Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-27
TO ALL rA1R-M1NpEp MEN.

 taining possession of the Age-Herald. and clinging to It's favorite policy of de- livering stabs, the meanness of which no other paper would sponsor. But the State is mistaken. The Phenix that arose from the ashes three months ago is a long-lived bird of orthodox persuasion. It is hearty and staunch, and realizing th-t the energy which brought it into life is energy which has always been devoted to the best interests of Birmingham, it will continue to live and grow, irrespect- i've of the contemptible sneers like the above quoted, which are cast upon it by individuals or an institution, who never having ventured anything for the good of Birmingham worth recording, can only throw mud and aspersion upon the honest efforts of another. The paragraph quoted is dignified by being placed at the head of this communication. The object in placing it there was simply to refrain from misrepresentlng the policy of the Daily State, and to show it for whatit is, each reader using his individual judg- ment in the matter
 F In it's efforts to destroy me in person and property, it also reproduces what purports to be an interview with me, which appeared in the New York Sun some weeks ago. Acting on advice of many good friends and members of my family, I had determined to take no mo- tice of the many contemptible, unjour- nalistic filings thrown at me by these jackals in human form for the reason that just as in the lower animal kingdom hyenas and jackals never seek the clean CT part of the food they find. but greedily devour the offal left by nobler beasts, so in human nature there are certain breeds that never see the good a man has done, but have their eyes cast always at the possible evil of his actions.
 I felt that the people of Jefferson coun- ty and of Alabama generally, whom I have served to the best of my ability, would not take as true, without proof, a statement so obviously contradictory to my lifelong principles. Principles that I have consistently lived out, not merely talked about. My case I could trust to them. The newspaper jackals, who have been and are now persistently engaged in efforts to ruin the Democratic party, had and have motives to injure me per sonally, and bent on their purpose to de- stroy me and the Age-Herald. would have disregarded the truth. as they have so often done, to accomplish this end.
 The jackal is never seen in front. only in the rear; he never attacks save when he is satisfied that life is extinct in the body on which he purposes to feed. This fact may furnish some explanation for the extreme anxiety of the gang who are bo in lir- mingham to feast on what they thought was the corpse of the Age-Herald while I was absent. The only hitch in the pro- posed gobble was the trivial fact that the supposed dead body of the Age-Her- aid was unusually alive. This unlocked for fact staggered the would-be gobblers, but ever fertile in noble(D schemes, master stroke was purposed, which also fell through.
 It is easy to find motive for this con- duct and I propose to show the public why it is that the State newspaper gang have seen fit to pursue line of attack as mean as it is contemptible.
 First, during the legislative session of '92-93 MT. Nathan L. Miller, now df- rector of the State Publishing company, and others came to me and stated that they had given to Capt. Fred Ferguson some bills to introduce, that he had stated that the bills had been introduced, and gave various reasons why nothing further had been done about them. Af- ter the recess MT. Miller and his asso- ciates stated that they had discovered that their bills had never been intro duced, and they requested me to take charge of them and put them through. This I consented to do after obtaining my colleagues consent. On receiving and reading the bills told the gentlemen that the first was a good measure, and that I would introduce it and push it to it's final passage, but the other told hins I would not introduce and gave as req sons that it was prejudicial to the inter- ests of the people whom I had been elect ed to represent. I further said that it appeared to be gotten up in the interest of certain individuals, and detrimental to the interests of the citizens of Jefferson coun- ty, and ought not to pass. However. if they insisted, I would introduce it, and served notice on them that I would use all means in my power to defeat it. Upon
  quest. During the session of '9i-95 a similar bill was introduced by Mir. Joseph H. Montgomery in the same interest, and by easy stages reached its third read ing. but was then defeated by MT. Thomas Knight of Hale and myself. The bill had for it's subject matter the follow ing:
 It is well-known fact that witness and jury certificates are purchased at very low figure by a certain crowd. The above mentioned bill contemplated a scheme whereby the generous CD pur- chasers of appreciated warrants on the fine and forfeiture fund could utilize them at or near full value. I blocked their little game twice, hence their de- sire to hurt me in every way that lays in their power, and information has been frequently given me that MT. Miller has stated that he would be thorn in my side as long as lived. John w. Tomlin- son. president of the State Publishing company has his little nut to crack in retaliation for statement I made in