The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-21
LOVELADY LOCAL OPTION BILL,
 STRIKES SNAG IN THE SENATE

of the Sonata. The adroit and skil,ful fight made on the measure In the sen- ate was surprising to all It had pass ed the House and the Senate Commit zee with oniy the slightest opposition. " strong. apparently. had been the sentiment for it. that thss opponents of the measure had been able only to beg It's friends to accept little amend ment now and then. and these am.nd- ments had been refused.
 The bill was thought to have pro- portionateiy as many friends in the Senate as IL had l. the House. and it was thought 1t would pass the upper the House. fhe stubborn stand made against 1t in the Senate was as surpris- ing to foe as to friend. While the friends of the measure are absolutely certain a majority of the Senators want the bill passed, they were unable to do 1t yesterday. The minority was stub born as well as adroit. and its gener- alship rather surprised the friends of the measure.
 Calls Bin . sham.
 For the first time, bold and open att tacks have been made upon the meas ure on the legislative floor. Senator Spragins denounced 1t as "a sham. @ pretense. a measure which pretends to be local option biil, and which in fact is prohibition bill" He declared further that in his opinion the Cover nor would be forced to veto the meas ure. for in his message he had asked for an "ec aitab.e" local option bill, and that measure had been given him. MT. Spragins also " ant after some of the men who were behind the measure, who had attempted to line up members of the Legislature as friends and asoci- ates of the whiskey men because they were opposed to the unfair measure.
 Senator Thomas on the floor made the solemn declaration that "faith nad been broken with him. by the gen. tieman who lead in this movement. He recounted the circumstances In which he had been given assurance the local option bill would provide that where a dispensary was estab. lished, there could be no liquor fight or election for four years. and in which that pledge given him had been broken
 The bill in its original form was ably supported by Senators Wilson, Ga rdner and Overton.
 The severest attack was made on the measure by Senator Sprasins who denounced it as one of the most unfsir measures that had been preaenfrd to the Legislature
 "The bili purports to be a local op- ton bill" said Senator SDragins. "ontion means choice and local means pertaining to a locality. The bill pro. vides neither one nor the ether. Read 1t and you find 1t is not a local option bill. but a prohibition irn."
 Senator sprspins recounted the hard nght which had just been made in Madison county over the dispensary. and he declared the hill proposed to renoen that fight thing to which he objected. He read the Democratic rlatform. and tho message of the Gov. ernor on the question of local oo! ton bill. and he declared the p~~d. Ing measure was not what was called for by either the niatform or the nor stood bv what he said in hts mes- sage the bili would be vetoed.
 spraRins Goes After Ministers.
 Senator Snpa gins read an article from the Alabama Citizen the ofi- eial organ of the Avti-SaioHn Lea ~ue. in which certain members of the House were at'uded to as giving comfort to the whiskev men of the State. He saia the editors Of the paper were minister's. but he had been brousht up to believe tho eaif'ns ofsa minis tet~ was hI~her and r"hier than was v@Ne~teS from that article. He assred if Christ. if He were ou earth. wouid have writtar su"h an a~tieie. nreiuA~- inc and m'sidu@inq is fellow meU Ha was of the oninion thst ra'0istews tn fh's f~ht had hAen guilty of too mneh He"eun"ing and he declared m -,sn "onid prove 10 the reorta nf Madison "n~1tv. af1e~ he had lad that annrA<%. f"' d'snensarv hsht. that he wac not a fr'n~S to the tanns~a~~e unove-nart
 When the Senate aAtourned. the so~- at"~s w~-a s'ifi discuss,~~ Fha hilI.
 Tn cal'n~ for the cNnsi@e-a+'on of the LoveINdv hill Serotov Mcwho-te- hold Tn hts hsn1 eouuIA of aynend- rvents which had hee0 pgreed uu~n hv 'he committee and which only changed the werhis Re of the hfil.
 The amendment which br6ugh+ on fhe hWht wee the amendnn"nt ofr"~ed hv Senator Merritt. Tn Senator MeF- rttt's home town of Tusksqee there Is dispensarv. His amendment went to the. heart of the d"estioa. for it in- terAsted every Senator In whose dis- tricts were located any dispensaries.