The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-02
NED BRACES
SUNDAY CHAT

seem purely bent upon personal advance
| ment.
At the convention in Montgomery the
straight democrats fought to make the
| constitutional convention call party issue.
| They were successful. The JohnstoniteS
fought to put the constitutional convention
call before the people without a party be-
hind 1t. Yet the democratic legislature
passed the constitutional convention bill
and the governor signed it. In the face of
this the governor and his followers fought
the democratic party declaring for it. 1t
looked very much like they were trying to
kill a constitutional convention without
manifesting the courage to come out open
ly and antagonist it.
The governor has been quoted by Joe Oil
in the Atlanta Constitution as saying that
he is not fighting a new constitution but
was against making it a party question.
| Yet he added in his interview, At believe
the movement will grow weaker instead of
| stronger"
|, Just how the governor and his followers
| expected a constitution to be previd-
ed for with every party In the state refus-
ing to speak in favor of it is not known
The governors policy seems to be a rule
| or ruin one.
Yet Governor Johnston is a man of abll-
ity. Up to the time of the meeting of the
| last legislature he had made a good, strong,
business-like governor. His last message
was a strong and wise one. In it he adj
vocated the election by the people of all
| public officers. Yet, In face Of it, he con-
tnued to appoint, and in Jefferson he saw
| fit to have the legislature abolish peoples
| office and make 1t appointive for eighteen
| months.
| The governor has followed in Grover
| Cleveland's footsteps. In his first term
Cleveland made a great president. In his
| second, his personal desires and interests
overlapped his party fealty and he retired
| from Office with but few followers remain
| ing. 1t is indeed deplorable that a man
| of Governor Johnston's ability should per-
NIT his personal likes and disikes and am
billions to overbaance his party loyalty and
his craftsmanship. He is a man of force.
But, unfortunately, one of such deep feel
| ing and resentment as to allow his personal
feeling to overbalance his judgment. But
| for this he would have gone out of the
| governors chair with the confidence, re-
| spect and acclaims of the people, and in
| time when two grand old men in the
| senate shall have passed to the great be-
| You'd, he might have succeeded one of them.
He may reinstate himself, If he will cast
| aside personal ambitions, and personal an
| tagonisms, and place party and duty above
| all things.
All sorts of high railroad officials were
| here yesterday. the president two vice
| presidents and the traffic manager of the
| Southern were here, and the president of
| the Louisville and Nashville was here also
| The president of the new Birmingham
Southern and the officials of the Tennessee
| company, and the steel mill had them in
/ tow. 1t was given out that they were here
| in regard to the Birmingham Southern
| The Birmingham Southern, as the people
/ generally know, is the old Tennessee COM
| panys railroad. 1t has, however, been ex-
| tracted from that company and is now OPP
| Grated as separa tie institution. 1t will
| connect with the Mobile and Ohio at Bloc
| ton, giving it an outlet to the west VIA
| Blockton. This will put the Birmingham
| Southern in position to pro-rate with all
| the railroads a fifty-mile basis. The
| Birmingham Southern may not have to
haul cars of freight but fifty yards, but
| will get as much pay as though it had
| hauled them fifty miles. This, of course,
! would be a tremendous advantage for the
| new road and would be splendid thing for
the Tennessee company and the new steel
| plant.
To arrange with the officers of the Bir-
mingham Southern was given out as the
reason why all these officials of the great
railroads were here. There are probably
| other schemes howaVar nd
John Shelton Williams has an eve on this
| territory. Williams is at present the young
| Napoleon of railroads. He paid into the
Birmingham Trust and Savings company
| yesterday $115,O00 for the Gate City Land
companys property-1SOO acres. Williams
is figuring on bringing the Georgia and
Alabama and the Seaboard Air Line to Bir-
mingham. He is likewise organizing a big
company to build two tremendous iron fur
naces near Gate City and to erect a steel
plant in connection with them. A lot of
Sugar trust and Standard Oil people are
said to be behind this Williams movement
and this has created no end of furry
among the railroad and furnace interests
of Birmingham In the meantime neither
Williams nor his representatives are say
ing anything as to his future plans, and the
other people are busy guessing.
Two weeks ago today Pat Walsh passed
to the great beyond. In his death the south
| lost one Of its most loyal and devoted cit
liens and the nation one of its best and
| broadcast men,
| From printers devil to the United States
| senate he climbed. He never filled a place
| but WELL AS boy he came to Charleston
| from Ireland He first worked as galley
| hoy in printing Office. He became jour-
neyman printer. He moved to Augusta and
| set type on the Chonicle. From printer he
gradually rose to proprietor. No man did
| SO much to make Augusta the beautiful
and prosperous city it is today; no public
| enterprise was ever started that he did not
| subscribe to. He was at the head of
T everything calculated to build up, and
when appointed to the United States SEN
| ate from GEORGIA ovarv MAJ, in +ba state