Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-10

mer. who appealed from his conviction in
the lower court, and the supreme court
declared the law unconstitutional be
cause the record of the senate journal Is
incomplete concerning the legislation.
Owing to the Incidence, indifference or
ignorance of the clerk Of the senate. the
journal Of the proceedings kept by him
does not show that several bills which
were reported unfavorably from commit
tees were reported at all. The journal
shows that they all were introduced and
| referred to conmittees. but only favor
able reports upon such bills were re-
corded.
There is no reference whatever In the
Journal to the adverse reports which were
made by different committees upon sew
eral bills. including those for the creation
of a Greater Birmingham and the two
foot gun law" The supreme court Of the
| state takes the ground that the legisla-
| ton was therefore incomplete and insult
ficient. and that the failure Of the clerk
to make record in his journal when
| these bills were reported adversely by the
committees is equivalent to non-action.
and leaves them null and void.
The two bills referred to were reported
favorably from committees of the lower
house hut adversely from committees Of
the senate, but were called up by the
| minority members and passed over the
heads of the majority Of those commit
| tees. The decision of the court on this
technicality has been severely criticised
| but the advocates Of Greater Birming-
ham believe that 1t is easier to secure a
re-enactment of the law than to carry 1t
any farther through the courts.
Temperance Legislation.
What is known as the anti-shipping
law which was passed by the prohibit
| tionists to prohibit the shipment of liquor
| from wet" to dry counties of the
state. also comes under the same tech
ncallty. and is null and void because the
clerk of the senate did not make a note
| in the journal of the proceedings of its
adverse report from q committee OF that
body. But that Is not so important be-
cause the same legislature afterward
passed a statewide prohibition law
which makes all traffic In liquors unlaw-
full and all counties dry.
There Is good deal OF anxiety here
concerning the future policy Of the Ten
nessee Coal and Iron Company. which. as
you know. was absorbed by the United
the panic OF 1907 with the consent and
approval Of President Roosevelt That
transaction was investigated by a COM
mittee Of the United States Senate. and
has been discussed at every cross roads.
But as the greater part of the indus
tries of Birmingham and the towns in
its vicinity are under the control of that
company. the future use of its plant Is Of
vital interest to every individual directly
or indirectly Mr.. Ryan of the Birming
ham Age-Herald. who is one of the best
informed men in the city about such at
fairs. says that the apprehension that was
felt here shortly after the consolidation
has generally subsidized. and that the peo-
pie have reached the conclusion that the
amalgamation will be of great benefit to
Birmingham.
But was not able to get any satisfac-
tory information from the officials of the
company They are deaf and dumb con-
corning details. and the following nom
committal statement from the highest
authority was all the satisfaction l could
get. 1t is, however. official.
Statement of officials.
Here 1t is:
THE regeneration of the Tennessee
Coal. Iron and Railroad Company's prop
critics. so to speak, may be said to date
from the early part of 1901. when Don
H. Bacon, formerly Of the Federal Steel
Company. in charge of it's iron ore in
terests. became chairman Of the Tonnes
see company. During the succeeding five
years under Mr.. Bacon's administration
the principal work OF improvement and
development consisted of putting the ore
and coal properties in better physical and
operating condition. installing modern
mining facilities, etc. although during
this time an open hearth steel plant and
a rail mill were constructed. rails being
manufactured from open hearth steel.
THE output of rails from this plant
was comparatively small Gin 1905 only
1853 900 tons having been produced
and at q cost which made the busi-
ness Improbable.
I'm 1905, when the Schley-Gates syn
dictate became potential in the company,
a policy Of expansion and Improvement
of the steel works and rolling mills was
entered upon. A new and larger steel
plant was to be built and the rail mill
remodeled: similarly extensive develop
ment work was carried on at the ore
and coal mines, and at the coke plants.
From January I. 1906. to November 1.
1907. the date when the United States
Steel Corporation acquired control Of
the stock. SO, 0OO, 900 had been expend-
ed in charging and improving the
property.
The steel corporation. upon acquiring
control, vigorously continued the i'm
provement work then under way and
materially enlarged the scope of the
improvements. Since 1T has become in
terested in the property the steel cor
poration has put into 1t for additions
and improvements $1,000 900, and In
addition has advanced $2.5OO.OOO in dis
charge of floating debts of the Ten
nessee company existing at the time
the corporation acquired control.
The present annual capacity of the
company is 100000 tons of pig iron.
100000 tons Of raw steel and 100000
tons of rolled steel products. 1t also
has an output of about l 100000 tons of
coal and coke for sale.