The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-08
Governors New Railroad Code Is Introduced and Received With Languid Interest--Many of the Once Perfect. Laws to Be Repealed--New Bills Urged as Administration Measures and Not to Be Amended.

Governor Corners extra session oi the Legislature of 1907 began yester, day at noon. with a marked and languid indifference as though ths members were tired of all legislative work. worry and endeavor.
 Before the session was half an houi old, the Legislature had pledged itseli to allow any member to introduce any bill he had. no matter what the sub. iect was.
 And with this action of both Houses all hope for an early adjournment van ished. The idea that the Legislature would wind up in ten days. and in that time finish its work. was completely exploded. It was confidently held that the session would run at least to De- csmber 1.
 Bills on every conceivable subject will go in. In the Senate yesterday the bills covered Q wide range of sub- jects. The record in the House was the same. Even local measures were presented. The calendar is expected 10 become swollen and overloaded in the first three days of the session.
 Tho call, under she action of the Leg islature yesterday has only one re- straining Influence and that influence will have no effect in saving time and work for The Legislature and for the committees. It will only require that every pill on a subject not named In the call. must have a two-thirds vote before it can be passed.
 Tn the meanwhile the bill will have taken the usual course of legislation. It will have been introduced and refer red to 6 committee. It will have been discussed before the committee in nil its phases. It will have been reported by the committee. It will have been debated on the floor. And at last 1t can be passed.
 Under the plan there is no reason why every Senator should not have passed every piece of local legislation he had advertised. The only restraint on local legislation is its advertising, for under the time honored rule of Sen, atorial courtesy. Senator can say a hat piece of his local Legislation can or cannot be passed.
 Railroad Code Presented.
 The Governor presented his railroad 4egisls. on yesterday. the bills for v which the extra session was called. But they aroused no interest. They were introduced by different Senators. Sena tor Lusk handing in more than any other single Senator.
 But the other Senators paid no atten- ton to them. The titles were read by the Secretary and the Senate listened wil44 Idle interest. When the session was over. and the Senators were leav- Ing, there were perhaps not two Sen ators who knew what was fin the bills and apparently very few cared what was in them.
 It was evident that an effort would be made to rush the bills through. An nouncement was made on the adjourn ment of the Senate that the Committee on Commerce and Common Carriers would meet this morning at 9 o'clock in the Supreme Court room to consider the railroad bills.
 There are a number of these bills. They involve some of the most intri- cate questions in pending controver- sies over the regulation of railroads. It is not known that a report will be made today on the measures. but it is thought possible that an effort will be made to lave such report
 Still, the several railroad bills com prise a new and different railroad code. The Senate meets at Il o'clock and. the committee will therefore have from until II o'clock to consider the new railroad code. Senate several Senators will depart from the custom followed at the two previous sessions of taking every rail- road bill on faith and quickly passing them without discussion. It will be their policy to have & disSussion and explanation of each indivi lual measure and to learn in advance the effect of each particular bill.
 "Rush Them ThrOuSn.'
 Some paragraphs in the Go Jernor's message indicated that he suspected that some Senators proposed to follow such a new policy. He emphasized the fact that the bills had been carefully drawn and had been passed upon the attorneys for the state and that they represented the views of the admins tration. This same paragraph indicat- ed that the bills would be rushed through, if possible, under whip and spur, with the cry, Its an adminiSsra- tion measure and it's all right Table all amendments and pass the bill"
 The word repeal" was scattered through the titles of the bills intro- duced yesterday as thickly as leaves in a November forest. Nearly every measure proposed had repeal" loom ing up large and imposing.
 The Governor in his legislation pro- posed yesterday practically abolishes the railroad code which he adopted at the two previous Sessions. The bills at those sessions were represented as practically perfect and the acme of human wisdom. But the first demand in November Is for the repeal of the bills.'
 Several New Ideas.
 The Governor proposes several new ideas. He takes to the North Carolina idea of making the railroads produce their books fin court when litigation is on. He adopts the Arkansas idea of not conferring the enforcement of the criminal provisions of the act upon any officials. so that they cannot be con veniently enjoined. He proposes, too, to abolish the law which conferred so much power upon the Railroad Com mission.
 Senator Reynolds presented his com pulsory education bill yesterday after noon. It is a little stronger than the bill which he had af the previous ses- sions on the same subject and which was passed in the Senate but died in the House.
 Senator Hamburger offered a bill to revive the measure by which the Chan cellor of the Southwestern Chancery Division was to receive a salary of aL50O a year, a large part of which