The age-herald., 1899-10-13
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

nOrShtp Of Alabama Bacn IS SlrlNlhB TUT an honor that is esteemed most by the man who temporarily holds it, and not valued at all by thousands of good men and true. Take a man placed as Mir Stall lings is, for example. The intelligent per- son seeks in vain for reason or excuse on the part of Mir. Stallings for desiring the governorship. MT. Stallings is a mem- Der of congress and perhaps could remain so indefinitely, and do whatever he had the intellect to carry out but he elects the empty, exacting, toil-burdened place Of doubtful honor instead. Yesterday after noon at the Union passenger station in Birmingham, two former governors Of Alabama entered the Montgomery train together in cordial and sympathetic friend ship. Thomas Goode Jones entered the station late, a few seconds behind Rufus Cobb. Hello governorr' called MT Jones. Hello, governori" answered MT. Cobb
 turning about. The two men, each of whom had borne the burden of the state for two lawful terms of office as governor, clasped hands frankly and cordially. They walked together to the entrance of an or dinary car-not a luxurious Pullman, if you please-and together they entered the car, and together they occupied one seat as simply any two laborers of small degree in the world. They were governor and governor" as they addressed one the other; but they were Tom" and 'Rufe' as man to man, and each glad that the burden of the state no longer oppressed him. They two constituted an object lesson of beautiful simplicity, and far-reaching, profound import.
 The incident was an unusual one. There ere but -four men living who ever held the office of governor, and one of them Is too aged and afflicted to travel much. One Of them, Robert Lindsay, was elected before one-thrd Of the voters now living were born. Even the next in time of service, Rufus Cobb, quit office nearly twenty years ago. Thomas Jones asks nothing except to be let alone William Oates seeks to be United States senator. It is seldom that any two of these four Who have had the states highest honor come face to face with each other. So yesterdays accidental meeting between Jones and Cobb was of noteworthy interest. If the conversation between them the fast train speeded them south could have been reported for a newspaper, it would have been of sur passing interest to the public and of great value to all men Who quit their regular work to seek places in the pubic service of doubtful honor and of undoubted burden someness and material cost Mr. Cobb is | unquestionably better off as former gov ernor and a defeated candidate for the mayoraty of B.rmingham's beautiful sub urb Woodlawn, than ever he was in the chair of the iflustrious Houston. MT. Jones came to be the head of the state in turmoil, and for two terms he struggled hravely, manfully, ably in the peoples service, tiring with honor and dignity after expend- ing from his private purse the governors annual pay more than five times multiplied. Today he is virtually the head of the Ala bama bar, and dwells in peace and con tentment, far removed from the bitterness and blackguardism of politics.
 After the return of James Fitzjames from his memorable tour of the Highlands in dis grise, Scott makes him say to the multi tude at Stirling:
 Thou many-headed monster thing,
 On, who would be thy king!
 Did you see MT. Jones of Lauderdale, who led the fight against uniform date for nominating members of the legislature, in the state democratic executive commit tee last Tuesday?' asked an observant per- son. II If7i.i.i liiftfapxr
 Certainly; everybody in or about the meeting saw and heard MT. Jones. Why do you ask?"
 'Oh, well, there are several things about Mr. Jones that are perhaps peculiar; but did you ever see any other man who could equal him in the eating of chewing His accomplishments in that particular were amazing, and I wondered that he | wasn't called to order. Mir. Jones has l big head, which is very bald, and very | full of educated brains He likewise has | large, strong face, and large strong | mouth. Whilst he sat in his place he ate l gum Whilst he addressed the chair or the l committee he ate gum. The distinguished | gentleman from Lauderdale ate gum in l threatening rebellion against democratic | authority, ate gum while sitting quietly | looking al the floor, ate gum while saying he had no intention of quitting the demo- l cracy and in otherwhiles-Mr. Jones, of Lauderdale, ate gum all the time, and his
 teeth closed upon the soft substance one
 hundred and three times a minute, by ac-
 
 but excellent watch. Yet MT. Jones, of Lauderdale is one of the great prominent | ly mentioned ones for the governorship of 1 Alabama 4 aa 4.,,l, 1.-The remarks of President Samuel Spen- l cer of the Southern Railway on the custom | of granting free railroad passes, delivered 1 before the national industrial commission in Washinton a few days ago. and printed in The Age-Herald, have attracted wide attention,' said railroad attorney of great l ability and high standing. Tt is of inter- l est to note that eight states of the union | have each constitutional enactments for | bidding railroad officials to grant free l passes to state officers and forbidding such 1 officers to accept such passes. The pen | alty in some instances is the deprivation | of offending officers of their offices. The | last state to act in the matter was North | Carolina, which, in 1892, provided in it's | constitution that officer of the state