The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-04
ALEXANDER BILL
HANGS IN ALANCE.
Near Beer Tax In Georgia May
Not Go Through
REVENUE MUST BE RAISED
Governor Brown is PowerIess To
Bring About Any Possible Change
in Vote Either in the Senate I
or the House.
REVENUE MUST BE RAISED

Atlanta, August Especial 1.-THE topic
| of alI-absorbing interest now is as to
what the senate will do with the general
tax act document which, as passed
by the house, bears little resemblance to
the measure which came from the COM
mittee room.
1t was raining in torrents just after the
E, house had passed tho Alexander near
| Der prohibition bill as an amendment to
the tax BILL known as section 7, and
Mrs. Mary Harris Armour, the we'll
known prohibition leader, emerged from
the capitol to go to her hotel.
I'm happy now and 1 don't care if I
| do get wet" she said, as she started
| out in the rain.
But the interesting question is whether
the senate will complete her happiness
| by finally enacting the new Alexander
! prohibition bill part of a measure
| intended to raise revenue for the state.
| Nobody seems to know just what the
| attitude of the senate is on this subject
| Some take the view that the senate is
more conservative than the house and
will knock out the prohibition section,
| along with some of the other peculiar
bill.
Support of Amendment.
Others express the view that the anti
administration senators will support the
Alexander amendment, regardless of the
question of near-beer or no near-beer,
for the purpose of embarrassing Cover
nor Brown, by putting it up to him either
to veto the general tax act, which he
cannot do without calling an extra ses-
sion to make new tax bill, or to ap-
prove it and along with ii the new proht-
bition bill 1t is said that while the gov
ernor has the right to veto any particular
section of the general appropriations Dill,
he does not have the same power with
reference to the general tax act and that
he must either veto or approve the entire
measure. There appears, however. to be
some little question upon this point.
It has become apparent during the SEES
sion that Governor Brown is at a decided
disadvantage so far as the legislature is
concerned but he has pursued the wise
policy of not attempting to interfere in
any matters of legislation
When Governor Hoke Smith was elect
ed there was also chosen a legislature
which was generally in line with his pol
icies; he had a good working majority
with him in both the house and senate
The senate was rather close, however. but
when 1t came to a question of what Gov
ernor Smith wanted, he sent for one or
two senator's and practically put the
screws on them to make them vote his
way.
Brown Is Not Factor.
Governor Brown couldn't do that even
II he were so inclined. The house is known
to have a considerable majority against
him, in fact the members are said TO
be something like two to one for Hoke
Smith. The senate, as regard the present
and past administration, is very close, and
there is no telling what 1t would do II IL
came to an issue But with the house
apparently antagonistic to the administra-
ton there is not much it has to hope
for in the way of progressive legislation
unless ii is upon some question which may
happen to appeal to the other side-some
question into which craftsmanship does not
and cannot extensively enter.
The house has sent the tax bill to the
senate and the finance committee of that
body will be busy with 1t practically all
the week 1t may be reported back to
the senate by Friday or Saturday, after
which 1t will take a couple OF days at
least to get a final vote and then there
will probably be changes enough to result
in a hot conference committee fight before
an agreement is reached between the two
houses
In the meantime the house is proceeding
to work on the general appropriations
, bill which, with the McLendon case, will
| take up the rest of the week in that body.
| This will leave the house three days next
| week In which to deal with other legis-
lation Of general nature.
Near Beer Bill.
| To come back to the near beer prohibi-
| ton bill. 1t looked like revival of the
| old prohibition fight around the capitol.
Mrs. Mary Harris Armour and a number
| of well-known members of the Woman's
| Christian Temperance union, accompanied
/ by not few well-llnown state prohibition
| lists, were on hand to watch the progress
of this legislation Enthusiasm, of course,
did not run SO high, but among those
| who were there, there was plenty of 1t.
| They decked Representative Hooper Alex
ander's desk with an enormous bouquet
4 of white flowers. symbolic of the prohi-
| bition sentiment
| When the amendment had finally passed
the house, w. Woods White of Atlanta
leading prohibitionist, who was stand
ing on the floor, was overheard to re-
| mark to Mr.. Alexander:
Whats to be done next, Hooper,
Mr.. Alexander's reply was lost in the
! confusion.
1t is predicted the senate will have one
of its hardest fights on this amendment
Similar scenes are looked for that side
of the capitol when the measure comes up
for action.
Another Feature.
Another feature of the tax bill which
the senate is expected to handle without
gloves is that putting tax of cents
a gallon on all soda fountain syrups-
a tax admittedly aimed at coca-cola. The
| legislature, some members of it. have
long been trying to devise constitutional
method of taxing this corporation, and
they seem to have hit upon 1t in the per
gallon tax which hits all manufacturers
of soda fountain syrups alike. The general
belief is that the senate will make a ma
! terial reduction in this tax as it prob
, ably will in a number of others which
] the house has put into the bill.
1t is generally thought however, that
the senate will be more strongly gov
erned by the status of the treasury in
acting on the tax bill than was the
! house Whatever turn the senate dis
cussion of the matter may take there
is disposition to make taxes and ap-
preparations accord more evenly.
e If the state loses the near-beer tax of
: $4,000 a year under the Alexander
s amendment, it will be necessary to cut
e down some of the appropriations by that
i figure, for the treasury is already on the
: verge of deficit. Nor has any provision
S yet been made to take care of the public
9 school teachers to whom the state is sew
$ eral months behind in its payments.
, 1t looks like the effort to embarass the