The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-05-12
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
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! eminent and subversive of the common
liberties of the people," said Sterling A.
| Wood. Reduced to its logical conclusion,
| If the legislature has the right now to re-
peal the call for a convention, 1t can repeat
| the performance at its pleasure and can
| actually compel the people to elect itself a
constitutional convention. The legislature
might today pass another act calling a
convention, and under that call the ma
! jority of the members might ask to be en-
dorsed as delegates. Should the people re-
fuse that request, there would be nothing
to prevent the calling of another extra
session, the passage of another act of re-
| peal, and the enactment of yet another call
for a constitutional convention, and so on,
time and time again until the people were
compelled to accept, in effect, the leglsla-
ture as a constitutional convention, or
have no convention. And the process
might be kept up until the people, grown
weary, would surrender even the SEM
blance of liberty, and popular government
would become the shadow of a dream. AS
suredly If proof were wanting that the re-
peal act of the extra session is gross vio-
lation of the organic law and the spirit of
our institutions we have it here of these
sample illustrations of what may happen.
It Is doubtful of the people of Alabama
comprehend in any sort of way that they
are being deprived of a supreme right,
guaranteed to them by their own state and
by the United States-the right of self
government"
1.-THE people of the white counties are not
aware, perhaps, that the negroes are not
state have come to regard Governor john
ston as second Abraham Lincoln" said
a Black Belt planter, who is large en-
ployer of colored laborers '"rhey believe
that the governor is standing between
them and those who would deprive them
of the ballot. The negroes feel that the
governor is successfully resisting the eff
forts of the democratic party to bring
about their Acknowledgement. You do not
know that the movement to eliminate the
negro from politics has lighted in his
breast the fire of a devilish hate. He has
controlled himself admirably, it must be
said to his credit, but his wrath has been
no less terrible. 1t is come now to the
point where the negro believes that Cover
nor Johnston will succeed in saving him
from Acknowledgement, and perhaps will
secure for him next year the full exercise
of his legal rights at the polls; and so the
negro now reverences the governor as
great, good and just man."
"Two railroad men were talking today"
said a Birmingham man, land their con-
versation turned to our indefatigable gov
ernor One of the men was out of job
said he had been black-listed by the rail-
roads, with the result that he had been un-
able to find employment, although he had
tried the railroads in Tennessee and other
states. That's the way it Will be with
them politicians down at Montgomery the
unemployed man said, refectively. The
governors done black-llsted 'em ALL They
can't get any job in this state any more,
and they needn't think they can get jobs
in other states. The governor will send
the word all over Alabama, and the coun-
try, and nary job will the politicians get
They might as well try a new business
go to farming, or digging coal-for the gov
ernor's certainly got 1t in for EN- The
man with a job agreed that the man with
out employment had sized up the political
situation quite accurately"
at wonder IL General Funston, our latest
hero, is a blood relative of that Farmer
Funston who served in congress from Kan
sas for several years. said a Washing
tonian, In the lobby. IT venture to hope
not for a coarser, more unprepossessing
man probably never served in congress
than Farmer Funston. He was a big,
burly, muscular, red-faced man, inclined
somewhat to fairness, and in the roughness
of his manners he was repellant, not to
say repulsive. Funston was uncivilized, and
he demonstrated the fact in various ways.
chiefly by his overbearing manner toward
committee clerks and other employees of
the house. What has become of this choice
type of the Kansas congressman, 1 do not
know; but having known him, L cannot
hep but have some little tinge of regret
that the swimming hero of Manila bears
the same name, and may be of the same
blood"
at had an inquiry for coke the other
day." said a broker, land I applied to an
official of the Tennessee company for quo
tations. He informed me that they had
no coke for sale, and he didn't know where
there was as much as ton that could be
bought. The producers of coke, ne said,
ders already taken contracts made.
He advised me to try Mary Lee and other
producers; but I understand one furnace
couldn't obtain sufficient coke to keep 60
ing The coming of hot weather has
largely relieved the pressure the coal
mines, and coal is easy; but coke is
mighty scarce. Coke would bring $2.25 to
$3.50 now A year ago it brought $780,
Hon. William H. Skaggs returned yester-
day from Chicago, and will spend few
| days at home before returning 10 the
west.
John NJ. Caldwell, of Admission, is in
| town on legal business.
| H. L. Williams, of Wetumpka, is in Bir-
| mingham.
WHERE WATER Is DANGEROUS. ssss