The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-16
CANVAS VOTES TODAY
sxxrY-srx COUNTY BOARDS TO
 LOOK OVER RETURNS.
Yesterday Was the Day for the Can vas, But ofacials Say Today is Legally Correct for
 the Count

The Canvassinx Boards of sixty-six counties in Alabama will meet toaayi ~ sixty-six court houses to canvass the ". turns of the constitutional eiection ne'o
 These Canvassing Boards will certify the result of the election in their resrec- tive counties to the Secretary or State and within ten days after today the e.a.s Canvassi Board which is composed or the Governor, the Auditor and the sfc- retary of State, will investigate the IT. turns from the County Boards Wrhih fifteen days after this canvass sne Sov- ernor will issue a proclamation declaring the result and as the new instrument mas been overwhelmingly ratihed ne VIII an nouncs the date Hpon which ,n,,s, It he ~1 Within ten days after the date of his proclama- tion.
 There was some dscussion yesterday of the failure of the County Ganvass,ng Canvas nrn. viding for the election to determine Ii Constitutional Convention should be helo provided that the returns should De can vassed within five days after the elect,on That election was held on Tuesday. Con- sequently the Canvassing Boards met on Saturday, as has been the custom in Ala bama for many years. The Constitutional Convention adopted an ordinance providing that the returns from the election held to ratify of reject the new Constitution should be canvassed within the same length of time as was
  tional Convention. As the -proclamation by Governor Jelks named Monday. No vember 11th as the day of the election the date for the meeting of the Canvass ing Boards fell on yesterday.
 This is a point that seems to have been overlooked throughout the State. The Ad- vertiser up to a late hour last night was not able to learn of the meeting oi a County Board in any section Of the state.
 Lawyers who discussed the question said yesterday that the ordinance by the Convention was not by, any means man. datory that 1t was merely directory and . The peculiar position taken by General Charles NJ. Shelley, former Governor Johnston and others with reference to their future political status has attract ed widespread attention and has caused considerable talk in political circles. Hon. Bibb Graves of Montgomery. who represented the opponents of the Consti- tuition ip the Second Congressional Dis trict admitted that he had been invited to participate in conference of the antis to be held in Birmingham Novem- Der 18th. but declared that he would take no part in any movement that had the remotest resemblance to secession from the Democratic party.
 'I shall go to Birmingham to see what they are going to do," said Mir. Graves. | But if they undertake to secede from the | Democratic party they will have to get a | team of oxen to pull me out of my par ty. l am Dem0crat. It Is we'll known that Mir Graves is a | warm personal and political friend of Governor Jelks and his friends say that Mir. Graves will give Governor Jelks his hearty and loyal support in his candidacy | for a second term.
 State officials and other well known | Democrats declined to treat the state ments of General Shelley and Governor Johnston seriously It was said that they might undertake to set up another party | in Alabama but no person believed they could gather sufficient strength to be of any interest to the political situation next year. It was pointed out that all of the votes boiled for the Constitution coul1 l reasonably be supposed to be Democratic votes. The votes from the opposition came from Populists. Republicans and some Democrats. As the Constitution was given a big majority 1t was argued that there appeared to be a very short | line on which General Shelley ct als could hang a party and certainly no room on which to hang a party that could claim to be a faction of the Democratic party
 See The Lion