The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-18
SENATOR BANKHEAD HERE LAST NIGHT In Close Touch With Senatorial
 Situation GOSSIP ON AMENDMENT We'll Informed Lawyers Say Biennial Session Is Corners Only Hope To Make Race Against
 Bankhead.
GOSSIP ON AMENDMENT IS
By c, M. STANLEY.

Senator J. H. Bankhead reached Bir- mlngham from Washington yesterday aft ernoon and will run over to his home in Jasper this morning. Senator Bankhead appears to be in perfect health and in an excellent frame of mind.
 q just ran down during a. Hull in the proceedings to visit my family at Jas per- said the senator, but am liable to be called back at any minute. I have arranged so that telegram will be sent me just as soon as a vote is to be taken on the tariff bill. You know we demo- crats haven't much to do with the malx- ing of this tariff bill any way. All we can do is to get in our votes against 1t. !"
 Senator Bankhead had little to say con- cerning the possibility of Governor Comel being in the race for the Senate next time, but he left no doubt that he Is keeping in close touch with the situation.
 Among lawyers yesterday 1t was prac- tically the unanimous opinion that Gov ernor Corners only chance of making the race for the Senate to succeed Senator Bankhead lies in the adoption of a bien- nial sessions amendment. In case this amendment carries there will be a regular session of the legislature in January, 1913 more than year after Governor Corners 8 retirement from the governorship, which would elect Senator Bankhead's successor. The federal statutes provide that the leg islature shall proceed to the election of a United States senator the second Tues day after the body is organized at the regular session next preceding the date of the approaching vacancy in the Sem ate. AS matters stand at present the leg islature of January, 1911 will do this, and that date will be too early for Gov ernor Conner to be in the race and abide by the spirit of the Alabama constitution. which provides that he shall not be elect ed to the Senate within year after the expiration of his term of office.
 The assertion is freely made that even though the governor should resign from his present office a year ahead of time he would not be eligible to the office of senator because under the constitution he would have to be elected in less than a year after the expiration of his term of office, for the term would still be his even though another man filled the office for the last year.
 When the call of the governor had been digested yesterday 1t was received with various emotions. The three proposed amendments came in for more discussion than any other portion of the document, and there were those bold enough to pre- dict that none of the three would be sub mitted to the people. It was pointed out that in the first place 1t will require a three-fifths vote of all the members elect ed to both houses in order to get them summitted to the people. And 1t Is a pretty difficult matter to line up that many votes for the propositions. At least three members of the Jefferson county delegation are known to be opposed to all three of the amendments, and there may be more. One well informed man went so far as to say yesterday that the administration really was not heart and soul behind the three amendments, but that they had been put forward chiefly to distract attention while some other matters were being put through. The 'other matters of course, consist prin- cipaly of prohibition strengtheners.