The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-15
SOME IMPORTANT MATTERS ID COME
 BEFORE LAWMAKERS Many Local Bills on Liquor Question Will Be Sub
 mitted at Opening
MORROW FEELS SURE
 HE WILL BE PRESIDENT
Jefferson Legislators Are Working on Local Bill to Solve Liquor Evil. Will Also Ask for Commits sion Government
BY BURR BLACKBURN

BY BURR BLACKBURN
 The coming session of the legislature which convenes early in January will be a very. very busy one. Upon the shoul- ders of the legislators who were elected last Tuesday rest many great responsi bilities.
 The settlement of the liquor problem Is not the only great question before the lawmakers, for there are educational, mu- 1icipal, political and constitutional ques- tions which must be given equal attention during the 50 days of the session.
 But to the public mind the action on the prohibition question Is undoubtedly foremost, and 1t is believed that it will be met by the legislature fairly and squarely and settled as equitably as present conditions will allow.
 Carry Out Convention Pledges
 The democratic party's pledge in con- vention will be carried out and local op- tion established In Alabama. At the very beginning a g>eat swarm of dlspensary bills from such counties as Barbour, Houston. Tuscaloosa, Madison, and the like, will be introduced, each a special bill. Lawyers are now at work drawing special bill for Jefferson county, which will provide for the sale of beers and light wines under high license and the direction of an excise committee, and a dispensary for the sale of whiskes in package form.
 The senator from Jefferson county Is said to favor such bill. as do most of her representatives. So soon as the local dplpQltiOn axfracf itself from in the courts and murder trials, it will hold number of meetings and come to some agreement as to concerted action along all lines.
 Wherever the representatives of any county agree on a local bill it will no doubt be passed. both in the house and the senate. Thus the situation will be remedied wherever the people have ex- pressed themselves at the polls in their choice of representatives.
 Then will come the action on the state wide prohibition laws It Is quite certain that they will be remedied, if not re- pealed The house stands almost unani- mously in favor of 1t, but the stand in the senate is not positive. To the sena- tor and the representative, the repeal or passage of general statewide laws on the liquor question will be secondary to his own local bills.
 No Agitation for Return of Saloon
 But fin all the talk there is no agitation fors the return of the saloon to Alabama In ut least 20 counties dispensaries will be established, and in the three big cities it seems probable that the sale of beer ana light wines will only be granted under high license, and strict supervision, while whisky will be handled by dispen- sary.
 One of the most important of the ac- tions which will come first to the atten- tion of the two houses will be the selec- tion of their officers. Senator Hugh Nor row of Birmingham stated last night that he Is perfectly sure of his election to the office of president pro tenn. in the senate. Mir. Morrow has been quite active, is one of the best known men in the state, and his Birmingham friends believe that he knows what he Is talking about before he speaks One thing is certain, Senator Stevens of Mobile is not candidate and will support MT. Morrow for the position. The other candidates are Senators Sher- rod and Wat Brown.
 I. Lee Long. the candidate for speaker of the house, was in the city yesterday. ''I predicted the defeat of the amend ment," said MT. Long, with one of his broad smiles. T also predicted the cleo ton of MT. O'Neal, and I now predict my election" Mir Long Is a systematic canvasser, and is another man who sell dom claims anything until he has his hands on it. He s opposed by E. B. Al mon of Tuscumbia.
 Jefferson County's Bills
 Jefferson county will go to the legisla- tllre with local bills for commission form of government for Birmingham. and relief from the fee system, but her rep resentatives will not be so tied up with their own pet schemes that they cannot support bills for the general welfare.
 The attitude of Col. Emmet O'Neal and his administration will be in favor of con seryative action. He wants his adminis- traitor to. live in the memory of the peo- ple of Alabama as one which did things. He hopes to leave wise and just laws. and to so direct the future channels of state activity that he will not be remem- bered as one who hoarded the states money, or spent 1t lavishly, but that he expended 1t wisely.
 O'NeaI Has Stated Position
 Colonel O'Neal in his speech before the Alabama Bar association at Mobile set forth his position on number of import ant matters now confronting the state. He is in favor of biennial sessions of the legislature. In that speech he said: "Paradoxical as 1t may seem, the remedy we have adopted has only increased the evil we sought to overcome. Many laws, believed to be necessary. are rushed through under whip and spur which are afterwards found to be unwise, vicious and unnecessary. Legislate in haste and repent at leisure has been the experience of most legislatures with limited ses- sions'
 The governor is also In favor of re- form of the municipal laws. That the present municipal code of Alabama has failed to meet the expectations of the public is unquestionably true,' he said. "Its lack of elasticity. its obscure and contradictory provisions. it's illogical ar rangement its burdensome and redundant details, it's system of wards and increased number of councilmen. it's bureaucratic tendency have failed to make any m-