The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-10-17
JELKS AND BRANDON
SPOKE IN SELMA FOR RATIFICA-
 TON OF CONSTITUTION.
Eloquent Addresses Listened to by Large Audience-Adjutant Gen. eral Scores His Old Poli-
 tical Bedfellows.
Advertiser Bureau,

Today was Constitutional Ratification Day" at the Street Fair, and had the ef- feet of drawing a great many to the | city from the country. Capt. Dan B. | Edwards, an enthusiastic Constitution man, got up at o'clock this morning, | made pot of coffee and was in seven | miles of the city when the run rose. He | said that he wanted to come to town ear- ly and take in every word that was said | by the different speakers in favor of the l ratification of the Constitution. He Is | only one of the many Dallas County Democrats who are taking such a deep interest in the ratification of the new Con- | stitution.
 | Col. w. w Brandon of Tuscaloosa came in on the Birmingham train. He was met at the depot by the Dallas Light Dra- | goons. under the command of Capt. V. B. | Atkins. Colonel Brandon is the Adjutant | General of the State National Guard and | the Ora goons turned out to do him honor. A detachment of the Pettus Battery was
 also at the depot and fired a salute when Colonel Brandon came in. The same
 troops were at the depot to pay their re- | spects to Governor Jelks when he came in from Montgomery, and hundreds of people lined Broad Street from the depot to Water and both the Governor and the | Adjutant General were treated to an en- | thusiastic reception. Mir. J. T. Hef1in of | Chambers could not be here to fill his | appointment on account of illness. l About one thousand persons assembled at the depot to greet the Governor and a long procession of carriages and other | vehicles came up the street and stopped | in front of the Hotel Albert. Governor | Jelks was driven up town behind a span | of fine gray horses. The Fifth Georgia | Band came up on the electric car with three trailers behind and played Hail to
 the Chief" amid the applause of the
 crowd on the sidewalks
 The 5th regiment band was stationed in
 the gallery and made the auditorium of
 the Academy of Music ring with inspiring
 music while the building was being filled
 up. The audience was not as large as 1t
 would have been had the speaking been
 at any other hour than noon.
 MT. II. F. Reese presided. He introduc-
 ed Hon. w. w. BrandRn, who was re-
 ceived with ap1ause
 Colonel Brandon after the applause, had
 stopped. said that he could hardly 'rec-
 ognize himself, after Mir. Reeses intro-
 duction. It afforded him pleasure to speak
 in the bulwark of the Democracy of Ala | bama-Dallas. He felt a delicacy in &C.,
 cepting the invitation on this occasion,
 If the Craig amendment had been adopt
 ed. he believed that the ladies of Dallas
 would have been for the Constitution and
 old Dallas would have been a unit for
 the new Constitution.
 He spoke eloquently of how the United
 States had heard the Macedonian cry of Cuba and had gone over and helped her
 He told of Wheeler planting the Stars and
 Stripes on the bulwarks of Santiago. He
 also paid glowing tribute to Lieutenant Hobson. Our heroes have added glory to
 Alabama in the past. What will she do in
 the future? he asked. We are confront
 ed by an issue today that Is one of the
 most important in the history of Alabama | the ratification of the new Constitu-
 tion."
 He alluded to the fact that it was a | Black Belt Governor in 1884 who con- | ceived the idea of Constitutional Con-
 ventnon. and Francis L. Pettus intro duced the bill for 1t.
 | He explained his position on the Consti- tutional Convention two years ago. He
 answered what Hon. Jesse F. Stallings said in criticism of his attitude. He had
 no apology to make for supporting a measure that the Democracy wanted. He | said that Stalings was no longer Our | Jess," but their Jess" He had all along contended that the suffrage needed re- | form. He had advocated an amendment. He thought that Governor Johnston ought to be found supporting the new Constitution, for the new instrument con- | LdIIleu WndL GONeTIlOT JCuTlSIOH aOVOCaI- | ed In his proposed amendment It was the solemn duty of all Democrats to sup port the ratification of the new Consti- | tuition, he said
 | He said the Constitutional Convention was composed of some of the best men in Alabama, and there was applause when | he mentioned the name of Judge T. w. | Coleman. He explained that the Demo- cratic State Executive Committee did not alxa ik e. | sons. He had great respect for General Shelley, but he thought 1t pity that he should let men like Stallings and others | put him forward to be slaughtered. He brought down the house when he stated that he did not have time to stop | here in Dallas to speak for Governor | Johnston for United States Senator two years ago. He had time however, to | come to Dallas to speak for ratification for he was shoulder to shoulder with the Black Belt now. He had great respect for Governor Johnston, but he did not propose to follow him when he was wrong
 He said the delegates to the Constitu- | tional Convention, like Abou Ben Adhem lead all the rest. He scored Stallings and Denson for the way they talked to the people of North Alabama. He said they were stuffing the people of Alabama about
 
 the Governor. Auditor and Commissioner | of Agriculture a high compliment This, | he said Is a white mans government and l it is going to continue to be- But an honest white mans government is want | ed. Colonel Brandon paid the "old guard of the Black Belt a glorious trib- | ute when he told how they were carried to Montgomery and were put in Jail in 1874
 | He had met Mir Cofer in Cullman and asked him to point out ten men in an audience at Cullman who would be dis qualified, because they did not have a | good moral character. He said that Cofer failed to point them out.
 Colonel Brandon then went into the | details of the new Constitution and said he thanked God that he was a descendent | of the men who had fought to redeem | this country and if it was a ballot of heredity that he would cast on that &C., count he was proud of it. He was proud of the fact that in the Bill of Rights in the new Constitution the Fifteenth Amendment was omitted. Colonel Brandon said he never did recog- nize the Fifteenth Amendment and he was glad that the Democracy of Alabama had run it's pen through 1t. He explained at length the provisions of the new con- st,tution. Hon. Jess Stallings had told Inc neopIe of Marshall County that the RIack Belt would get more representa- tjor under the new constitution. and he toId the Democracy of Lowndes that they s',o,,,d loose their representation. He wound up his speech by paying a tribute to inc memory of Frances L. Pettus.
 NTr Reese then arose and introduced