McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1913-09-26
| TIE NNESSEE
LEGISLATURE
MAxwELL'S VOTE FIXED II.

Nashville-After several days delb-
Grafton Senator Maxwell Saturday made
up his mind, performance which nu-
merous friends had volunteered to re-
lieve him of and which others had act
ually endeavored to transact for him.
The Democrats stayed with him all
day and the Independents sat up with
him all night. The influence appeared
to be about evenly divided. 1t was what
one might term boss and boss.
The independents besought him with
all the power of persuasion to vote for
the bill providing for the interchange of
judges and the bill providing for the re-
moval of officials and he voted against
them both and they were killed. The
Democrats pleaded for the defeat of the
nuisance bill and he voted for it and by
his vote it passed the Senate and goes
to the House.
The occasion was one of those rare
changes of form when independents and
Republicans took on the appearance of
the sons of Anak which come of giants
and the Democrats were, for once, as
grasshoppers in their sight.
1t was the only day that Mayor Crump
had failed to be in attendance The rec
ords show that he failed for the first
time to answer to roll call. He was not
feeling so well as usual and the weather,
too, was disagreeable.
Representative Mcclellan, who is also
here, was not discouraged. He went with
Senator Maxwell to the capitol. They
went into the library, where they dis
cussed some matters in which Mr.. Me-
Kellar is said to be interested. He fol-
lowed Senator Maxwell to the jumping
off place, then walked right down the
hill again. The Senate chamber was
quiet. One could almost distinguish
what the clerk said as he read the jour
nal. Everybody was willing that what
ever was to be done should be done
quickly The Democrats walked softly
in the presence of their expiring hope
and the fusionsts sat silent in the aw-
full moment of incomprehended success.
To them the answer to roll call was a
pean of victory, to the Democrats it
was dirge.
Senator Maxwell, indicating that he
had only backslidden and had not fall
len from Democratic grace, offered
substitute for the original nuisance bill,
which differed from the other in that it
was introduced by Pope, Elkins and
Maxwell instead of Republicans and lin
tied the definition of nuisance to saloons.
No Republican had any part in its in
PRODUCTION but they all voted for it.
Three Democrats appear as the authors
but all others voted against it.
1t was clearly the purpose that If
there must be law enforcement it must
be Democratic law enforcement.
With these notifications the bill was
virtually the same as the other.
The names of the Democratic intro
ducers made its calling and election
sure. There was no speech-making and
no dilatory tactics. The voice OF Max
well was as the sound of the trumpes OF
Joab, which caused the people to stand
still and pursue after Israel no more,
neither fought they any more. 1t prof.
ably ended the conflict in the Senate for
the remainder of the special session of
the Legislature.
But where the Senate leaves off the
House takes up. Monday afternoon or
Tuesday at the latest the House will
take up the jug bills. Those bills are
intended to prevent the shipment OF
liquor from places outside the state to
dry counties within the state in larger
quantities than one gallon. Persons re-
iceiying shipments of liquor are required
to give their pedigree and state the pur-
pose for which the liquor was ordered.
This will be inconvenient, but not diff
cult, as most liquor is used only for
drinking purposes.
As the situation now stands all impor-
tant legislation will be confined to the
House until the close of the session UNI
less some of the bills which have passed
the Senate should be amended In the
House and sent back for concurrence.
Senator Fisher offered an amendment
to the nuisance bill which would require
that complaints of nuisances be made to
the chairman of the county court. The
chairman would, on receipt of the COM
plaint appoint committee from the
court and the committee would make its
recommendation concerning the method
of abating the nuisance. The vote against
the Fisher amendment was the same as
the vote for the original measure. Those
members who voted for the bill were
Butler, Cecil, Church, Crawford, Elkins,
Fitzpatrick, Fulton, Hare, Mckinney,
Morrell, Pardue, Pope, Thomas, Under
wood, Maxwell, Williams and Speaker
White.
Those opposed to the bill were: Bass
Brett, Clement, Draughon, Fisher,
Horne. Lambert, McAlister, Stewart,
Smith, Walker, Walsh, Welch and Wor-
ley.
Senator Baxter was not present.