The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-19
GOODWATER WINNER
COURT HOUSE BILL PASSES LOWER
 HOUSE.
Measure to Hold Separate Term In C0osn County Town Occupies Greater Pert of Night
 ScR.iOn.

The Goodwater court bill monopo- lized the attention of the House Men- day night for over an hour, being fln- ally passed over the protest of Repre- sentative Johnson of Coosa County, by a vote of 46 to 13. The test vote on the bill was on motion by Mir. John son to indefinitely postpone the meas ure, which was lost by vote of over two to one.
 This has been one of the most pic- turesque fights in the Legislature Rep- resentative Johnson was bitter oppo- nent of the measure to establish terms of the Circuit Court at Goodwater, twenty miles from the county seat, Rockford. and on the railroad, which Rockford is not. But Senator White was just as intense in his friendship for the bill.
 He introduced the measure in the Senate, where 1t passed without oppo- sition. He then went before the House Committee on Local Legislation, to which it had been referred, as did a delegation of Coosa County citizens, to urge the favorable report of the bill. This was decided upon, despite the op- position of Mir. Johnson, at a meeting of the committee last Friday, and it was Chairman Haley of that commit tee who last evening led the success full fight for the bill on the floor of the House.
 Fifty-eight members of the House responded to their names on the initial roll cali at the local legislation session of the House last evening.
 Local bills were immediately taken up and consumed the entire evening session, nine measures being passed.
 When Dallas County was reached on the call of counties. Mir. Haley of Jefferson, to whom the call had been assigned, asked for the passage of Sen ate bill No. 24T. the Goodwater Court bill. for a separate term of the Cir cult Court for Coosa County at that place.
 MT Johnson of Coosa at once ob- jected to the passage of the measure. st had been an issue in the primary campaign, he said, and the people fa- voring the Goodwater bill had been defeated decisivcly, and he had been elected to the Legislature on that issue,
 Mir. Haley replied as chairman of the Local Legislation Committee. which had held a hearing on the subject. The people. of the Goodwater district. he said, were put to great trouble and ex- pcnse to attend court at Rockford. the county seat The people there agreed to furnish a court house free of ex- nense to the county, and there was no reason why they should not have a term of court, except that the people of Rockford did not want them tn.
 Mir. Long of Butler. made an im- passIoned plea for the support of the Coosa County member in his desires upon the matter. upon which he had said he made his campaign as an is- sue.
 At the close of his remarks. Mfr. John of Jefferson raised hearty laugh among the members by a satirical ref erence to Mir. Long's not infrequent appeals for votes for platform" meas ureg. He asked solemnly of the Butler County leader if there was any ref erence to the Goodwater bill in the Democratic platform, or if there was "a nigger in the woodp!ie." Mir. Long replied hotly that the gentleman from coosa was the representative of the Democrats of his county. and was en- titled to every respect as such. He is just as good a Democrat, and repre- sents as many people" he declared, "as the gentleman from Jefferson"
 Mir. Johnson again opposed the bill. saying that three -fourths of the peo- ple of the county were against 1t. He did not want to face a Legislature. he said. that would turn down member of the House under such circumstances. He appealed to the members to sup port him.
 Mfr. Maner of Montgomery favored The bill as a matter ot public neces- sity to the people of that county.
 MT. Haley of Jefferson told of the hearing by his committee on the ques- ton. when all the Coosa County peo- pIe present were in favor of the court.
 MT. Johnson asked the members to indefinitely postpone the bill.
 The roll call was demanded on his ,,o,ton to this effect and it was lost bv vote of IS to 40. The bill was then passed by vote of 46 ta 13.
 At 10 o'clock the House adjourned to 10 o'clock Wednesday morning.