The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-26
Some Live Questions Are to Be
 Settled In Georgia
THE PROHIBITION FIGHT
Whole Matter Depends Upon How Governor Brown lnterprets Prom ise He Once Made on Subject
 of Liquor Legislation.

bearing upon the discharge of the former
 railroad commissioner transmits this evil
 dence to the two branches of the general
 assembly on Monday, the matter will f1n-
 ally be before the two houses for ao-
 ton. They will now have the opportunity
 to say whether or not they approve the i action of ex-Gov Hoke Smith.
 There has as yet been no official dis
 cussion of the merits of this interesting
 case. The investigating committee was
 restricted to the collection of evidence. It l was not called upon to submit any report 1 or recommend any course of action
 Everything that has happened up to
 present time was of a preliminary charac-
 ter. The lines of battle are drawn up. however. The plans of campaign have i been drawn, and Monday will see the lines uncovered and the skirmishing be-
 gin
 i In addition to the consideration of the 1 McLendon discharge from the railroad
 commission, the legislature faces the pros
 peot of spirited fight to amend the pro-
 hibition law of the state by annihilating near-beer, providing for a tax confer
 renee to discuss and devise a comprehen-
 sive and equitable taxation system, or a 1 constitutional convention which will re-
 model the organic law of the state.
 In addition to these big problems of leg islation, the major part of the serious , work of the sessions remains to be done. 1 Consideration of the general tax act only l began on Friday. This measure and the
 appropriation bills are yet to be acted
 upon in both houses. So the prospects
 are that the members of the Georgia gen.
 eral assembly in the time that remains
 of the present session-a little over two
 weeks-will be as busy as a one-armed 1 paperhanger with the hives.
 1 The Prohibition Fiqht. Of more sensational interest than the
 question of whether or not the discharge
 of the former chairman of the railroad
 commission, Hon. s. G. McLendon, Is to
 be reversed or to stand affirmed is the at
 tempt to make more stringent the prohi- l bition law in Georgia
 In view of the promise secured by the 1 prohibition leaders from Hon. Joseph M.
 Brown and Hon. Hoke Smith when each
 was a candidate for governor, 1t was ex- l pected that no attempt would be made to
 secure any change in the state prohibit
 ton law during the two years of Gov
 ernor Browns first term. The effort has
 been made, however, and the indications
 are that the bill to exterminate the near
 beer saloons will be the livest issue of
 the present session
 Even if such a law should be passed
 however, 1t is probable that Governor
 Brown would not sign it. Dr. John E, 1 White. one of the staunchest prohibition
 leaders in the state, appeared before the temperance committee of the house of rep l resentatives on Thursday and assured the
 members that the governor would feel | compelled to veto any measure changing 1 the present law. For his own part, Dr. | White said there was no doubt where he
 stood on this subject, but he felt morally
 bound by the pledge he, with Hon. Seab
 Wright, M. J. Cofer. Dr. Len G. Brough- ton, as committee of the Anti-Saloon ! league of Georgia, had secured from Jo-
 seph M. Brown when a candidate for gov l ernor.
 Had conditions turned out so that ! the liquor interests would have made an | attempt to overturn the law, we would
 have insisted upon his rigid observance of
 his pledge to the Anti-saloon league, {"
 said Dr. White. "Now that we ourselves i would like to see the abomination called
 near-beer saloons wiped out, can we af-
 ford to ignore our moral obligation as a l party to that contract I for one do not
 feel that I can.'
 | Dr. Len G. Broughton takes the posi- | tion that the pledge referred only to pro-
 hibiton laws and not to regulation of
 near-beer.
 l A strong, determined and relentless fili-
 buster will be brought to life by any de- | termined attempt to push the considera- ton of the Alexander bill. That fact
 has already been disclosed by the tactics adopted on Friday by MT. Anderson of Chatham and MT. Ellis of Bibb.
 Even some prohibitionists, who are per- sonally friendly to Governor Brown, pro fess to see in the anti-near-beer bill mere ly an attempt to embarrass Governor Brown, and to store up campaign ma teria1 for next year.
 When asked whether he would or would not veto the Alexander bill if enacted by the general assembly, Governor Brown replied that he twas not in the habit of crossing bridges until he got to them"
 As To Constitutional Convention. The main argument being used by the advocates Of a constitutional convention is the absolute necessity for compre- hensive and sane revision of the laws gov erning taxation in Georgia. According to Attorney General John c. Hart the Geor- CE. and amounts to practically little more than passing around the hat and receiving voluntary contributions. A number of proposals for amendments to the state constitution to permit the formation of new counties, and for other purposes. are now pending before the legislature and have been side-tracked until the main question of whether or not there is to be a convention Is settled.
 The McLendon Investigation. | The joint committee of the two houses of the general assembly have completed their task of collecting evidence in the McLIendon case. According to the view | of Mir. Anderson of Chatham, they were mere animated photographs anyway" | It requires the approval by both houses l of ex-CSovernor Smiths act to complete | the suspension of Railroad Commissioner | MoLendon. If one house fails to act and | the legislature adjourns, he will be re- | turned to office by the operation of law. | If both houses by majority vote uphold
 the suspension order he will go out.
 The friends of the deposed chairman are l insisting that the legislature, in consid- | ering and acting upon Governor Smiths
 order, cannot go behind the reasons there | for given in his official message to | the legislature Any other matters bear | ing upon the service of Commissioner Me- | Lendon, which became subsequently, l known or were then known to members l of tho general assembly, must be taken | up in another form as furnishing ground | for removal. If the lower house believes 1 there arc sufficient grounds for impeach-
 ment proceedings. his friends say, they | will ignore the governors message and prepare articles of impeachment against | (tk.ntr KzT