The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-22
By HUGH w. ROBERTS

By HUGH w. ROBERTS Montgomery, July 21.-(SpeciaI.) By margin of one vote in excess
 of the necessary three-hfths ma jority. the senate today passed the bill providing for the submission of a proposed bond issue amend ment to the constitution. The passage of this bill marked the first signal victory of Governor Henderson, marked. too, the first signal defeat of the "prohibition lobby" which. since the beginning
 of the session. has supervised and
 controlled legislntion.
 In the event that the people in the spe- cial election of which this bill or it's pro- Visions will be the feature, sustain the action of the legislature, the state will offer for sale bonds in the sum of S1, ,5O0,- GOO. With the money to be obtained, in- debtedness incurred by the state in recent years will be liquidated. The bill pro vides for the creation of sinking fund of $15o,000 annually. with which in the course of 10 years the entire bond issue will. it is hoped, be retired.
 Bitter Battle and Long
 The fight for and against bonds" has been one of the distinctive features of the session of the legislature In the very be ginning, Governor Henderson urged that the legislature resort to bond issue as the wsest method of relieving the state of it's financial embarra ssment No sooner had the governor taken his stand than the prohibition lobby actively entered the fielG to defeat his project.
 Last winter the house settled the issue. The lobby was unable to hold prohibition members of the lower body in line, and the so-called defection of certain strong. leaders, among them being Speaker Car m'chael. MT. Merritt, MT. Davis, MT. Sor- Fell and others, is said to have precpi- tated various secret conferences, and en. gendered feeling of a personal and acri- monious nature.
 In the senate MT. Lusk prevented by means of his famous filibuster a vote be- fore the taking by the legislature of re- cess in February.
 Opponents Without Spirit
 On reconvening, MT. Bulger, recognized as the floor leader in this special emer- gency of the administration forces, se- cured at the hands of the rules commit tee a place on the calendar for the bond issue, which guaranteed that it's consid- eration would be the special order of busi- ness for today.
 Last night the Lobbyists" in large numbers, poured into Montgomery from all directions and having gone into eau GUS and conferences, planned, 1t is said. the battle which was then impending This morning, however, the '1obbyists'' presented no confident or jovial expres- sion, and they then read-if not before the Handwriting on the wall.'
 fJa affn of Mr. tfcl xrhn Y,x1 { 1, fight against the administration, there was little which smacked of confidence or which contained the fire of inspiration. or determination of purpose. By his ac- tion, one concluded that he admitted de- feat. He repeatedly told the senate that he was 'serious in his postion;" that h" hoped ''the members would do" thus and SO, and that "hs movements must not be construed in the nature of a iiIibuster.
 Lusk's Proposed Amendments
 Before the vote was taken on the bill. itself, however, considerable time was consumed in defeating. one after another, flank movements on the part of the op- position. In the first instance. Senator Lusk moved that consideration of the bill be postponed. His motion was laid on the table.
 amended so that the first payment on the bond issue would be made in 1917 rather than 1920 The administration forces ta- bled this motion. He then suggested that the bill be amended so as to obviate a special election-that the proposed con etitutional amendment be submitted in the next general election. His motion Was tabled.
 Senator Lee, at this juncture. threw the anti-administration forces into panic by moving that the senate remain in ses- sion unti the bond issue amendment be motion of Senator Lee on the table was beaten. and the original motion put into effect.
 The Final Throes
 Thereafter Senator Lusk made his la st stand He proposed an amendment to The bill prescribing means and methods for the advertising of the sale of the bond issue and the opening of sealed hids. As the adoption of this apparently innocent amendment would have neces- sita ted sending the bill back to the house the administration forces opposed it, and defeated 1t with ease.
 After this action the bill was read fol q third time and ordered to it's final pas- sare. Senators Bonner and Milner, where. unon. took advantage of their right oi Siscussion, and entertained the galleries vith outbursts of fervid oratory. The for. mer declared that the bond issue, on eccount of the work of the recess com.
 1ftfees. would not be pecessary and hs
 Scsatnusa = R.gs 1weA