills, is of the opinion that 200 Is conservative estimate.
 Recess Committees Bills.
 The Senate Recess Committee will today introduce seventeen general bills of great importance. These general bills were drawn up to discharge the obligations im- posed upon the Legislature by the Con- stitution. These bills are on subjects upon which there is a more or less diversity of opinion among the members of the House and Senate. Their consideration, 1t Is confidently predicted. will be attended by protracted debates.
 A number of important general bills. including one prohibiting baseball on Sunday, and one providing general dis pensary law for the State. will be intro- duced. All of his work, it is held, cannot be done within twenty-two days.
 On the other hand, it Is declared in of- fcial circles that Governor Jelks has said that he would not extend the session or order an extra session as he is empower Cd to do by the Constitution.
 Plan to Extend Time.
 TO gain time for the work of the Legis- lature is the chief object of many of the members. Two plans have been proposed to gain time. It has been suggested that the Legislature only hold sessions every other da~s TAss alternate days 1t IS pro- posed shaa be filled witn work by: tiis Committees. It is argued for this plan that by it the work of the Committees will not interfere with the regular work of the Legislative sessions. Another sug- gestion is that the Legislature adjourn every Thursday evening until. the follow ing Monday morning. Under this plan 1t is prop seds that the work of the oCm- mittees be done on FridaK and Saturday.
 The Clerical Forces.
 The members of the Legislature and the clerical forces receive per diem for all the time they spend in Montgomery. Un- der both plans the members would receive payment for all days from their assemb- ling today until their final adjournment.
 The question of saving time will be one of the first live propositions that Will come before the lawmakers. It is pre- dicted that some plan will be adopted be- fore adjournment Thursday. 1t is safe to predict that the Legislature will be in session longer than twenty-two week days.
 Will Meet at Noon.
 In the House at the stroke of noon Speaker A. M Tunstall will let fall the gavel that will call to order the House. and at the same hour Lieutenant Cover nor R. M. Cunningham will rap the Sem ate to order.
 Over three-fourths of the members of the House and Senate had reached Mont gomery last night before 10 o'clock. Every train reaching the city yesterday brought fin members of the Legislature. The Ex- change Hotel and the Exchange corner last night were crowded with legislators and out-of-town men, who had come to Montgomery to look in upon the opening scenes. The scene about the historic old hotel was characteristic of Democratic conventions. and the assembling of the Legislature. It was the preliminary scene to such gatherings for the past forty years. Senators, representatives, State of d in political matters, stood about on the sidewalks and in the hotel. About the hotel door the crowd eddied and circled The evening was given over to greeting and talking between friends, who had not met since the Legislature adjourned last winter. The lawmakers were not inclined to talk shop" and but little time was given to the discussion of matters which would come before the Legislature.
 Halls Made Comfortable.
 The Senate chamber and the Hall of Representatives, have been put in readi- ness for to-day's coming of the law makers. In both rooms electric fans have been established and a plentiful supply of ice water will be kept at all times.
 The legislators have rather dreaded spending the heated month of September Tn session. They have looked with appre- hension upon being pent up in a city during the close of the heated season. The qualification that the members felt that cool and invigorating weather came with them to Montgomery, was often ex- pressed yesterday and last night.
 No set program has been prepared for to-day. either in the House or in the Sen ate. It is not expected that either body will hold a long session to-day. The chief Interest of the day will center about the report of the Senate Recess Committed This committee of which President Pro Tenn Goldsby is the head. was created for the preparation of general bills to con- form the statutes to the provisions of the new constitution. The committee, or sub committees of its members was in ses- sion the greater part of the summer. The work of the committee is embodied fin seventeen bills. which will be introduced to-day
 It is understood that the committees s bills will be introduced both in the House and in the Senate at the same time Ac- eompanying the bills Senator Goldsby will submit a report briefly reviewing the work of the committee and summarizing the contents of the bills.
 Sixteen of these bills" Senator Colds by said last night "are original meas ures drawn up by the committee The seventeenth bill is really a substitute for the Bankhead election bill which passed the House at the winter session. The committee has added some amendments