The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28
A TIME FOR INDEPENDENCE.


 From the Montgomery Advertiser of Tuesday.
 A significant part of the history of the present legislature is yet to be written. The place and rank to which it will be assigned in the long records of the legis- latures of Alabama since 1919 is yet to be fixed. An extraordinary session of that legislature meets today and by what is done at this session the legislature will be weighed and judged.
 Justly or unjustly the legislature has been criticised by many people in many parts of Alabama. The burden of this criticism, the larger part of 1t, has been aimed at the legislature because 1t per mitted so much interference in its af- fairs from outside sources. It has been charged that certain people out of the legislature could have passed any bill on which they put their 0. k. It has been charged that certain people, who have no membership in either house and no legal standing in either body could and did shape, all important legislation.
 The members of the legislature on calm reflection will admit to themselves that the people of Alabama regard the gover- nor, the superintendent of the Anti-Sa- loon league and the attorney for the Anti Saloon league as the fountain head of legislative power.
 The whole state knows these men and look upon them as the powerful leaders who shape and direct legislative affairs. There are not dozen members of the house and senate who have thus far sought to impress their views upon the bodies of which they are members The average man on the street.-the average man on the country road--if called upon could hardly name a half dozen mem- bers of the house and senate because of strong identification with well known measures but he could tell instantly something of the record and personality of the outsiders who are supposed to direct and shape legislation. This is an unpleasant truth-but the members of the house and senate know whether 1t Is or is not true.
 Each representative and each senator is answerable only to his own people. He needs no interpreter to stand between them and him. He needs nobody to come to him and tell him what his people
 
 an insult for another man to come to him and tell him that unless he does certain things powerful influences will go into his county or his district and see that he Is beaten. His people sent him to the capitol; they clothed him with power and responsibility. He has to ex- plain his use of that power and his dis charge of that responsibility to no man or no set of men except the constituency which he represents. It is the part of a man to meet each problem squarely as 1t comes up, to act with independence and to take instructions from no man.
 The critics of the legislature have never attacked the intentions and purposes of its members. These have been conceded to have been good But the critics have attacked the system under which out siders have been permitted to direct and shape legislation
 It is now often said: .This is the era of bossism." Every reasonable man Is bound to admit that there Is truth in the assertion. The members of the 1egis- lature would naturally resent the declara- tion that 'It is a rubber stamp to 0. k. bills that other people conceive and draw up."A policy of independence will answer the most frequent charge that is brought against the Alabama legislature.
 The request for an extraordinary ses- sion of the legislature did not come from its members. The plan for the call, the proposed legislation was conceived in con- ferences held by people outside of the house and senate. The important bills which will be presented will be drawn by outsiders. They will be drawn and presented with the conviction that the influential political leaders can put through what they want.
 But each representative and each sem ator will giv6 an account of his steward ship to the people who sent him. The hardest charge brought against him and tho body in which he served will be the charge that he allowed outside peo- pie to control and direct Legislation