The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-23
POLITICS AND MORE POLITICS The Air is Thick With
 Much Gossip. FAMOUS aBREAK" DISCUSSED Prohibition Leaders Surprised At
 List of Names. They Were Astonished. at sesne of the Signatures Attached to the Call For . Conference To Op-
 pose Constitutienal
 Prohibition.

Political declarations by Rev. Brooks Lawrence and Judge S. D. Weakley when they returned to Birmingham from the main labors of the extra ses- sion have not influenced local observ- CTS of political conditions to any great degree. They continue to believe that the Superintendent of the Anti-Sal loon League and the Governor are not the allies that they once were. the fac- tor from Ohio. instead of keeping out of the Gubernatorial race, is going to shape his fight in behalf of some can didate; that Judge Weakley will likely not be the man. and that the argu- ment Is distasteful to the Governor.
 of course. Judge Weakley has not announced his candidacy at this time. He has declared that he Is not sure of being a candidate. that the people must wait for bis answer a few days hence. MT. Lawrence. taking notice of the report of his break" with the Governor. hasteneo tc 1eny any al- liance with a candidate. He declares that the League will hand off" any one man, looking solely to the inter ests of constitutional prohibition.
 Positive as are the late statements of the men. nothing in them can he construed into . denial that there is q disappointment some where. Nobody questions oft repeated rumor that af- ter the passage of the constitutional hill by the Senate there was an es- arrangement between Governor Com CTS office and the Ohio manager of the Alabama Anti-Saloon League, Nor since the caucus at. the Exchange, which sounded the death kneil of tisn- nial sessions. have Judge Weakley and MT. Lawrence been seen together.
 The conclaves of the Gcvernor's office took no account of ths Ohio sup erintendent after the throw down on biennial sessions. On the contrary. 1t is believed that the Governor and his legal adviser took the rsins in their own hands and that te preserve the independence" of the administration, Judge weakley is canjidate--real but unannoupced.
 T am pretty sure you have gauged the thing right on biennial sessions" a close friend of the Governor was heard yesterday to remark. "The Gov ernor's affections for Mallory, you know. have never been marked. The Governor maintains that he could have carried biennial sessions-this much he told me-if he had conceded certain matters to the Mallory people This he refused to do, and that's the reason that biennial sessions was, nev- CT pushed"
 All of which is but proof that Col. Mallory had a good. strcng hand some where along the line during the ses- sion. More than once he was seen in intimate conference with MT. Law renee. It is known that while talk of the extra sessions was brewing back in June, Col. Mallory was approached from the temperance side. What con- sessions the Governor has reference to which would hays won him biennial sessions Is not known. but it. seems to be an admission of Mallory's strength at some point In the prohi- bition circle.
 On the other hand, the opponents of constitutional prohibition seem to have taken much heart by the an- nouncement yesterday of the big con- ference of leaders scheduled for Mont gomery on September Is. It Is said that the list of names signed to the call showed surprising strength, and that it Is a hard blow to the common assertion of those in favor of consti- tutional prohibition that only the whis- key element was opposing the amend ment.
 It surprises me-" remarked a man. ager of Governors last campaign in one of tine strongest counties of the State. T thought that the amendment light would divide the people along the old Conner and anti-Comer lines, Il Knew he nao thrown all ms support to the submission of the amendment by the Legislature and this would natur- ally lead one to believe that he would awake his following to the side of the amendment.
 But not so I see in the list of signers men who were my leading forces when we carried our County for Conner. Without their help would have never undertaken the campaign management. It certainly makes the county doubtful when I once thought 1t certain for the amendment"
 Another wiseacre in discussing the list of signers said: T was surprised to see among them city and circuit judges who know will nave to stand for reelection. I see in the list men