The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-13
Offers Amendment to Election Bill Making R R. COmnis-
 sioRers Elective
MAJORITY OF MEMBERS
 FAVORED THE SCHEME
Jefferson County Members Motion Had an Explosive Effect on the House and a Hot Debate Waged Un-
 tiI Hour of Adjournment.

Montgomery, February 12.-(Special)- The lower house of the legislature unex- pectedly struck Tive wire today. The elective railroad commission question furnished the current.
 In plainer words the question of elect ing the railroad commissioners got squarely before a majority of the house and the majority of the members pres ent, by standing vote, put themselves on record as fayoring the elective com mission.
 The matter came up in this way. The house had resolved itself into the com mttee of the whole for the purpose of considering the Bankhead election laws. When the 24th section, which sets forth the officers to be voted for at the regu- lar election was reached MT. DuBose of Jefferson offered an amendment so as to include the railroad commissioners in the list
 MT. Foster of Tuscalosa, who was the presiding officer of the committee Of the whole, held that the amendment "as not germane to the bill, as the railroad com missionerships were not constitutional offices.
 Chair overruIed.
 Mir. Lusk of Marshall championed the amendment, and his motion to overrule the chair went through like a wirlwinS. This action tended to throw the anti. elective railroad commission members off their feet, but MT. Bankhead was equal to the occasion and he spoke to his mo- tion to make the substitute effective iE4 1910 until the committee was forced to arise at 1 o'clock.
 While the elective railroad commission element are jubilant over the first blood drawn by the very shrewd amendment by MT DuBose, there is another element that seems as well satisfied over the matter, though they oppose the policy proposed
 The railroad people on the outside seem agreed on the idea that if the general election bill shall be burdened with the DuBose amendment that they will have an opportunity to test its constitution ality in the courts, and at the same time, they appeared to be satisfied with the election clause in so much as it does not increase the powers of the commission.
 The fight will be renewed tomorrow when the house again resolves itself into the committee of the whole and it will prove a warm member" Strange as it may seem 1t appears that great minds do not always run in the same channel.
 Governor Working on Message.
 This morning while the house or ma iority of the house present was trying to force the elective railroad commissioner ship without any increase powers the governor was busy on a message to both houses suggesting the wisdom of increas- ing the powers of the commission and advising that some laws be enacted by which the commission could enforce it's orders. He made no suggestion as to the elective question.
 The governor took a very strong stand on the question of state uniformity of text books in his message today. He op- posed county uniformity, taking the stand that it was a mere blind, and stating that it would merely postpone the day of de- liverance from very present and very serious evil His message will likely have great weight as the senate will at noon tomorrow take up the text book mat ter.
 It is not often the case that women lobbyists are caught out, but this was the case in the house today. The child labor bill had been fixed as the special order for Il o'clock, and at that hour 1t was called up and passed with but a sin gle dissenting vote No member spoke for or against the measure, and the gallery, half filled with women, did not fully real ize what was being done.
 The passage of the measure, therefore, occasoned no demonstration. The dele gates to the state convention of the Fede- ration of Womens Clubs did not arrive in the galleries until quarter of an hour after the bill had passed, and after re- maining a few moments inquiry elicited the fact that they were for once too late Really it appears as if they desired the vote reconsidered that they might get in their proposed applause. However, all delegates are rejoiced at the passage of the bill.