The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-10
Lieutenant Governor Will Name Com
 lnitteeS. MESSAGE OF EXECUTIVE
 SENT TO LEGISLATURE Family Fuss in Upper Body is Center of Attraction at
 Capitol. Minority, After Fight in Which Heated Terms are Used, are Defeated. Protest is Filled Against
 Course Which is
 Pursued.

The Senate thrashed out its family fight yesterday, and it was as lively as anybody expected; the House and Sem ate both completed their organization, and the message of Governor William D. Jelks was presented to both bodies of the Legislature.
 In the House 1t was read at length In the Senate 1t came in following the exhausting family fuss, and the sena- tors dispensed with its reading.
 The message of the Governor, with its clear and exhaustive treatment of the subjects of the State government will be printed and copies will be laid on the desk of each member of the Legislature.
 The House and Senate will hold joint session today to canvass the vote in the last election. An adjournment for two days will probably be taken today.
 They had great doings in the Senate. The Senate committee matter was fought out to finish. and during the whole session. there may not be such another joint discussion as the contest ants had yesterday.
 They were at it practically all day. The House members heard of the Sem ate excitement and crowded around the doors and in the gallery to hear the warm speeches.
 Senator Perry Thomas, who was elected President pro tenn, but who was aeprived by the majority of the Senate of the privilege of naming the com mittees, paid his respects in a parlia- mentary way to Col. Henry B. Gray, the incoming Lieutenant- Governor, and he gave a keen thrust at Captain Frank 6. White, who. he said, uttered the only discordant note in his ;'war to the knife" threat at the last State Conven- lion.
 ThOmas's Remarks Are Warm.
 Senator Thomas frankly attributed The action of the majority to admin tstration influence, which had been brought to bear upon the Senators by untrue statements made that the mi noriy was trying to organize the Sem ate to balk the plans of the incoming Governor. Senator Thomas spoke for an hour, and his remarks were, to say she least, warm.
 The champion of the majority posi- tion was Senator John A. Lusk, who delivered the single speech for his side of the question.
 Senator Lucien Gardner of Pike took the floor on 8 question of personal priv ilege resentlng the attempt which had been made to show him and other Sena- tors as being whipped into line and made to vote against their will. But he indulged in no general discussion of the question at issue.
 In presenting the majority side, Sena- tor Lusk, who is recognized as a ready and able debater, spoke for all on his side. He was sarcastic in answering the charge that the majority was fool ishly spending the peoples money in repeated adjournment that the incom- ing Lieutenant- Governor might gratify his personal ambition. Discussing the legal phase of the question, Mir, Lusk said the Constitution had expressly de- prived the Lieutenant-Gover of the right of a vote except in a case of tie, and that it was plainly evident that If it wished to deprive him of the right of naming the committees, it would have said so expressly.
 The Thomas side, or. rather, the side standing out for the Senate naming its committees had the speakers, the citation of laws and of the Constitution and everything else but the votes. The majority sat still and let the minority have Its say. Then 1t overwhelmed 1t by vote of two to one.
 Charges WiIfuI Error.
 For the inherent right of the Senate to name its committees as provided by the Constitution, Senator Spragins. who was an ardent Conner man in the pri- mary, Senator Thomas. Senator H. F. Reese and Senator F. L. Blackmon spoke. Outside of their repeated cita- tion of the Constitution to show that the Lieutenant Governor was an exec utive officer who had no business nam ing the. Senate Committees. thev charged the majority with Knowing that they were wrong and making q wilful error.
 They challenged the majority to let the Lieutenant Governor name inc Committees without submitting them tc the ratification of the Senate. They twitted the majority with having the purpose of sending the Committees back to the Senate for approval, know ing that if they did not do that, the ac- tion of the Senate in passing any bill would be subject to a constitutional at tack.
 Tn addition. they charged the major. ity was trying to have and would nroh- ably succeed in having, both Houses Of the Legislature adjourn at the expense of the people for three days. with no other object than to let the Lieutenant Governor name the Committees.
 And after they had four-f1fths of tho day of oratory the minority spread on the minutes of the Senate a stirring protest against the proceedings. The protest follows;
 Minority Makes PrOtest
 ''Whereas, under the Constitution of this state--the supreme law of the land--the powers of government are di- vided into distinct departments. each of which is confined to a separate body of magiatracy, namely: Those which are legislative, to onei those which are