The age-herald., 1898-03-22
WHY HE GOT OUT OF THE RACE James A. Mitchell Tells About the Associate Judgeship
 Contest.

MT. James A. Mitchell has withdrawn from the associate judgship race.
 Why he did it makes a very interesting story.
 There is a history in connection with 1t. This history is best told by MT. Mitchell himself in the following card to The Age Herald.
 ..I desire to state my position with refer ence to my withdrawal from the race for associate judge of the city court, and to the alleged combined opposition to MT. Senn. It has been stated In some inter views published in The Age-Herald that this so-called opposition grew out of MT. Senn's sympathy for the gold standard, or at least, the want of sincerity in his pro- fessed belief in the free coinage of silver.
 MT. Senn has always said he was sil- yer man, but I cannot see how his course in the past could have materially aldeo the cause of bimetallism; for he has voted TOT gold men for the legislature when there was a United States senator to be elected, and I do not believe he had attended meeting of a bimetallic club in Birmingham for nearly two years prior to his announce ment as candidate and 1t Is notlceaple fact that most of the gold standard poll" ticians in this city are supporting nm. However, in what have done, have been actuated by other considerations. MT. Senn has held the office of register in chancery, which has paid him handsomely, TOT the past ten or twelve years; and durlng that time he has been out of the practice or law. To speak of that position as a judicial or semi judicial one is pure non sense, It is merely @ clerical position; ana while A good lawyer who takes the omce and does nothing else for ten years may be qualified for chancellor, 1t Is difncult 10 see how it would qualify him TOT Juoge ol common law court. But MT. sem hao not practiced enough to get case to the su- preme court before he took the ofnce. -
 "A strong belief that he is a good politi- c,an which do not deny, has caused to gather around him large aggregation or office-holders, ex-office-holders, omce-seek- CTS and politicians, who expect 10 run TOT something In the future, including the sher- if and one or two deputy sheriffs, an ex- tax assessor who may want to run again, an ex-tax collector who is probably In the same fix. a former deputy sheriff and ex- candidate for sheriff, who, 1t is said, wants to try 1t once more, probable cahulodee for probate judge at some distant oay' d circuit solicitor who will be a candidate before the legislature for reelection, an alderman and legislator who IS said 10 want something better, and last but not least Gin his own estimation) another alder man and ouondam candidate for chairman of the county executive committee. It IS not improper to designate this aggregatlon of aspiring individuals "the court mousse ring" These, in addition to the aforesaid gold standard advocates and some corpor- otion Iawvers. make a rather formidable array, which is bound to bring him pretty good vote. ro,,
 "With the opposition divided among four candidates no diagram Is needed to show that none of us had a very nope1ul chance to win I felt that was the strongest cah- didate against him, an opinion that vas shared by numerous others whose opinions
 T the agreement with two of the other can didates to determine who should come down, believing that no five men In the county would decide against me, TOT, 70 say nothing more, I had made pretty thorough canvass of the county, which the others did not make. But five men were found, a majority of whom decided in fa- vor of MT. Powell. do not know what influences were brought to bear upon them or what actuated them in their decision. Of course, I accepted the result, and shall support Mr. Powell, as I agreed to do; but the report In The Age-Herald that I would throw or attempt to throw my SUD- port to him, Is not true. l do not have or claim such control over those gentle men who honored me with their support as to justify me in attempting to deliver their votes to somebody else, and did not agree to do so."
 One of MT. Senn's supporters was shown the above statement last night. Tt Is not surprising" said he, "that the little op- position to MT. Senn, which existed only in the half dozen men who were running against him, should result In their getting mad with one another In the end, the strong probability Is, that all of those who got left in the deal recognizing Mir. Senn's peculiar fitness for the position, will join the great majority of democratic voters of Jefferson county and make his election, which is now certainty, practically unanimous.
 1T might say the only strength in MT. Mitchell's statement is that he did not go quite far enough. If he had added to the names mentioned, and practically all the rest of the people of the county he would have been eminently correct.''
 JAMES A. MITCHELL.