Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-06-21
Campaign Echoes
WORDS FROM THE WORKERS.

| the school funds, and ample accommoda-
| ton at the Insane and Mute and Blind
asylunls.
He told how the affairs of the state
had been mismanaged under republican
rule; that they saddled debt of $4,000
900 $3.50, 000,000O upon the state, while
| collecting 71s mills of tax. In glowing
terms he showed how under democratic
rule this has been nearly cancelled on a
tax rate of 51a mills and the debt re-
duced to perhaps less than $1,000 900.
Mr.. Smiths Interruptions were fire.
quent, but every one courteously receiv-
ed and convincingly quieted. The bur-
den of his Importantly was a desire to
| have Mr.. Fits placed on record as guar
anteeing the opposition representation
| on the board of election managers and to
get his consent to petition the various
officers whose duty it was to select the
came to give the pops fair shake. Mr..
r.tts very wisely and properly insisted
that he had no jurisdiction in the premi-
ses and no inclination to remind sworn
officials of their duties. Unlike Mr..
Smith, he wanted the office of attorney
general and wanted it bad"
Referring to his election two years ago,
Mr. Fits showed that he had carried the
white counties of north Alabama, and
was felicitious in expressing his graft
tude to the people of Walker. He was,
in fact, the only candidate for a state Of
nee who received majority in Walker,
dHd III tIdt CdnNdSS lie carried one peat
here that had never before gone for a
democrat.
Mr.. Fits appeal to good men every
where to look impartially on the record
made by the democracy of Alabama, to
heed no longer the cries of the stirrers-up
of discord and to unite with us in perpet-
uating good government in the state, was
impassioned and moving in it's effect upon
the audience.
AS Mr.. Fits concluded his most enter
tanning speech the crowd materially di-
minished but a fair proportion remained
and gave attention to the Cullman agi-
tator, Mr.. Powell, who had a choice line
of billingsgate and denunciations for the
democratic party and for all those citi-
zens who, in the consideration of politics,
don't loose their heads. The few demo-
Gratis who heard him through felt like
Kicking themselves, and even his practi-
cal sympathizers are not particularly en-
thusiastic over the visitation. The bit
terness which he had been nursing SO
long against the white democrats of Ala
bama has produced marked effect on the
expression of his countenance since we
heard him two years ago. He made SUBJ
stantially the same speech-his jokes
were the same, but the humor in them
had turned to gall The man seems to
have relinquiShed reason and fallen into a
frenzy of malignity. He claimed he had
no political ambition, but that the burn
dng desire of his heart was to be elected
10 the next legislature. His emphasis on
the word burning" carried the convic-
ton to his hearers that the fame was
consuming his sense of fairness in parti-
san hate. He said that the last legisla-
ture lacked but twelve of having a pop
ulist majority, and attempted to show
from whence these twelve were surely
coming. Then, he exclaimed, "the popu-
list horse would kick to death the demo-
cratic dog" Turning to that gentleman
he cried: 1.-The populists will be In Mont
gon1erynext time, Brother Smith, and we
will be at the counting. and" with an
excitement which we will characterize as
demoniacaD 1--WE will count you in"
Championing Goodwin on his vote for
seating the South Carolina negro, he said
that Goodwyn's oath bound him to do as
he thought justice demanded, just as 1T
makes democratic Jurors do him PowelD
justice In the courts. A picture of the
speaker, caught as he delivered his raw
ings, would be judged a caricature or an
inmate of "a madhouse. But let him rant.
"a