The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-10
HENRY GRAY WINS
HIS FIRST BATTLE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE IL
members to wait for the Inauguration {
the lieutenant governor.

members to wait for the Inauguration of
the lieutenant governor.
Senator Thomas.
Senator Thomas, the president pro tenn,
was recognized to address the senate ON
the Spragins resolutions He went over
the ground from the time the matter
of selecting the committees had first come
up and related how the administration,
as he saw 1t, came to support Mr.. Gray
He said that it was not the desire of
the head of the new administration to
fight him and he would not have done
so if Mr.. Gray had not created condi-
tons that made it necessary to do SO.
While sparing the Gray forces none in
his criticisms of the methods used to
encompass his defeat Mr.. Thomas did not
seem disposed to cast any of the blame
upon Mr.. Conner who, he thought, had
been unwlttingly drawn into the contro-
versy. He believed that the men who
had voted for Cunningham for governor
were to be punished and deserted that
kind of politics.
Through 1t all the speaker was for har-
mony and gave assurance that 1t was
his intention to be entirely loyal to tho
senate and the party He was a democrat
and had fought for and never against
democrats and he was going to stand
right by the senate always. Senator
Thomas closed his speech by endorsing
the Spragins substitute and expressing
the hope that it would pass.
Governors Message.
The message Of the governor, which
was read in the house at noon, was
presented to the senate by ]. Kirk Jack
son, private secretary of the governor,
while Mr. Thomas was still speaking
1t was laid over to the close of the dis
cussion.
After Mr. Thomas had closed Mr.. Gard
ner was recognized and proceeded to de-
fend the action of the Gray forces and
| to express resentment for the way they
had been criticised by Mr. Thomas. He
did not think that men who had acted
or We're about to act as they thought
best should be held up to the scorn of
the senate in that way, He had been a
friend of the senator from Barbour, his
close personal friend, but he did not think
1t reasonable to let his speech pass with
out reply. He could not let charges made
by him go unchallenged. had not
been whipped into support of the lieu
tenant governor by any one and had
acted according to his best judgment, be-
lieving himself right, and yet believ-
ing so.
To a statement that lieutenant COVER
nors of other states appointed commit
tees some seemed to take issue with
| MT. NIaruner. MI. I1luSOH dShtu IL ne
knew whether the laws of those states
were the same as those of Alabama. He
said he was not prepared to answer; nor
did he think it material.
| At this iuncture Mr. Reese of Dallas
secured the floor and was bout to make
n speech. when Mr.. Spragins moved to
adjourn IT. Reese gave way and the
senate agreed by a good vote to adj
| journ.
Gray Wins on a Vote.
The first speaker on the contention as
to abrogaton of rule 80, after the re-
cess, was Reese of Dallas, who spoke on
the Spragins substitute. He said that
as a member of the constitutional con-
vention he had taken it that the duty
of appointing the committees of the SEN
ate could not be given over to the lieu
tenant governor. He was in favor of the
! Spragins substitute to the Lusk notion
ton.
Mr.. Backmon of Calhoun discussed the
| legal side of the case agreeing with Mr.
Reese that the constitution did not give
such right to the lieutenant governor.
M Lusk was amused at the desires
of some of the members who abhorred
the waste of time to the date of the
qualification of the lieutenant governor,
as he remembered. he said, that at the
last session some of the same men had
triel to take the legislature to Mobile
to Mardi Gras at the expense of the
state.
After his speech Mr.. Lusk moved to
lay the substitute on the table. 1t car
ried After the vote the point was made
that the action taken tabled the entire
matter including the Lusk resolution
Taking this view of the case the senate
reconsldered, voted to table the substi-
tute straight and then voted for the
Lusk resolution.
This was a clean victory for Gray, to
the effect that he, and not the president
pro tenn. has the right to appoint the
committees of the senate. The vote stood:
Ayes, Barbour Bales, Davis, Dorster
| Gardner, Gum, Hamburger, Hammer,
| Hayes. Horton. Leath, Lowe, Lusk Mer-
rift, Miller. McWhorter, Overton, Reid,
Reynolds. Strother White. Wilson. VIM
berly; total. 90 Nays, Backmon, For
roster, Glenn, Heacock Hinson, Jones,
King, Moody, Reese, Spragins, Teasley,
| Thomas; total. 70
After the announcement of the vote,
which was the same to accept the Lusk
| resolution, as 1t was to deny the Sprag-
is substitute, the senators who had
voted with Mr.. Thomas expressed by Mr..
Thomas, a desire to protest against any
such action by the senate and their pro-
test was spread upon the records of the
senate.
The House.
The house was called to order at 1870
o'clock by the retiring speaker, A. NJ.
Tunstall of Hale. Prayer was offered by
Rev. Mr.. Malone. one of the members.
On call of the roll 102 were found to be
present The journal was approved with
out reading.
]. Manley Foster of Tuscaloosa. who
was not present Tuesday, was sworn in.
NJ C. Ragsdale of the Jefferson delega-