Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-08-09
SENATOR'S DEATH
 MAY KILL TARIFF Sudden Demise of Jos. John stOn Breaks Into the Dem
 ocratic Line up
ASK APPOINTMENT
Deceased Had Twice Been Governor of GoldeE Rod State and Pr0min.
 ent in Southern Politics.

Washington, Aug. Senator Jos Johnston of Birmingham. Ala, died at his apartments here this morning. shortly before 9 o'clock.
 Senator Johnston had been in poor health and had not attended sessions Of the Senate for week. He had been confined to his apartments most diagnosed as pneumonia until few days ago. Although the senator's son, Forney Johnston. had been summoned from Birmingham, it was believed last night that the senator was not in any immediate danger.
 Senator Johnston was 70 years of age, had served through the war be- tween the states in the Confederate army, was governor of Alabama for two terms, and had been a member of the Senate since 1907 He was unani- mously elected to succeed the late Senator Pettus He was reelected in 1909.
 Weakens Democratic Majority.
 The death of Senator Johnston weakens the Democratic majority on the administration tariff bill in the senate, though party leaders insist that there will be no serious difficult ty in passing the measure. In the Democratic senate caucus it was an nounced that 49 senators had declared they would support the bill on its fi- nal passage. At that time Senators Ransdell and Thornton of Louisiana were the only ones to declare they would vote against the bill because of the sugar schedule. On the basis of the caucus alignment, Democratic leaders figure that the vote on the tariff bill, with Reflections from either side, would be 49 to AZ for its passage. The death of Senator John- ston leaves the calculation 48 to AT.
 In the event that any Western sena-
 
 sugar might possibly vote against the bill, the Democrats had been counting on the vice president to carry the day in the event of tie. Senator JOhn- ston's death, provided his seat is not filled before the vote on the tariff bill, removes the vice president from the range of possibilities on any strict alignment. Should one vote be lost to the Democrats on the basis of pres ent forecasts and no member of the minority to come to their aid, the vote would stand AS to 47 against the bill. There still is the possibility that at least one member of the minority may vote for the Democratic bill. Constitutional Amendment May Help.
 Danger of the Democrats losing this majority may be obviated by the leg islature of Alabama, under the Seven teenth amendment to the constitution, providing quickly for the filling of the vacancy caused by Senator Johnston's s death.
 The constitutional amendment pro- vides for the filling of vacancies in the senate in this way:
 When vacancies happen in the rep resentation of any state in the senate. the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to all such vacancies, provided that the legisla- ture of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election, as the legisla- ture may direct" As in most of the other states, the Alabama legislature has not been in session since the constitutional amendment was adopted this spring and consequently has not empowered the governor of Alabama to fill any vacancy by appointment until an election may be held. Furthermore. the Alabama legislature does not meet until 1915.
 Will Call Extra Session. Democratic leaders in Washington, it was said today, would urge upon the governor of Alabama the desira- bility of his calling the legislature in- to special session to give him authr- ity of appointment or to provide for an immediate election.