The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-22
Knotty Problems Gone
 Over in Committee.
FIGHT ON MUNICIPAL CODE
Col. John Will Oppose Any Recog-
 hilton of Social Evil.
Child Labor Measure to Come Up In House and Overt0n's New Sunday Freight Train Enactment in
 the Senate.

Fresh from a visit to their homes the members of the Legislature in both houses will return tomorrow morning with the fixed determination that there are to be no more lengthy adjourn msnts between this and the closing of the session.
 Already the Legislature has accom- plished much work-much more than really appears on the surface. in that the principal bills that are to be con- sidered have already been agreed upon. The position of the municipal code bill will best illustrate this. It has been thrashed out in Committee, the fine points of the bill have been care fully gone over. and much that would cause argument on the floor has al- ready been settled.
 The bill, however, is not going through without opposition. Colonel John of Jefferson served notice on the House at it's last session that there were features in the bill to which he objected and that he intended to make argument upon them when the bill comes up for a third reading tomor- row.
 The fight, it is understood, will be
  code that authorizes a restricted dis trict for the social evil. Colonel John is quoted as saying that he will not countenance anything that appears on the surface as tax on this evil and that he looks upon the effort to segre- gate 1t as direct tax.
 With this feature eliminated from the bill. or adjusted in a way that will meet the approval of the members of the house, 1t is believed that the bill will pass without any argument, and that one of the prominent features Of the present Legislature which was ex- pected to occupy much of the time or the present session will be permanent ly settled.
 There is another feature of the bill that may meet with some opposition, and that is the feature that takes away from the chief of police some of the power that he now has. The friends of the bill say that this matter has already been agreed upon and that any objection that may be made will be rather for effect than with pur- pose of changing in any way the pro- visions of the bill.
 Child Labor Bill:
 The municipal code bill is 10 follow the discussion on the child labor prob- lem tomorrow. It is not thought that this bill will go through without op-
  her of the House who does not realize its importance The discussion will be chiefly on the provisions for enforc- ing the law.
 It is realized by the legislators that it is a difficult task to see to 1t that the mill owners do not evade the law Under the present situation of affairs the inspection of mills Is left to the inspector of prisons. Dr. Shirley Bragg. It is required of him that he inspect 13O prisons and mills in the State and those who have the best interests Of the child labor bill at heart declare that it will be a matter of impossibil- ity for him to see to it that any law regulating the employment or minors is properly enforced.
 For this reason an amendment has been proposed to the bill. that provides for an assistant to the present prison inspector. whose duties will be to look after the mills only. He will be re- auired to make systematic visits to these mills and see to 1t that If the present bill becomes law, and there is little doubt but that 1t will. In the minds of the Legislators, girls under the age of fourteen and boys under the age of twelve are not employed.
 Sunday Train Bill.
 In the Senate there will be con- sideration of the Sunday freight train bill This Is not the raw that was turned down by both houses on Thurs dav last. but another introduced by Senator Overton that gives to the Railroad Commission the power to stop the running of freigh, trains when ever the commission deems that 1t IS not necessary.
 opposition both in the House and m the Senate, should it rea:n that lar. There are those who believe that the nurnose of te bill is--to put into the hands of a few men the power to do inst what the House has decided snail not be done.
 These legislators who are seeming ly opposed to this bhl say mat while the bill purports to place tnis power in the hands of the railroad connhis- sion only after it is satisfied that the aouinment of a railroad Is sufficient to warrant its handling all the treisht on week days. there Is nothing Tn the hill which would prevent the commls- sion from making an aroltary rullhs that freight trains should not De run on sunday at any time. In other words if is asserted that the Overton hill really accomplishes ;n an lndlreft lhanner, the same purpose as was m tended by the bill that the House turned down. .,,
 The statement was made last nign by a SOlOn WnO ueCidiou ~ opinion the Overton bill would pass that it was not intended the railroao commission should at any time take advantage of the provisions or the measure. According to this statement the enactment of the bill is sought by its administration packers as a club te be used on the railroads, to make then "be good"
 what would be easier" he asked "than for the railroad commission should this measure be enacted. to dip lomatically tell the railroads that they must sit stil and take their little pei let's of medicine, however bitter they might be, in the shape of rate reduc. tion orders, new depots. or what not under the penalty of havinf Sunday freight trains declared Illegal and ob- solete? There seems no question in my mind but that the provisions of that h,iI could be used by the administra- tiop as a club very effectively
 Killed by Switch Engine.
 V,,lx GVa gaI