The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-24
HOUSE RECEIVES
 MANY NEW BILLS Electric Headlight Measure
 Taken Up HAD BEEN ADVERSED Milner Submits Bill to Prohibit Local Option Elections in Counties
 Which Were Dry in
 January, 1907
By BERRYMAN G. BETTY

By BERRYMAN G. BETTY
 Montgomery, February 23.-(Special.) l. After a debate that lasted more than an hour. the house today took from the ad- verse calendar MT. Butts bill providing that the railroads of the state shall use electric headlights on their locomotives and placed it upon the regular calendar. The vote on the question was 49 to 40.
 Two bills had been introduced in the l house to provide for electric headlights on locomotives in the state, both bills having been adversed one by the com mittee on the judiciary and the other by the committee on commerce and com moi carriers. When the question was called up today, members of these two committees took the. position that the matter had been thoroughly discussed in both committees, and that as each bill had been adversed. it would be needless to take up the time of the house by a further discussion of the measure.
 A bill to prohibit any county in the state in which local prohibition laws were in force in January, 1907. from holding an election to decide whether or not liquor should be sold in that county, under the provisions of the Parks local option bil was introduced in the house this morn ing by Representative Milner of Lamar county. The bill is similar to the senate bill introduced by MT Morrow.
 Bills Introduced
 The speaker called the house to order at 1O:15 o'clock, and the Rev. MT Pres ton offered prayer.
 On the roll call of counties the follow ing bills were introduced:
 By MT. Jenkins: To submit to qualified electors of tho state an amendment to section IFS, article s, of the constitution so as to allow person who has resided in the state one year to vote, election to be held in November, 1912. By MT. Benton: Resolution for the house. senate concurring, to adjourn from Saturday at 4:30 to Monday: to meet every day next week, and to adjourn on Saturday, March 4. until Tuesday, July il, 1911.
 By MT. Houston: To divide Houston county into four commissioners districts, ard to provide for an election for com nlissioners.. To authorize commissioners court to assess a tax of mills
 By MT. O'Neill: To amend section 76O7 of the criminal code.
 By MT. Judge: To make appropriation Tor maintenance of Girls Mercy Home Industrial school at Birmingham
 5y Mir Jenkins: Resolution for the house to convene next week every morn- ing at 9 o'clock.
 For Electric Headlights
 MT. Butt of Montgomery made a motion to have his bill providing for electric headlights for locomotives in the state taken from the adverse calendar. if hav- ing been adversed by both the judiciary and the committee on commerce and com mon carriers.
 Mir. Page moved to table MT. Butts motion which was lost
 Before the question was put by tbe speaker. MT Rice said the bill had been freely discussed in committee meeting, at which time experts had testified that electric headlights had not proved os satisfactory as oil lights MT. Rice sail he thought the time of the house was too valuable 10 be taken up with the dis cusslon or measures that had been ad- Versed by two committees of the house
 MT. Green of Dallas, the author of q companion bill requiring electric head lights, made a strong speech in favor of electric headlights MT. Green said that as an engineer. he had used both elec- tric and oil headlights, and that the lat ter lights had proved much more satis- factory.
 Percy's Speech
 Mir. Percy said his first impression had been in favor of the bill that the rail- roads, as a rule, did not put the proner safeguard around their passengers. and that he favored voting that the rail roads install the greatest possible num- Der of improvements.
 MT. Percy said that one of the strong est arguments against electric headlights systems in America system in America did not use these lights. He referred to the testimony re- ceived in the committee meeting, all of which was expert, said the speaker. and all of which tended to show that the | railroads had tested electric lights suffi- | ciently to know whether or not they were better than oil lights. MT. Percy further declared that great railroad systems would not stand in | the way of installing any lfesaving de- | vice; that If electric lights were better I than oil lights for the portection of | passengers and the property of the roads. | it would be to their interest to make | these improvements. The fact that they had not installed electric headlights that the most up-to-date railroad systems in the country refused to use these lights. was sufficient proof, said the speaker that railroad officials favored the oil l headlights.
 Milner Speaks 1 Mir. Milner followed Mir Percy. and favored taking the bill from the ad- vance calendar He said he believed the railroads had always to be made to | install improvements, and that he thought the railroads were merely trv- ing to evade very important matter. l Mr. Milner was outspoken in praise l of the roads which used electric lights on their locomotives, and thought these roads did not, as a rule, have as many | accidents, or sustain as many losses | from wrecks as the lines which used | old headlights.
 MT Huddleston of Elmore said he thought he knew as much about lights as any man who had spoken on the subject. He declared the railroads should be allowed to do as they thought proper in the matter. Let us hava light" said MT. Huddleston. but, for lheaven's sake. do not let us attempt to regulate light"
 The representative from Elmore de- llivered his characteristic humorous lspeech and had the house at times dur ling the course of his remarks convulsed with laughter.
 l Mr. Waddell of Russell county fol- lowed MT. Huddleston, stating that he was a member of both the judiciary