The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-28

pending effort to get a reduction in the
 tax on locker clubs, or social clubs,
 wherein the members are permitted to
 keep liquors in lockers. The tax on this
 class of clubs has been 5000, and there Is
 pending a proposal to reduce it to $200.
 The chances seem rather strongly against
 the reduction.
 The house will be at work on the gen.
 eral tax bill all the present week. It may
 finish the measure by the end of the week
 and get it over to the senate on Monday
 which would give the senate only eight
 days to dispose of it and all other import
 ant business before it.
 After that comes the general appropria-
 tions bill, and these two measures will
 take practically all of the remaining time
 of the session. Any other bills which
 get through toward the close of the session will be only such as the rules
 committee of the house may designate, for under the new rules this committee has absolute power to dictate what meas ures shall be taken up for passage during the last seven days of the session. Prohibition Bill Doomed. Every day Representative Hooper Alex anders new prohibition bill looks more and more loke dead duck in the pit It looked like an exceedingly live meas uio lOI u tllllct lnlIOQuCcQ ds IL Mdb lOI the evident purpose of embarrassing the administration of Gov. Joseph M. Brown, and getting him ''in bad'' with the prohi- bitionists in the event he should veto the measure which he would undoubtedly do, should it ever get to him.
 But there are too many obstacles now In the way of this new prohibition move ment to permit of its coming to vote in the house. The general tax act. general rtatt< HzT1 don case are enough to occupy the house for the next two weeks after which | there will be but three legislative days | left.
 1 It would be an easy enough matter to | stave 1t off for a week by filibuster should | it ever show its head, but there Is every | indication that this will not be necessary | since even its ardent advocates do not I seem inclined to permit 1t to endanger | the passage of the essential administra- | tive bills
 | Then. too, Representative Hooper Alex | ander has evinced a disposition not to | push the bill this week.
 The discovery that a measure prohibit | ing the sale of any beverage containing l alcohol in any proportion whatever, would | outlaw numerous soda fountain syrups, | including coca cola, which constitutes the ! product of one of the greatest of Geor- Bla 5 lHuuStTlts, IS thought lO nave uao 1 something to do with the lukewarmness | which has been manifested toward the 1 measure of late by some of It's most | ardent friends.
 Altogether the measure is now viewed l as an attempt at shrewd political move which didn't work out.
 Many of the leading prohfbitionists, | as much as they disapprove of near | beer, have manifested their opposition | to the Alexander measure to suppress | near beer" hc ause they are satis- | fled that the situation should remain as l 1t Is under the agreement made in tn c
 last campaign and because, too, they l fear the agitation of this matter would hurt rather than help the cause. 'I see no good in this Alexander l bill" remarked a member of the house | who voted for the prohibition bill two years ago, and who Is also an ardent friend of GoverAor Smith. There is
 nothing whatevdr to be accomplished d
 by it. The mea ture will never become
 law and in present state of leg | islation 1t Is plly to agitate it. If | the bill shovA its head again during ! the present E Bsion. as friend of pro-