The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-17
Formal Proclamation Issued Yesterday. 10 MAKE PROHIBITION
 ORGANIC LAW OF STATE Biennial E Sessions Bfl Is Again
 Introduced. E,awnakers Expect to wrangle U Thrsush Many Hot Dayu. as
 Quantity of Lesisistis.
 is AvpaIiias.

In his formal proclamation. which For muitifariousness has never been ,eauallsd in any similar Alabama docu-. 'msnt. Governor Conner yesterday made Known the subject matters of his pref erence at the coming extra session of 4hs Legislature. Even those admirers Of the Governor who were not '1et in" on what he might include in the call expreAsed themselves as sstontshed At the regular "cloud burst" nature of the proclamation.
 And those stars of the second magni- tude in state politics, whoever they may be, trembled to read the call, fear ing that in the flood and tumult that 1s coming, their pet measures will be lost In the melstrom.
 constitutional amendments, three of them, gre in the call, including the biennial sessions that was defeated at the polls last year. the new county kmendment that went the same route. and . prohibition amendment. Then follow the vast miscellaneous subjects in which 1t is proposed in q doxen or more ways to make over. crazy-quilt. plug and revamp the statewide prohi- bition law. to take another shot at the railroads, offering an uniform jury system for trials of criminal cases general law for commission form of government. taxation of foreign liquor agencies. uniform legislation with ref erence to school districts cluster Of bills for refiiltng the State Treasury, increasing the contingent fund of the Governor. increasing the money avail able for the States fighting the rail. Foads to the finish. revising the stat utes which provide for keeping the three State funds separate, establish- ment of means to protect the oyster beds of the gulf counties, revision of She state forestry laws. and . score or tnore of other subjects.
 Amen dmentw a Surprise.
 STne amendments came rather as a surprise to the majority of gossipers ct the Capitol That on prontoition ktssrs were who thought t would not he included Those, on bienniai ses- pions and new eountisa caught many of the politicians uuawATes. and set snany tongues to waggtng. They oyer- ehadowed other proposais. in supnerssu ss fy the treasury deficit--the group of bills for increasing taxes on soft drink atands for increasing the franchise tax on foreign corporations TOT in- creasing the Governors own contin- gent fund and his legal expense pii' portant criminal statutes. The amend ments cast for the day q misty veil nvsr theve measures. and set. too. the nolitical oracles to thinking hard.
 Out of the biennial sessions arnend- ment, the soothsayers, who have been predicting the Governors intention 10 run for United States Senate. seem to get d lot of satisfaction. But they re- prove themselves for one thing; they forecasted his race. but they missed tne means by which he will ascend, they said. At first the saying went tnat the Governor would resign 70 mske .ss the race. They now acknowledge that a better device than resignation might he found in the biennial sesgions.
 For if the biennial sessions amend rnent does carry with the people next wear. 1t will be effective in time 70 place the present Governor In 1ne racc For the position of Senator John H Rankhead The amendment would caE for the first biennial session or the Yassslature in January. 1913. Marchs4 of the same year Is the date or ex- piration of Senator Bankhead's term. If the biennial sessions amendment carries. there would be no need Tor orimary to determine Senator Bank heads successor next summer or spring as there would certainly have been IT 9he amendment were not supmitteo. Sueh a primary would come In the sniddie of the year 1919. and the actual eIsction of the Senator would fall. by She decree of tn Constitution as 1t now stands. in January. f91s-two years effer Governor Conner would have been out of office The Constitution. as well known, prohibits the Governor or otn- er state officers from running TOT the Senate within less than a year a''ef fhe expiration of This term.
 For this combination of ctrcum stances. it is being generally predicted that the Governor will be found warm iv racommen6ing the biennial sessions amendment at the polls at the same lime and in the same breath tnat e will stump for the prohibition ana the new conntv amendments
 And it is further said. that If the oovernor retains his grip on the Leg sslature as of old. he will nave the Amendments submitted some time this fail. Two reasons are given for tnis concfusion. It is said that the prom bitionists have ipressed the Governor to submit an amendment Tor proniDi, lion. The signs of the times are sald fo he taken as indicating that If pro- hibition Is ever to form a part of the Alabama Constitution. the soonor the better The recent stemming of the prohibition tide in Virginia ana ne Middle western States is said to nave goaded the prohibttionists to hurry with the amendment. which otheE~ise might have been postponed To"
 
 Then, again, if the voting on the annendments is to be postponed unth the general election set for Noven" ber, 1910, the State Democratic com nnittee may have ordered primary TOT the Senatorial nomination during the summer preceding. thus precluding the 0overnor's candidacy except that It he should run in such primary In 1910 and were nominated, and then the amendment were defeated In the fall thereafter. his nomination would cnrnt for naught. for with biennial sessions defeated. there Is no way open to the United States Senate for Eha Governor except resignation.
 L0ng Desalon Expected.
 The burden of concern among local observers is the time in which all the IeEislatfon can be accomplished. It is said that the length "f the proclama- ton portends protracted session be- ginning July 97. If there has been much detection from the Governors coterie the business af the session may be slow going. If the legislators re- ynain obedjent and firm. it ia said that