The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-01
GRAY AND THOMAS
TWO IMPORTANT FACTORS IN ALA
 RAMA POLITICS MEET HERE.
Lfeutenant-gaovern and Next President of Senate Have Social Session--Did They Agree
 on Commitfeess

Lieutenant-G t-Goyernor-elect Henry B. Gray and State Senator E. Perry Thomas of Eufaula met in Montgomery yesterday and spent couple of hours together profitably.
 If the reader of Tho Advertiser who sees this is a Senator-elect of the next Alabama Legislature, the significance of the meeting is not lost upon him. But the majority of the readers of The Advertiser are not to be members of the next Alabama Senate and a word of explanation will have to go along with the friendly meeting of the two we'll known Alabamians.
 Tn the social meeting of the Birm- ingham man and the Eufaula man there was an air of Let's arbitrate this thing Now, whether the thing was arbitrated or not can not be stated with definiteness. The future will tell that story.
 The point to the whole thing is that Lieutenant- Governor elect Henry B. Bray will preside over the next Ala bama Senate. There will have to be President pro tenn of the Senate in his absence and to give any other sort or a show that the Senate will allow. Senator Perry Thomas of Barbour Is an unopnosed candidate for President pro tenn of the Senate. Now the question arises, who is going to appoint the committees of the Senate? The unin- itiated man may not know, but 1t Is A fact nevertheless, that this power or appointing committees is 8 big thing. l 1t gives a man q whole lot of power He can reward his friends, punish his enemies. and. in some eases. one man has shaped the course of Legislation ey l simply appointing the committees. Tn the Senate of four years ago, | President pro tenn Joel Goidsby of Mo- l hlle. named the Senate Committee. | This was the first session of the Leg l islature since the adoption of the new 1 Constitution and the first session of the i Legislature after the office of Lieuten- ant Governor was created. The Leg | islature met week in advance Of the i inauguration of Lieutenant-Governor I R. M Cunningham, and when he came l into office, the Senate had been con | yened and the committees named. And so precedent was established. Now. the second session comes along | and the new Lieutenant-GovernOr bold Iy announces that he thinks it is the | privilege of the Lieutenant-Governor | to name the committees. senator Thomas hasn't said much. He has only | announced his candidacy for President I of the Senate If is generally com 1 ceded that the Barbour Senator is go- I ing to get the place without opposi'
 
 1 tion. But he hasn't said that he thinks I the Lieutenant Governor ought to | name the committees. His friends say that it is his view that the Legislature 1 ought to be organized as soon as 1t convenes and get to business, ami that 1 it is his opinion that precedent has been established, which ought to be 1 abandoned. In short. his friends say l that on this particular proposition he l ts A "standpatter."
 So the two met socially in Mont
 gomery yesterday at the Exchange and I if was Henry" and Perry" to each | other through the pleasant interview. They are both attractive fellows, so- cially, and no doubt the two hours 1 were filled with wit and pleasantry. l Both really hated to see the interview I close.
 Did they arbitrate?
 Nobody knows But an Alabamian. I who is a mutual friend of the two, l said. 'T'li bet s7-hat they didn't
 settle the thing"