The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-07
Prohibition By Statutory Amend nsnt Is Certainty f
 Session Is Held
BROOKS LAWRENCE TELLS
 OF CHANGE IN PLANS
It Appears To Be Certain That a Reso- lntion Looking To Adjournment of Legislature To February
 Will Be Introduced.
BY c. M. STANLEY.

BY c. M. STANLEY. Montgomery, November -tSpecialD Although less than half of the members l of the Alabama legislature are here to- night for the session which opens to- morrow. two very important things
 developed during the evening. The first 1 is that the legislature may possibly
 take an adjournment at once until
 about February l. There is d strong feeling among the members now here
 that the present Is a very inopportune
 time for a session of the legislature as
 they fear that any action taken might 1 have bad effect on conditions which l have already assumed q threatening as- | pect within the past ten days. Another thing which developed to- night is that If the legislature remains | in session now the state of Alabama will by this time next year have prohi- bition of the sale and manufacture of l liquors incorporated in It's constitution l Statutory prohibition is not what the
 leaders in the movement seek Brooks | Lawrence, superintendent of the Anti l Saloon league, who Is here said to-
 night
 | Brooks LaWrence's Views. | State prohibition by constftutionaI 1 amendment Is what l shall advocate 1 because l believe 1t the best solution ] or the problem. A constitutional amend :. ment must go before the people and
 their wishes should be the law of the l state If they become dissatisfied with
 prohibition then the question of repeal 1 ing the amendment must again come l before the people. In either case 1t l will be the will of the people speaking and not the sentiment of mere legis- | laturc. If a statutory prohibition bill Is 1 introduced looking to state prohibition
 either after January 1st, April fst ar July 1st and they ask me to support if 1 will, of course, do what l can 10
 secure It's enactment. but am fret. | last and all the time for prohibition by | constitutional amendment in Alabama Any future Legislation which may be | friendly to the liquor interests could | repeal q statutory law. but If Il Is writ l ten into the constitution. no one but | the voters of the state can recall the l saloons after they are once driven out. l Six months ago l was opposed to even statutory prohibition for Alabama
 because l did not believe public senti- ment was sufficiently aroused 10 secure it's enforcement. but now things are l changed. The constitutional amend
 
 | and with our law and order leagues it's l practical enforcement Is assured. l T want to say in this connection. that
 violations of the prohibition laws in Ala l bama even under the local option plan
 are going to be serious affairs. 1 have l been looking over the Alabama constitu-
 tion and find some of the best impeach- | ment laws l have ever seen. If judges and solicitors become derect in their | duty in these matters these impeachment
 laws will be brought into service. The 1 people Of Alabama are demanding prohi-
 bition and we must give them the genu- | inc article.''
 l Talk of Adjournment.
 As 10 the talk of adjournment the mem- | bers of the legislature are reticcnt. Gov 1 ernor Conner spent the entire evening in the lobby at the New Exchange greeting l the members as they came in, taking | each one side separately for few words l of advice. encouragement or greeting. The | resolution looking to adjournment, after | tho reading of the governors message | s sure to be introduced and there arc l many who believe IL may carry. Even 1 if il fails there are many of the gover-
 nors friends who do not hesitate to say | that q more inopportune time for d. ses-
 sion of the legislature could hardly have
 been chosen. The uncertain business out l look, the pressing duties at honfe and | the apparent lack of necessity for the | present gathering are working strongly 1 in the minds of some, who are other l wise strong supporters of the governor, | to crystalize a sentiment looking to ad- 1 journment until a more suspicious time Reasons of Opposition. In certain quarters where the sentiment | against the present extra session is | strongest 1t is interesting to hear them | out1tna their req Sons for opnositiou Why" said one "did not Governor l Conner have every bill he had drawn up l passed at the first session with scarcely l a dissenting voiee2 And did he not spend | $ll00 of the peoples money to have them ! drawn so they would stand? And then ! did not the summer session vote him s50.- | GOO of the peoples money to pay attor- | neys to put the laws into force? Cover l nor Conner has had his way in every 1 thing he has asked. why then should hs 1 infict an extra session on the state at | this time?''
 | The Governor knows what he is doing | though. and he shows in every line Of l his face that he is prepared to cause ! somebody some more sleepess nights. 1 victory in Kings county was due to ] Mir Roosevelts strength in Brooklyn. l said tonight that he believed the de- l would be obliged to accept a renomina- 1 tion
 l Chairman Woodruff had been asked | where he stood on the presidential st. | uatlon when he replied:
 1 T propose to adopt new policy l the policy of silence, but l don't mind expressing my opinion which can not l in any way indicate where I stand on | the question at this time.
 "1 am firmly of the opinion that the ] demand for the renomination of Theo- l dore Roosevelt will be so strong next l spring that the President will be obliged to accept tie renomination. Ev- l cry indication points to his being swept i Into office by an oyerwh elming vote l Under the leadership of Roosevelt i in the nation and of Hughes in the | state. the rank and file of the Inde- | pendence league will in my judgment vote hereafter with the republican
 paxVf-"