Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-01
AT MONTGOMERY TODAY.

Al MONIG0MER4 TO-DAY.
Today at the capitol building in Mont
gomery Gov. JOS. F. Johnston Will take
the oath of office. deliver his inaugural
address and enter upon the discharge Of
his duties as the chief executive officer of
the state of Alabama. 1t will be a gala
day in the capitol City. Thousands of
people from different parts of the state
will be on hand to witness the ceremo-
MES From almost or quite every county
in Alabama there will be present partial
friends of the Governor-elect to hear him
deliver his inaugural address and see him
take the oath of office.
1t is the opinion of many people in
Alabama that today will mark the Begin
ming Of a new era in the affairs of this
state. This opinion the State Herald
thinks is we'll founded
One thing certain, it will mark the be-
ginning Of the reign of a different school
of politicians. For twenty years the
governmental affairs of the state have
been practically in the control of the
same school of politicians Today a
change of hands will occur.
The leaders who have been able in the
past to name a man of their own selec-
number, to succeed to the high and ex-
allied position of chief executive of the
state got left in the last contest. A
man of whom it may be said, began his
contest and fought it to a successful end,
with nobody but the people on his side
will, before the close of this day, be in
Quoted into the highest office within the
gift of the people OF Alabama.
The political career of Gov. Johnston
has been remarkable indeed. Rarely,
does a man who has to encounter the OPP
position that has confronted Gov. John
ston, succeed. Men less true to them
selves and to the people usually make
peace with the elements that have fought
him or go down in defeat.
Gov. Joseph f. Johnston could have
taken the position he assumes today two
years ago. in all probability, had he been
less devoted to principle and willing to
bend the pregnant knee that thrift
might follow fawning." But of such Gov.
Johnston is not. He would rather be
right than to be president and not for
all the Offices within the gift of all the
people would he compromise his manhood
or sell out his people. Being made OF
that kind of material he stood by his
convictions and the people and in 1894
went down in defeat only to rise a strong
er man. In 1926 when the time came to
renew the contest he was on hand. Con-
fronting him was the same powers that
had worked his defeat in 1894. Feeling
confident that he was right and preach
ing the same old time true democratic
doctrine that had been handed down to
b hi ho 20 .har no in Oh
fidence, appealed to the people. All the
power of the national administration and
all the influence of the corporate inter-
ests of the state could not again prevail
against him. Why? Because the people
had become aroused to the fact that in
him they had leader whom the bland
ishments of power and the enticements of
place could not bulge from the straight
and narrow path of what he conceived
to be right and they rallied to his sup
port in such numbers as to literally
sweep from the field those who sought to
encompass his defeat. They gave to
him the most handsome majority that
any candidate for Governor who had OPP
position ever received in a democratic
state convention in Alabama. In spite
of half-hearted support on the part OF
some heretofore leaders and the bush
whacking support given by others, the
people marched to the polls on election
day in August and ratified what they had
done in April by a majority of which
any man should feel proud.
The ceremonies at Montgomery today
mark the triumph of the people over the
politicians and the corporations. Once
more we will have as an occupant of the
gubernatorial office in Alabama a man
who is peoples man and a man whom
the people have q right to call their man.