The age-herald., 1900-07-14
MANY CANDIDATES. ENTER THE RACE
 a~ss Judge Matthews Successor Will be Named Today. PETITIONS BEING PREPARED State~ Democratic Committee Meets to
  Nominate Candidate for Auditor Signed Petitions Presented
 to Probate Judges
PETITIONS BEING PREPARED

The State Democratic Executive Com mittee will meet in the red room at the Morris Hotel at noon today for the pur- pose of nominating a candidate for State Auditor to fill the vacancy on the ticket caused by the death of Judge Walter H. Mat hews of Marion County.
 Up to midnight last night five candidates for this office had announced their inten- ton of going before the committee. They are George W. Ellis of Montgomery, the present State Treasurer; J. Kirk Jackson of Montgomery, formerly Secretary of State; T. L. Sowell of Walker, State Sena- tor; c. S. Smith of Hale member of the State Committee, and Robert H. Greene of Montgomery. Of these MT. Ellis and MT. Greene were candidates for the nomination before the State Convention in April, but were defeated by Judge Matthews.
 Several members of the committee had arrived in the city last night, among them being Francis L. Pettus of Dallas, J. Thomas Hehin of Chambers, c. c. Whitson of Talladega, D. M. White of Coosa, T. Sidney Frazier of Bullock. Chairman Rob- ert J. Lowe of Jefferson and John V. Smith of Russell chairman of the State cam pdlSn committee, were dlreduy III lHS CltS'
 Of the candidates who arrived in the city yesterday and last night were MT. Ellis, MT. Jackson, MT. Greene and MT. Sowell.
 Other well known Democrats who came to town yesterday were Captain J. II Bankhead of Fayette, representative in Congress from the Sixth district: c. C.. Nesmith of Lamar J. H. Bankhead, Jr, of Walker, N. B. Powell of Bullock.
 The committee will meet at noon, but 1t is hardly probable that a quorum will be present until an hour or two later, as some of the trains on which members Of the committee will come do not arrive until after 12 o'clock.
 The friends of the different candidates were working industriously in the interest of their respective candidates last night, and each seemed to believe that his man would secure the nomination. if
 Chairman John V. Smith and Secretary Pugh of the state campaign committee and Dan A. Greene, chairman of the Jeff ferson county campaign committee, were busy yesterday preparing petitions for voters to sign requesting the man named to run for Auditor and also the Probate Judges of the different counties to place the name of the man thus designated on the official DdHat- to be used in the August election
 Much surprise was expressed yesterday morning when it became generally Known that Judge Metthews was dead, and there were some who believed that it was too late for the Democrats to get the name of any other candidate on the ticket. This view, however was not concurred in by Democratic leaders. As stated in the Age Herald yesterday morning. the section of the code regulating State elections specifics two ways in which a candidate can get his name on the official ballot. One is by a certificate to the Secretary of State when ne has been nominated by some political pdrty' 4-~ittee or caucus, primary election, and the olHS. ,,atition of moi less than 800 qualified electors of ..4ate | The latter is the plan that will be pursued | by tho committee, and by Monday night of next week a petition, bearing over 800 sig natures of qualified voters, will be present. | ed to each of the siXty-siX probate judges ] in Alabama.
 | Chairman Lowe, of the State commit ee, yesterday morning received a telegram | from Guin, Judge Matthews home, an- nouncing the death of the latter. The tele- gram was sent Thursday night, but did not reach MT. Lowe until nearly noon yester-