The age-herald., 1898-12-15
COMMISSIONERS REFUTE CHARGES All Claim to be Good and Falth-
 full Democrats. E. A. LITTLE'S STATEMENT Has Started the Citizens of Bessemer to Talking, and the Past Records of
 Appointed and Disappointed
 Are Being Looked Up.
E. A. LITTLE'S STATEMENT I

Bessemer, December 14-(Special.)-T interviews with E. A. Little and w. T. Kennedy published in this mornings Age Herald, has occasioned considerable com ment in this city. MT. Little's remarks are received with great indignation by the commissioners he attacks. According to their own statements every one of the re- gently appointed commissioners are demo- crats. The necessity for the appointment of police commission has been freely questioned by large number of represen- tative citizens. While the larger white element naturally regretted the success of the republican ticket at the last city elec- tion, there were no charges of fraud at the polls, and the fact was that the board of aldermen elected was non-partisan, part being republicans and part democrats Neither has there in the history of Besse- mer been so efficient police force as that on duty now. These being the facts, the agitation of the question of a police com mission seemed superfluous and apparently animated solely by desire on the part of some to further their personal interests.
 When approached by an Age-Herald rep resentative the commissioners as a unit expressed their indignation at MT. Little's remarks.
 w. L. Rush. of the firm of w. L. Rush & Co.,, druggists, said:
 q will not attempt to say whether the democrats are satisfied or not at the ap- pointment of the commissioners. I only desire to refer to the personal assault made upon me not by the democrats, but by w. T. Kennedy and E. A. Little The former was once defeated for mayor of Bessemer on the independent ticket, and you know what the word "independent" means in democratic circles. Mr Kennedy was de- feated by an overwhelming majority. Surely his democracy cannot be doubted
 If Mir Little was in such doubt as to where I stood and how I intended to vote, l do not understand his anxiety on the day of the last election to have me vote. He approached me three times on the subject and could not have been in doubt as to where I stood. He did not ask me whether l was going to vote for Underwood, con sequently it was not necessary for me to promise They all think I voted for Me Eniry, but sure that is a mistake as doubt if a dozen people could be found in Bessemer to substantiate that statement or to question my democracy in the least. I regret that after having fathered the bill as MT. Little claims to have done, he should have been completely ignored by the child but 1t was not my fault, and I was a great ly surprised to find that I had been sug- gested Tor the position as he was to find he had been rejected. Yes, I am a warm personal friend of Mayor McEniry, just as am to other republicans, populists and democrats, and l am glad to say that he is not man that allows our political diff ferences to interfere with our social rela- tions."
 Captain T. T. Huey, another of the com missioners whom MT. Little states is a can didate for mayor on the republican inde- pendent ticket, says, in the words of Sena- tor Hill: 'I am a democrat" He says further: "I have always voted for demo- cratic presidents and would have voted for Governor Johnston had I been at home at the time. I was a delegate to the demo- cratic county convention and afterwards to the chencellor's convention. I not a candidate for mayor on the republican tick ct and if am candidate at all it will cer- tainly be independent of MT. Little's con- sent.
 James Trotter, city attorney, says: 'I refuse to be measured by MT. Littles yard stick. I am a democrat and have always supported the democratic ticket"
 The democracy of w. S. Winters and T. J. Cornwell is unquestioned. In reply to a question MT. Winters stid: 'I consider the article uncalled for and ill-timed."