The age-herald., 1898-08-13
NED BRACE ON
 CURRENT TOPICS

Well, the war is over. Now we will all look to that promised era of progress and prosperity. I believe it's coming. It has already made itself manifest in and about Birmingham. Money is easy here much building is going on new enterprises are being established. Indeed, wise people be- gan discounting peace more than a month ago. look for the establishment of not less than two score small industries to the product of the new steel plant within the near future. Within five years from today Birmingham ought to be the great est city in the south. But this is purely speculative-we will wait and see. As 1t is, Birmingham is all right and Birmingham is going ahead. If the people will quit kicking about newspapers printing news which is legitimate news. and go to work to build up and make money, lots of them will be better off. I am getting very tired of kckers besieging newspaper offices to beg plead and threaten in order to pre- vent the publication of legitimate news' because 1t might be unpleasant to some in- dividual. If men don't want to be talked about in public print, they should pursue the even tenor of their way and attend to their own business.
 
 President Mckinley is all right. His demands made upon Spain as settlement of the war will be indorsed by everybody, There are some old fossils who may cry 'imperialism, but few progressive Amer ican citizens will pay any attention to their cries.
 Spain relinquished all claim to Cuba. She cedes Porto Rico and other Spanish islands in the West Indies to us. She also cedes an island in the Ladrones and leaves Manila and its harbor in our hands, pending treaty of peace which shall de- termine the control, disposition a.d gov- ernment of the Philippines This means that we can take what we want in the form of coaling station and adjacent ter- ritory, and that government will be established over which we will maintain suzerainty.
 It strikes me that every man in Amer- ica will indorse the presidents acts as far he has gone.
 The Chaplain Wear matter has gone about far enough. Dr. Wear has resigned and come home and he has been reinstat- ed in his church. He was undoubtedly open to criticism because of the inoppor- tune moment in which he chose to resign. But these matters of hanging him in ef- fgy and digging and marking graves about his house have gone far enough. Dr. Wear is a man of ability and characA ter, man of standing, and if his own church people are satisfied with him 1t Is time for others to attend to their own business without interfering with pr. Wear and his church people.
 
 Private John Allen, of Mississippi, has been renominated for congress- This will be Aliens eighth consecutive term in the house of representatives. During all of that time Allen has been the wit of thd house. Occasionally, however he becomes serious and somewhat influential in egis. lation. < Allen tells a great many good stories and many good stories are told about him. He has had several hot fights for renomina, tion. Once he was opposed by an ex. general in the Confederate army. During a joint debate one day this ex-generai spoke of his services during the war. He eulogized himself a bit and created great enthusiasm among his hearers. He occuA pied more than one hour in his speech. When Aliens turn came, he said: Fellow citizens you have heard my friend the general, speak of his great and glorious military record. He was a general in the Confederate army. He was one of great many officers. He has accused me of never rising above the dignity of private. I accept the accusation and hope that all of you who were officers in the army will vote for him, and all of you who were pri. yates will vote for me-" With this, Allen sat down. He got the votes.
 
 That is a lively correspondence which has been going on between Examiner Puri- foy and Ex-Sheriff George M Morrow, The facts in the matter should be given to the public at once. The public is enti- tied to know the full details. The specific items of MT. Purifoy's charges should bs made known. Dr. Morrow's replies to each one should be made public. It Is an unfortunate matter. Both are men of standing in the state. It is a matter of public interest-a matter which belongs to the pubic-and it should be settled up without delay and without personalities being indulged in between the two parties. It is purely business matter. If through clerical errors or from any other reason any accounts of Ex-Sheriff Morrow with the state have not been settled they should be settled at once. If MT. Purifoy has made any mistakes in his examination of the accounts the public should know 1t. Let the matter be settled at once and in public.
 WHEN THE BOYS GET BACK