The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-04

1 - WV - Ss@sS s9Acreu ArVm = e"t :
felt Of politics. that State is Alabama.
n ever q state suffered from detar-
mined and reckless bassism that state
10 Alabama
Alabama in the past four wears has
been given over TO the noisy and am
bilious agitator. The end of his reign
IL not yet In sight. And II ever
State had enough Of tissues" that state
10 Alabama. And now the Legislsture
10 called tagether again In . costly
special session. the chief purpose of
which is to furnish Trash issues" and
continued agitation. II ever = word
needed to be despised by the people of
a state the word tissue" should be de-
spised by the people Of Alabama.
The proposition Of biennial sessions
Of the Alabama Legislature. which had
wisdom and justice In II. has been lost
buried for q number Of years in the
revulsion which follows the frequent
and useless extra sessions Of the Ala
bama Lexlslature. In the past three
years 1t may be said that four sessions
Of the Legislature have been held.
The regular session vas heightened out
with 30 many recess davs. even after
It had been divided into parts, that
1t could be truly said that two sessions
of tho Legislature were held. But that
was not enough for the chief of the
politicians. A third or extra session
was held In November. 1907. And new
or before did Alabama spend money
more useiessly than Il did in the pay
ment Of the expenses Of the extra SEES
sion Of 1891
That extra session was called for
no other purpose than to compel rail-
roads to abandon their constitutional
rishtsN and agree to accept uneonsti-
tutional laws. To secure this end the
Legislature under the direction OF ex-
treme and reckless leaders passed ev-
erv radical measure and every ex-
treme bill loaded down with impossible
penalties. Reasonable men In the
House and Senate protested against
these reckless measures. It was point
ed out that such extreme measures
would make the bills unconstitutional
and defeat the very aims of the lead
ers. But what is the constitution
when q political agitator wants to
carry his point?
1t is interesting to note that the first
thing that the fourth session OF the
Alabama Legislature set itself to do
was TO repeal the reckless measures of
the extra session of 1907. The Su-
preme Court of the United States. in
the meanwhile, had spoken its mind
about such desperate legislation. The
self heavily handicapped in its liti-
cation with the railroads. 1t found
that, with such radical enactments 1t
| was destined to lose its case before
the Supreme Court and SO the Legis-
| lature, recalled into an extra session,
was set to work to get rid Of the in
cubus Of the legislation OF 1907.
In the meanwhile the gum had oozed
from the old issues. The people no
longer could be stirred to cheering
and hat throwing by teeth gritting
and denuneiation OF the railroads. That
part Of the game had been played out.
But the ministers and the church had
aroused the people on prohibition.
That was the cue-prohibition. To be
sure Alabama was under prohibition.
The law Yves fairly on the statute
books and 1t had been upheld by the
Supreme Court.
could accomplish much. They would
pull every wire and shout for consti-
tutional prohibition. To the average
prehibitionist earning his own living
at his daily labor or business. 1t would
never have occurred to demand con-
stitutional prohibition, when the Leg
iSlature nad dlFeauS pnsSSu cNSSS bpS
| hibitlon act that the minds Of the
leaders could conceive. But politics are
politics and the average man is not ex-
pected to know all the intricacies Of
the game. Constitutional prohihition
1t had to be with new issues for old
candidates.
And IL an extra session could be
!, called under the circumstances which
now exist In Alabama. it can be called
at any time the Governor secs 1T,
Hereafter. an extra session Ia the sDe-
ciaI political property of the Governor
to be created and called whenever he
secs 1T.
II ever q State could have done with
out a special session of the Legisla-
tuFe, Alabama could have done with
out the present extra session.
RESTRICTS THE LIBERTY OF THE
PRESS.