The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-15

as 1t manifests itself in private, and
1t Is even more difficult to get evil
dence on which to convict person of
laying wager on an election than 1t
Is to secure evidence against those op-
Grating gaming houses.
One rather important amendment to
the present law and one, no doubt, upon
which the supreme court will be called
to pass the first time 1t comes into
play, Is that which provides tl4at In
case of homicide action fer recovery
of damages may be brought by the ad-
ministrator of the estate of the de-
ceased when no relatives survive such
as are now empowered by law to bring
suit. In other words, the new law
provides that even where the deceased
has no one dependent upon him his
administrator may, nevertheless, bring
an action for damages ON account OF
his death If 1t is caused by the care
lessness or the negligence of another.
Important Measure
Another important measure enacted
important In case of an accident of
kind which seldom happens-is the amend
ment to the state constitution to provide
for the succession to the governorship in
the case of the death, resignation or re-
moval of the governor. Under the pres
ent law the successor to the governor
Is the president of the state senate and
next the speaker of the house. But
there is a period of nearly eight months
every two years in which there is neither
president of the senate nor speaker of
tn house This is the period between the
election of the new Legislature in October
and the meeting of the general assembly
In June of the year following when these
officers are elected. To cover this an
amendment was passed providing that the
succession to the governorship shall de-
volve first upon the president of the SEN
ate. then on the speaker Of the house as
under the present law, and after these
upon the secretary of state and then the
comptroller general The duty of such
official in any event, however, is simply
to call an election within 60 days, and act
as governor pro tenn until the new gov
ernor Is chosen and sworn In.
Two bills were passed relating to hotels
one for the benefit of the hotel, the
other for the travelling man. The one
makes 1t misdemeanor for any person
to beat" his board BILL that is, to secure
board fraudulently, not intending to pay
for it, while the other requires all hotels
or boarding houses charging as much as
81 per day to furnish clean bed linen daily
for transients. or In rooms occupied by
t. = s.ents. The Atlanta travelling men
held a meeting at the Piedmont hotel to-
night and expressed their extreme salts
faction over the passage of this law
adopting unanimously resolutions thank
ing everybody who helped to put it
through.
Measures of Interest
The foregoing include either the most
important or the most interesting meas
ures passed at the session recently ad-
Journed. There were many other meas
ures of interest before the general as
sembly which for one reason or another
failed of passage.
Many of these got right up to the point
of passage and then failed because of the
refusal Of one body or the other to agree
to some minor or insignificant amend
ment; others passed one house and got
favorable report from the committee In
the other. then failed for lack Of time
for consideration.
For instance, the fish and game protec-
ton bill was passed by the senate in 1909
and the house tabled 1t that year because
1t did not have sufficient time to consider
1t at the close. Exactly the same excuse
was given for not acting on 1t this year.
although the house wasted day after
day. and did not even try to get 1t up
until the very last
A similar reason was given for the
defeat Of the tax assessors bill, providing
for county boards of tax equalizers, on
which the senate spent a week, only to
nave IL ueledteQ IN the mouse because
it came up on the last day of the session
when the house decided 1t was too i'm
portant a matter to act on hurriedly and
tabled It,
Prize Fights Not Dead
The house also practically refused to
consider the senate's bill prohibiting prize
fights and the exhibition Of prize fight
pictures where two races take part.
though they had favorable reports from
| the house committees.
| There were the bills to put solicitors
| general on salary Of $4,000, and to per-
| NIT freight trains carrying perishable
freight only to run on Sunday. and to
create the position of state auditor Of
accounts, all of which failed because in
| the first two instances the senate, and in
| the latter the house, refused to agree to
amendments tackled on by the other bodies
amendments which would not materially
have affected the legislation intended
| Among other measures which failed
after considerable discussion were hien-
NAL sessions compulsory education, con-
domination of land for school sites, bu-
| reau of labor and labor statistics, salary
| increase for supreme and appellate court
| judges. preservation Of Tallulah falls,
abolition of the office of county treasurer,
| to make void contracts for sale of agricul-
tural products not yet planted. to create
| a state highway commission, to repeal the
dog tax, to buy terminal property for
the state road near Chattanooga, to ex-
empt farm products from taxation for a
period Of one year after they are grown,
| to increase the number of senatorial dis
| tricts, to reorganize the state board of
education. to revise the banking laws, to
erect 100000 Confederate monument on
the state capitol grounds, TO increase the
| borrowing power OF the governor to $500.
900, to make 1t lawful for a Judge to ex-
| press his opinion to the jury. to provide
for the rotation Of superior court judges.
to provide for permanent registration, to
| cut the railroad commission from five to
| three members, to amend the state regis
tration law to prohibit drinking on pas
senger trains, to provide for the levy OF