The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-06

of the new constitution will begin. At noon in the House, Hon. A. M. Tunstall
 will mount the rostrum and let fall
 the gavel and at noon in the Senate Chamber. Lieutenant Governor R. M {. Cunningham will drop the Senate gavel
 fer the beginning of the session.
 The two halls in which so much his- tory has been made, will be filled, gall 1ery and floor. and the great rotunda
 between the two. brave in a marble
 dress and a new coat of artistic plas-
 ter, will be filled, too. with q crowd
 gathered to watch that which is only seen in Alabama once in four years. the assembling of the Alabama Legislature.
 The shadows of the coming session so near, have already been cast. The headquarters of Lieutenant-Governor Henry B. Gray were yesterday open
 ed at the New Exchange Hotel. At the same time the headquarters of Hon. R. T. Goodwyn, candidate for Speaker Of the House. were thrown open. These two are so interested In the opening session of the Legislature. that they have prepared to see and talk with
 their friends in advance.
 Others of the candidates for honors from the coming Legislature are ar- riving on every train. It is thought today that a goodiy number of the members of the House and Senate will arrive and begin to look around for a good boarding house, If they have not already secured one in advance. A great many boarding arrangements have already been made, and the leg isiators are beginning to grumble that board costs more in Montgomery than in any other city of the State. By Mon day night. practically the entire mern- bership Of both the House and Senate will be in Montgomery and moving among the big crowd which will hll the lobby of the Exchange, shaking hands and looking for any stray bit of political gossip.
 : Those Who wish To.
 Just now the crop of patriots who want to serve the State in clerical and, other positions attached to the Leg islature. does not seem to be as large as usual But it Is a bit early. and the smaller number of candidates may have that number greatly augmented before the final caucus of the two houses Is held.
 The announcement made yesterday that the Democratic caucus would be held Monday night, or on the night preceding the assembling of the Leg islature lacked the stamp of oniciat authority, So far as is known, Pres ident J. Manly Foster. of the caucus. has issued no call for a Monday night caucus, and apparently no call will be issued until the wishes of the members are known. It has been the custom to hold the caucus on the night of the first day of the session, but tihme is so pres sing that the legislators may try to find some way of saving it.
 4 member of the Montgomery dele gation said yesterday: we have simply got to have ten more days to do tn" wrk don't know where on earth we are going to get them. but we can't get through without them, and that's all there Is to 1t"
 So far as the contests are concerned. that which is most in the public eye is the fight over the control of the Senate between Lieutenant Governor HenryNB. Gray, and Senator E. Perry Thomas of Barbour. And nobody seems to be able to tell which has the better of that contest It may not be known until the final vote has been ta- ken.
 The whole question involved Is ''w''o shaii name the committees of the Sem ate, the LdeuteRant-tsovernor or the President pro tem?'
 The constitution is silent on that question. It does not say that the Lieu tenant-Governor shall name the commit tees, and it doesn't say that the Pres ident of the Senate shall name them. 1t leaves 1t open for the Senate to say how they shall be named. The power to name committees is the greatest power that c presiding officer can ex- ercise And the constitution has left the way open for very pretty fight to get this power.
 Gray and Thomas Clash.
 Colonel Gray declares. in effect, that his election as Lieutenant Governor was upon naming platform similar to that on which Mir. Conner and the ma jority of the Legislature were elect ed and that being in accord with dom inant idea, he should be given that power, as an assurance that commit tees to carry out these principles would be named.
 On the other hand, Senator Thomas. in effect, says that he is quite as much in accord with the administration and with the dominant idea in the party's State politics as Mir. Gray, and that of his appointment would be just as willing to carry out the dec laration of the party as committees named by MT. Gray. Senator Thomas's friends are, moreover, quoting the which, It is claimed, says that the duty of the Lieutenant Gov erdnor will be to preside over the ses- sions of the Senate, and that in another place 1t says that the executive and the legislative departments shall keep in their proper places, and the one shall not encroach on anotber. The uoint to this latter quotation will be the claim that the Lieutenant Governor is not an officer of the legislative de- partment but an officer of the execu- five department, under the declaration of the constitution.
 But the whole thing will be settled | Monday night in all probability, and | the State can know what majority | of the Senators think about the con- troversy. When 1t arose at the last | session of the Legislature four years | ago, the Senate directed the presidnt | pro tenn to name the committees, and | this was done by Senator J. W. Colds by.
 Over on the House side the members | have their avn fight for Speaker. | Three are announced candidates, w. | L.. Martin, R. Tyler Goodwin, and T. | L.. Bulger, the two former being mem- bers of the Montgomery County dele Eation and the last named being from | county. This is not the | time to make predictions about tha | race. while all candidates are doing | what they can to seize the honor. A | number of his friends who are not | members of the House, will come in | today to help those friends who are | members, elect MT. Goodwin. His | will be busy place until | he tellers have counted the vote Ill |