The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-07-29
President of Recent Convention Speaks in Defense of the
 New Constitution
JELKS IS FRIENDLY ID
 THE NEW INSTRUMENT
pr. R. M. Cunningham Makes a Brief Speech In Which He Tells Tale About the Tail of
 Dog.

More than a thousand citizens of Bir- mingham and Jefferson county heard John B. Knox and pr. R. M. Cunning ham advocate the candidacy of Governor Jelks at the Auditorium last night.
 This was the opening of the Jelks cam paign in the city, and the audience was enthusiastic. Close attention was given the speakers, interrupted by frequent ap- plause to any alIusion to the governor, his record or his candidacy and to the prophecies of the future glory and pros perity of the state under the present ad- ministration and the new constitution.
 There were a number of representative citizens on the stage. among them being W c. Jackson, of Bessemer; Asbury Thompson; B. D. Smith, R. H. Thach. o. P. Gaut, s. D. Weakley Ben r. Fillmore of-Demopolis; II. K. Clements of Athens; Sterling Wood, Mayor Scott of Ensley; City Attorney Martin of Ensley; John c. Pugh. Alex Little of Bessemer; L. V. Clark. J. Kirk Jackson, W. T. Kennedy of Bessemer and J. w. Estes.
 MT. Knox was the first and principal speaker. He took up the record of former Governor Johnston, dissected and analyz- ed it. He had dwelt at some length upon this, when someone in the audience Shout ed: Lets hear something about Cover nor Jeiks-what he has done!" There was no hesitation in MT. Knox's reply, 1T am not surprised that an advocate of former Governor Johnston is not enjoying my remarks And then the audience allow ed their enthusiasm to have full sway and applauded for several minutes. It was the first opportunity they had of manifesting conclusively and unanimously in whose interest they had attended the meeting.
 MT. Knox Begins. MT. Knox spoke as follows;
 "I regret the necessity of appearing again before you in defense of the new constitution. Including the time consum- ed last spring in the canvass for the nom- ination of delegates to the convention, the election upon the call for a convention and the election for ratification, follow ing immediately upon the adjournment of the convention which framed the consti- tuition, I devoted practically the whole of one year to this service; and, naturally, I regret, on my return from the first vacation I have had since this contest was inaugurated to find that the same set of men who opposed suffrage reform and the adoption of the new constitution at avarv aten bad orUanizad and hacked by secret organization which they claim to have perfected in every part of the state were again at work, seeking to gain control both of the executive and legislative departments of our government for the purpose avowed with more or less indeflniteness of defeating the reforms accomplished by the adoption of the new constitution, either by the method of it's administration or by emasculating it's pro- visions through the process of amend ment
 Johnston's Demands.
 'T attended the other night the meeting at which Governor Johnston launched his campaign, and watched with attention and interest to see how he would attempt to justify his demand that the people of this state should place the seal of disap- proval upon the administration of Gov ernor Jelks. for the purpose of re-elect- ilB nm lOr u tnlru term 10 an Offlce which he claims he does not want, and which he says he has no ambition to fill.
 ''As 1 understood him, he placed his demand to be restored to power in this state upon the ground
 First, that the state convention which nominated Governor Sanford failed in terms, to endorse his administration, and.
 "Second, to tble him to carry out the programme which he openly avows. of amending the new constitution, in what way he does not state, but presum- ably along the lines he has heretofore advocated. and, in the meantime to ad- minister its provisions, as he expresses it, so as to bear lightly upon the peo- ple," until he can secure the adoption of his amendments. By this means, 1t seems, he expects to restore to the peo- pie honest elections and the right to gov ern themselves.
 "Now what does he mean by all this? When he and his following were defeated in their efforts to overthrow and prevent the adoption~of the rev constitution, they cane before the state with the avowed declaration that they proposed to carry On the fight. ard asked tn, people to re- store then % power, so that they could, by amendment, make the new ccnstitu- tion confoi m to their views, and emascu- late from 1t these suffrage provisions to which they declared deadly and eternal opposition.
 q have heard 1t intimated that efforts