The age-herald., 1900-04-29
NED BRACE WRITES ABOUT
 POLITICS AND POLITICIANS

The Alabama political campaign has end- | ed. It ended with the adjournment of the 1 state convention at Montgomery on Thurs | day It is we'll There are statesmen in politics. There are politicians in politics, 1 and there is much of the selfish side of | human nature to be seen in politics. As l an observer of political campaigns for many years, I would advise young men | to keep as far aloof from politics as from l the gaming table or the bucket shop. Every man should vote and express his choice. | If>fnen would do this there would not be
 so much trading and traffleking about po-
 ica conventions. No more tricks are re-
 sorted to in the old-fashioned horse trade
 about country courthouse on court days
 than are to be found in the dickers about | conventions. Every mans candidate, like his horse. though he may be string-halt- l litical conventions. No more tricks are re-
 most free from blemishes of any one in 1 the world Many trades were attempted at
 the recent convention. The people however, had expressed their opinions in advance,
 and had expressed them so emphatically
 that the politicians dared no go too far.
 The convention, in most instances, carried
 
 were some men in it, however who went l too far. think it mistake that sev-
 eral side cuts and slashes were made at l Governor Johnston. The governor made his | contest within the democratic party. It was | fight among democrats. He took his de- l feat like a man, and in acknowledging it. did a true democrat should do Dur
 ing the convention in Montgomery he re- | probably attended to his business Several
 of the men who had most Loyalty support
 ed him were in the convention and mingled with the crowds eongregated in Montgom- cry. They made no mean remarks and no attempts to tangle affairs in the conven- tion. It is true they could have done noth- | ing but it is to their credit that they car ried out to the letter the good old demo-
 cratic doctrine formulated and lived up to by Samuel J. Randall-whieh was: Make your fight vigorously within party lines.
 When the party shall have acted, abide by it's acts in full"
 | I met Governor to-be Sanford for the | first time in Montgomery. He is a manly l fellow, and wears the air and indulges in 1 the talk of a true statesman. He has i fine head, massive forehead and thor l oughly intellectual countenance. He would | appear well in any crowd anywhere. He | is an orator and man of brains. For the | governorship he made a clean fight He defined himself clearly on all topics, but | indulged in no criticism or abuse of his 1 opponents. He won the hearts of the peo- | pie and they gave him their votes. I ven- | ture the assertion that he will make one | of the best governors Alabama has ever | had.
 Colonel Sanford rather strikes me as
 man who will make as good governor as Oscar Underwood a congressman. I can
 not refrain, in this connection, from say l ing another word about Congressman Un- derwood. I don't believe that many peo- | pie in Birmingham and the Ninth con-
 gressional district thoroughly realize what true and valuable man they have repre- | senting them in congress. have observed | his work closely. He attends to business | He is always pushing Birmingham and the Birmingham district, and he always att | tends strictly to his congressional duties. | On the floor he appears well. When he | talks the strict attention of the house is | given to him. Underwood is not a stump | speaker, however I have never heard | him on the stump in a campaign but I | don't believe he would make what is | termed a good, hurrah stump speech In | the house, however, he makes a speech | which is effective. He argues straight to | the point, and the thread of his argument | is never lost. Several of the old men in | the house of representatives told me only | two weeks ago when I was in Washington | that Oscar Underwood is the most valua- ble young man on the democratic side of | the house.
 Birmingham and it's properties are getting | on very substantial investment basis with