The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-24
Fight on Corporation
 Contributions.
MEASURE IS TRIMMED UP
 OVER AUTHORS PROTEST
Legislators Turn Down Provisc' Forbidding Campaign Literature.
Call 1t Attack on Free speech--Biii Prescribing Measure of Damages for Good. Lost in Transit
 Is Reconsidered.

N . Three bills were considered yester- day by the Senate. and a separate fight followed the consideration of each Of trc trree. On two separate occasions. tue Senate voted against it's floor lead- ership, and altogether, the Senate had a lively session.
 The Senate started of. with vim and liveliness. The first move was to re- , consider the vote by which the bill prescribing the measure of loss a com mon carrier could be subjected to. for goods lost or injured in transit. The friends of the administration divided on this measure. Senator Lusk op- posed the reconsideration. and recom- initial of the bill, but other friends of the administration insisted on it. and it was sent back to the Committee on Commerce and Common Carriers.
 Bn the fight of the day was fought out while the bill to prohibit corpora tions from making contributions to any political party or for the campaign ex- penses of any political candidate. was under consideration. a bill which had been introduced by Senator Lusk.
 Pamphlet Feature Turned Down.
 The bill was passed, but it was trim med up In its passage over the protest of it's author. One feature in par ticuiar was the subject of attack from the other Senators. This provision of the bill made it misdemeanor for a corporation to circulate any pamphlet, circular or letter during a political campaign. Senator Moody, who suc- cessfuiIy fought this feature. declared Tt lis an attack on free speech, and challenge anybody on the opposite side to denx It.. .s-.s ~ Senator Hinson asked:
 If this bill were to become a law, would 1t not be unlawful for a Demo cratic paper, if it happened to be print ed by a stock compJany. to advocate the election of Democratic candi- date?"
 Mir. Lusk said it would not. but that 1t would prevent that paper from cir culating additional copies, beyond it's ordinary business for political reasons Senator Einson and Senator Moody asserted positively that under the terms of the bill, paper printed by any stock company would be forbidden from taking any part in a political campaign in Alabama.
 Senator Moody, for the first time since the session began, took the floor to have this provision eliminated from the bill. He attacked the proposition with some warmth.
 Would Be One-Sided. Tt will forbid corporations from help- ing educate the people on a political question:" he declared. Tt will tic the hands of the corporation so that nc matter how they are attacked, they can not make reply. It will prevent them from contributing any information to any political controversy
 '"rhe bill makes it law that only one side of case shall be heard, Some of you gentlemeli are lawyers; some of you have served on juries. I ask you to answer out of your experiences, what sort of verdict would be rendered fl the court permitted only the plaintiff' side of the case to be heard? Yet we propose to do that very thing.
 we propose to bind up a corporation so 1t can not even print report of it's business when 1t is attacked in a politi- cal campaign"
 Senator Reynolds of Bibb asked Sen ator Bibb if his amendment was adopt ed. striking. out this particular pro- vision, would 1t not be possible for ( minority stockholder to have to stanC by and see his money voted away by the majority stockholders in sending out political documents and pamphlet: while he was opposed to it..
 "The Senator imagines case which might occur very infrequently," re sponded Senator Moody, "but in trying to help one stockholder, he would tI, down the majority stockholders to de. fencelessness The best protection tC be given the stockholders. whether they arc minority or majority stock. which to defend themselves when they are attacked-to leave open a way fol them to make the truth public, wher they are attacked.
 Senator Spragins advocated the bill in its original form.
 Lusk Is Beaten.
 "It is drawn to correct a great evil which has repeatedly become public fl recent years,' said Senator Lusk CT is to prevent corporations from spend ing the money that is entrusted tt them by their stockholders. It is tC urevent trustees or directors who act ing in a fiduciary capacity. take tn, money entrusted to them and use 1t tC debauch the voters of the country. few years dkO liie oOulhSTn RAILWAY flooded my section with letters, trying to find out the sentiment of the people on the election of a President of 6 Railroad Commission. Whose money was spent in Going that? The money of the stockholders.
 "The objection to the bill raised by the Senator from Tuscaloosa does not stand. It will not prevent any news. paper from printing its ordinay busi' ness. but 1t will prevent a newspaper from sending out extra copies to ev- erv section of the State. In the last campaign copies of a certain paper were sent in flood to my country ana to places where it was never senti before, and nobody there paid 8 cent for 1t. Don't you suppose some corporation paid for the distribution of those papers
 The Senate wanted the amendment nronosed by Senator Moody, and il voted for it to the tuRe of twenty-five to eight. On the motion of Senator