The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-09
Lawmakers to Begin With a Rush. SENATORIAL CAUCUS
 LIKELY HELD TONIGHT Bankhead to Be Formally Endorsed For Senatorship. ~ stalIings Reaches Montgomery, Hut Says He VIII Have No Statement to Make Until Today--Elec-
 tion is Next
 Tuesday.

Alabama. and the gavel will fall in the House this morning at 10 o'clock, and the short and hurried session of the Alabama Legislature will be on. With the fall of the gavel will begin the rush of perhaps the busiest two weeks an Alabama Legislature has ever had.
 A Democratic caucus of the House and Senate members will probably be held tonight. Such a movement was on foot last night and it appeared that the lawmakers would unite in the eau GUS. The caucus will be held for the purpose of electing the successor of United States Senator John T. Morgan
 In the hotel lobbies last night 1t was generally agreed that the victory of Captain John H. Bankhead in the pri- mary of last year assured him an cleo ton by the Legislature just as it had assured him of the appointment made for one month by Governor Conner.
 Former Congressman Jesse F. Stall ings of Birmingham, the only candi- date announced in opposition to Sena- tor Bankhead, reached the city at an early hour last night and joined the crowd in the hotel. He met many of the Senators and Representatives w.o were assembled in the large hotel lobby. He talked politics with most or them, but he had no statement to make.
 Had Nothing to Say.
 His reply to request for an express sion was:
 Nothing to say now. It is too early to talk. If I have any statement to make. 1t will not be made earlier than tomorrow"
 This is taken to mean that Mir. Stall. ings will personally Interview mem ners or the Legislature as to their DO sI- ron on the Senatorial question and satisfy himself as to the truth of the reports of the Bankhead strength
 In the lobby last night there was only one opinion of the situation-the opinion that Senator Bankhead would be elected without opposition. This opinion was expressed by some of the Governors warmest supporters-men who would still follow him, if he wished to continue his fight against the election of Senator Bankhead
 The Alabama law provides that when the Legislature has to elect United States Senator that the election shall toAe pidce on the second Tuesday after the conveniug of the Legislature While this is meant to apply to the regular election of a Senator at the regular session of the Legislature 1t is deemed the part of wisdom to follow this rule at an adjourned session, which is called upon to fill a vacancy in the Senate. It was apparently agreed that the safest plan would be the election of a Senator according to hn election.
 To prepare for this the caucus for to- night has been suggested At the caucus Senator Bankhead will be chosen by the Democratic members of the House and Senate. There are only two Republican members of the Legis- dature, the Representative from Wins ton and thS Representative from Chill ton. Having been selected by the Democratic caucus Senator Bankhead will be formally elected by the House and Senate on next Tuesday.
 The caucus. however. depends upon the development of today. Senator w. T. Lowe IS Chairman of the Senate caucus and Representative J. Lee Long is Chairman of the House caucus
 Four MOnths' old Calendar.
 The Legislature will begin work this morning and go to work as though 1t had only adjourned yesterday after noon. It has ready made calendar waiting for it. The bills that were re- ported on the last day of the session of last spring will be on the calendar to- day for final passage and the special orders that were on tho calendar at the time, when the Legislature quit work last spring will be on the calendar when they meet this morning after four months recess.
 The rules will continue, the work will fnc ha lature is due to hold a night session tonight and a night session will be held unless some rule or resolution to the contrary Is passed today.
 After today's session the Legislature will probably adjourn for two days to give the committees a chance to work. The gates will be opened this morn ing and way will be made for the flood of new bills that Is certain to come. The quickest and most practical way of doing the work before the Legis- lature is to have recess days for com mlttee work. And the committees will have more work to do in the next two days than at any time.
 The introduced bills today will out number those of any other day of the hot weather session. Exrecting only thirteen days of legislative work, each member will get his local bills before the Legislature at the earliest possl- ble moment. They all have local bills, too Perhaps there is hardly a single member of the two houses who has not come to Montgomery with a local bill in his pocket.
 May he Only Thirteen Days.
 During yesterday there seemed to be a sentiment among the members that the Legislature would not have an ex- tra session Immediately following the end of the thirteen legislative days. The members believed that an extra
 
 soon. The opinion seemed to prevail that the Governor would call an extra session in the winter or spring.
 There were some of the leading mem bers-members who were known to stand close to the Governor-who said the Legislature would be able to ham dle all the local bills and attend to its general work, too. with a few bills ex- cepted which could go over until win ter or spring and be embodied in a