The Alabama Legislature will soon begin meeting in its 2013 regular session. While it has gained some new functions over the years, it has also lost some—as the first item indicates.

Jan. 30, 1907–Alabama’s two veteran U.S. senators, Pettus and Morgan, have both once more been unanimously re-elected to office by the Legislature. These men are over 80 years of age and live not far from each other in Selma, when at home. Both were brigadier generals in the Confederate army. (Since the Seventeenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted almost exactly a century ago the people have elected the senators.)

Jan. 30, 1922–More than 20 counties have been organized during the past week for the campaign to raise $1 million to meet pressing requirements for buildings and equipment at Auburn. Legislative appropriations have been inadequate to meet API’s needs.

Jan. 30, 1955–Bob Gilchrist, Hartselle’s new representative in the Alabama Legislature, is hoping for good cooperation between Governor James Folsom (now into the second week of his second term) and the State House and Senate.

Jan. 30, 1909–The state high school here as approved by Governor Comer and the Legislature has now been completed and will be turned over to the local building committee. The building is of modern brick and stone, two stories high, with eight rooms, and is convenient in every respect. The structure and grounds cost $10,000, with funds being supplied both locally and by the Legislature.

Jan. 31, 1899–Rep. Greene of Morgan is on the local legislation committee of the House, which is considering a dispensary system for selling liquor in Alabama. It would close saloons.

Feb. 1, 1945–Morgan County High School has started a drive to raise funds to build a new lunchroom. The lunchroom will be an added building, placed on the campus near the football field. Funds appropriated by the Legislature are inadequate to meet this need.

Feb. 1, 1954–Candidates for Democratic nominations for the Legislature (and other offices) this year must swear that they didn’t vote for any other than Democratic nominees in the last election.

Feb. 1, 1998—Dr. Vernon L. St. John, 92, died. He was a member of the State Senate from Morgan County when the sales tax was enacted to vastly improve funding for public schools.

Feb. 2, 1903–Hon. W. W. Callahan, a representative in the Legislature from this county, has been asked by a delegation of ministers to use his influence to secure the passage of the proposed prohibition bill for the county. Mr. Callahan is quoted as saying he would not support the bill as it is now drawn because he did not think the entire county should have the right to say whether or not whiskey shall be sold in the Decaturs. At the present time the Decaturs are the only precincts in the county where whiskey is sold, the rest of it already being prohibition,

Feb. 3, 1947—F. E. Burleson presided over a forum dealing with local school needs here today. Professor Burleson formerly served in the Legislature from this county and knows very well how the political system works in Montgomery.

Feb. 4, 1918–W. H. Smith, a prominent merchant of Town Creek, today announced his candidacy for the state Senate from the district in which Hartselle is located. Under the agreement that has existed between Morgan and Lawrence counties, the senatorship goes to Lawrence County this year. Mr. Smith is counted as a strong prohibitionist.

Feb. 5, 1912—State Sen.Charles M. Sherrod of Lawrence County (Hartselle’s senator as well as an API trustee) is very desirous that a game of football be played between the University of Alabama and Auburn. There will be no game this year, however.