The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-05
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA
No. 83-The Last Days of Militarism
1865-1874

], Pat Ragland was secretary of state
 elected with Governor Lewis. w. w
 Screws. editor and proprietor of the Mont gomery Advertiser, was state printer
 coming down from the Lindsay admins.
 trf.tion, to hold until his successor should
 be elected by the/ legislature Arthur
 cal daily newspaper, the Montgomery
 Jounai, and the court room legislature elected him to succeed Screws.
 Screws applied to the city court of Mont gomery for the write mandamus to com pei Secretary of State Ragland to deliver to him as state printer the laws of the legislature and the laws of the board ,' education to be printed The application was refused.
 Watts and Troy and Judge Hotz- claw represented Screws Alex White, Rice, Jones and Wiley represented Rag land
 An appeal to the supreme court was taken. The point in law at issue was the competency of the court room legislature to elect successor to the state printer already in office, commissioned to hold his place rntil his successor should be elected and qualified.
 Chief Justice Peck rendered the decree, Associate Justice Peters concurring, SGf- fold dissenting.
 The chief justice said it was immateral in what building in Montgomery the I.g- islature should assemble. The capitol building was convenience to be accepted or avoided at discretion.
 The court room legislature had ma jority of each house that proved to be le- gally elected. The proof lay in the fact that these same men were recognized and seated In the capitol under the attorney ~--~>~---------~---~-~~- ready have all the information we will need, but if there is anything new that can be presented we will be glad to hear it I do not believe that the bills that will finally be presented will be much diff ferent from those offered at the present session."
 Palmer Strong Figure
 Representative Palmer is strong fig ure in Congress, and is one of the most able lieutenants of Leader Underwood on the ways and means committee. and while he is not the ranking democrat next to MT. Underwood on the committee, yet on account of his popularity and his knowl- edge of the tariff and his ability as leader. fact which was clearly brought out at Baltimore, where he had practical charge of the Wilson forces on the floor of the convention, 1t Is believed that in the course of events, If MT. Underwood were to be persuaded to accept cabinet position with MT Wilson's administration MT. Palmer might be chosen the leader of the party in the House.
 Unlike other committees it is not al ways the ranking member who gets the chairmanship of the committee in the event of a change. The chairman of the ways and means is also the leader in the House, and the leader is elected as such in regular democratic caucus, and as leader becomes the chairman of the ways and means committee, the most important committee of the House. Thus it is pos sible for the ways and means commit tee to have a chairman who has never before served upon that committee. Of course being the ranking member of the committee helps some, but 1t does not al- ways carry with it an assurance that the coveted place will fall to that ranking member.
 There is going to be an effort to get consideration in the short session for two general bills, in spite of the fact that the general opinion Is that the session will be confined to appropriations. These bills are The Burnett bill, further restrict ing immigration and the KenyonShep- pard bill, prohibiting shipment of liquors into dry territory
 Vigorous objections will be raised if there is any attempt to again use the device of tacking general legislation on appropriation bills. It is declared per- nicious practice which has stood in the way of thoughtful legislation.