Birmingham state herald., 1896-07-31
Montgomery. July 30.

party in this state. Ben is not a Mark Hanna by any means, but he is very handy man for leaders like Mark to have around to help work out the minor de- tails of big political deals, and Ben al- ways tries to make himself felt at na- tional conventions. He came to this city about thirty years ago, bare-footed. rag ged and hungry. He arrived about dark and in looking around the city saw the capitol brilliantly lighted up. He went up to the building and found that the state legislature was in session and hung around until the body adjourned for the night. Ben had no place to sleep, and after all the members had cleared out he went to the old negro janitor, told him he was an ex-union Soldier-one Of the men who had fought to free him and asked if he could not provide him a place to sleep that night The old darky scratched his head and finally told Ben that he might stay in the hall of the house of representatives and sleep on one of the benches. It was December and decidedly chilly outside, so Ben accepted the old darky's proposition at once, and, curling himself up in the speakers chair, he passed very comfortable night. A few years later Ben was member of the house of representatives from Lowndes county and sat in the speakers chair while presiding temporarily.
 On the morning after Bens night in the capitol he made a contract with LowndeS county cotton planter, who was cultivating several thousand acres of land, to work for him the next year as a common laborer, and Ben put in the year like a little man, drawing his weeks rations every Saturday like the balance of the hands. The pay was small and the work was hard, and Ben lay awake nights trying to devise some way to make money without blistering his hands, and about the time his year was up he decided that he would not renew his contract, but would engage in teach ing school, with the negroes as his pu- pills. The great majority of negroes who wanted education were the old ones who had been freed, and they had to work during the day, so Ben's school was night school The negroes did not have a great deal of money and Ben found out that he was making haste very slow ly fn the matter of accommodating money, so he resolved to work the colored broth CT a little. As school master he was pro- viding books. but books did not sell very rapidly and there was not much profit in them, two conditions which Ben de- termined should be changed. He came to Montgomery one Saturday and bought three dozen Webster's blue back ed spoilers, which he took home with him that night, and on Sunday he put in some good work on them. On the first page of each he wrote: MT. DeLemos is my friend. He will teach you correct ly. This is the book you should study U. s. Grant," This inscription was shown to negro whom Ben had pushed along far enough to read writing, and he was told that the books sent down by Gen. eral Grant were worth $1 each. The news spread like wildfire and in twenty. four hours Ben did not have a single one of General Grants books left, but prom ised to write to him for more. His school ifan co1 6nr hn it,ft af Cn, Grants recommendation, and 1t Is said that there are dozens of old blue-backed spoilers treasured up by the darkieS of Lowndes county because they came from "Marse Gennul Grant," while the pres tige Ben obtained from the transaction made him the power in republican poli- tics in his county.
 But to see Ben in all his glory you want to see him in a state convention. The republican state convention of eight years ago was 8 memorable one. The contentious were the selection of four delegates at large to the national con- vention and the election of the chairman of the state executive committee. Dr. Moseley was in the saddle then, and Ben was with the doctor The convention, which compris- ed $50 delegates, had 335 of that number colored and the remainder white. There was the strongest kind of opposition to the reelection of Dr. Moseley as state chairman, the colored leaders claiming that it was time for him to step down and out and give the place to a col ored man. The doctor would rise or fall upon the report of the committee on credentials. The county of Lee sent up two sets of delegates, one favoring Nose ley and the other opposing him. There were several other counties with delega- rtons in similar fix, but that of Lee was most prominent because of the fact that the anti-Moseley delegation was led by a yellow negro, who was smart and tip-top talker. Moseley appointed the temporary chairman, and 1t goes with out saying that the opposition had the hot end of the situation. The committee on credentials retired and in due time reappeared with its report, which favor ed the seating of every Moseley delega- ton. Then the fun came fast and fu- rious. The yellow leader from Lee took the floor, and he proceeded to pour hot shot into Moseley, the temporary chair man, the committee on credentials and the negro delegates who would sit around and allow themselves to be voted like cattle to keep Mose1ey in the chair manship instead of giving the place to one of their own color. He continued his harangue for half an hour, and it be- came evident that his appeal was becom- ing effective on some of the colored brethren as evidenced by occasional ''amens'' from different parts of the hall. Ben, who was one of Moseley's lieuten- ants, saw that something must be done, so he resolved to throw himself into the breach. The Lee leader paused a mo- ment to wipe the precipitation from his face, and that was Ben's chance. Mounting his chair, he said MT. Chairman, let us sing that glorious old hymn, Oh How Love Jesus,'" and in spite of the angry protests of the con testant from Lee Ben led off with the hymn, in which the whole convention joined. The Lee county negro still held his place on the floor. He had been caught mapping, and he was nonplussed. Ben DeLemos had outwitted him and he feared had overcome the effect of his speech with the hymn. When the sing ing was concluded the man from Leet let the chairman know that he was still on deck. In angry tones he cried out: "Mr Chairman, what do I see? Is it possible that this republican convention win join in singing that grand old hymn, led by one of the very men who killed Jesus?" This captured the anti-Mose- ley element, who made the hall ring with te4 -lx