The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-14
LEGISLATORS CALL
 OFF PRELIMINARY
 GET-T0GETHER MEET
Harmony Prevails Among State Lawmakers as They Assemble for Opening
 Session Today

Montgomery. January 1.-tSpe-
 ciaL)--Leaders in the legislature,
 which is called to meet Tuesday at
 noon, adopted an eIeventh-hour
 precedent Monday by calling off
 the caucus which yvns agreed upon
 for Monday night at the Exchange
 hotel.
 A. H. Carmichael, speaker of the house of representatives at the 1915 session, and senator -elect of the Thir ty-first district, will call the 1919 leg islature to order at 12 o'clock Tuesday, and within minute it is planned to se- lect Henry P Merritt of Macon county as the new speaker. MT. Carmichael then will go across the lobby to the senate, where he will be sworn in as the representative of the people of the Thirty first district,
 For the purpose of discussing inn portant matters that will come before the legislature, the Alabama Circuit Clerks association held meeting in Montgomery Monday evening. Several counties in the state were represented. The circuit clerks will ask for some iliiduCldl lCSloishtiolls U Woo ototSo tAS fees are claiI.1ed to be insufficient be- cause of the present high cost of neces- sites. The clerks elected as their pres ident Henry M. Hughes of Montgom- cry county $. NJ Cobb of Camden was elected secretary. The executive committee is composed Messrs. Hughes and Cobb and E. L. Hurst of Gadsden, s. J. Brogden of Andalusia and NJ D. Foshee of Clanton.
 T r.A4 t "yf,fa ing was established as custom-nany years ago, 6but the leaders questioned the need of it this time because of the apparent harmony that will exist under the Kilby adInini stration. As the day passed Monday evidence that the ad- ministration will carry away all hon. ors was made stronger and it was con- sidered best to fight the ''caucus bat tles' on the floor of the two houses Tuesday afternoon.
 The fight for minor offices which began immediately following the cleo tion of legislature pledged to support the prohibition amendment. will not end until the senate and house have been organized and plans perfected At the caucus it was planned to discuss general subjects, consisting of the pro- gramme of the two houses for the 1o legislative days before adjournment for the summer. The amendists have so perfectly lined up their programme, however, that the meeting was found to be unnecessary.
 One of the surprises of the day be- fore" is the part A. H. Carmichael, sen- ator of the Thirty-first district, is talk ing in discussions in the hotel lobby. Mr. Carmichael, when he announced for the senate in opposition to Waiter F. Miller of Tuscumbia, is said to have planned to take a leading part in the senate. He had his eye on the posi- ton to be given T. J. Bedsole. Mir. Bedsole will be elected president pro tenn of the senate. The election did not come out just as MT. Carmichael had figured. and now he is said so have lined up with the small minority faction, suppoTt ting Cyrus ABroWn# ol Montgomery for clerk of the house MT. Brown and friends were active Monday in an effort to take away some of the strength of Fred H. Gorm- ley, former Montgomery newspaper man, and executive secretary of the counsel of defense.