The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-25

nett raising lts heau III AldoaLha. ~ was
caused by extravasant appropriations.
But 1 want to tell you that not one Of
those biffs was passed when / was Gov
ernor. They waited until left the Office"
When Ex-Governor Johnston came to
his economic order to have telephones
taken out of the Capitol He said when
he became Governor he found telephones
in nearly every office in the Capitol. He
had them taken out because he thought
the money would pay for few country
schools.
As to the Constitution.
He said some of the best things in the
new Constitution were suggested by him
while he was Governor. For instance, he
said he approved OF the provision fix
ing one term for the Governor. In his
opinion the reason this clause was put in
the Constitution. was to prevent a Gov
ernor from using his office to secure
second term This. he said was
what Governor JeiAs Is doing now.
He had been called such a dangerous
man, he said, a smile of ridicule in his
eyes. and the Constitutional Convention
should have inserted the first clause in
the new Constitution:
THAT Joseph +. Johnston shall never
hold Office in this Stae.''
This provision would have been passed
he said unanimously and If 1t had pro-
hbited him from going to the United
States Senate it would have been more
popular.
Those statements were received with
laughter. q
Ex-Governor Johnston spoke of con-
ferences at Birmingham. where, he said
DR.. r. NJ. Cunningham had been selected
at the running mate of Governor JeIks
and it was announced that the ticket was
TplLs Ctnp 1bap
workingmen had a voice in the selection
of the ticket, but men had come out of
the mines. the shops, the stores and the
offices. and had begged him to run for
Governor.
But they say that Governor Jelks
ought to have a second term because 1t
is a Democratic CUSTOM" continued the
Ex-Governor. That is true. But Gov
ernor Jelks was not elected by the peo-
pie. and, in my opinion, he never will
be-"
Concerning Presidents.
-Four men. Ex-Governor Johnston said.
had succeeded to the Office of Governor
by death of predecessors, and not one of
them had been elected by the people.
While on the question of correcting
presidents Ex-Governor Johnston called
attention to the fact that the Democratic
State Convention OF 1900 had purposely
failed to endorse his administration as
Governor. and drew the inference that
this was an inexcusable violation of party
custom. Notwithstanding the convention
had withheld from him its endorsement,
he said his successors had endorsed some
of his policies which had been severely
condemned. The back tax law had been
continued, the Examiners of Public Ac-
counts were still on the pay roll; the Ad-
jutant-General continued to draw his
happy salary and the Ex-Governor
said extra clerk which he had secured
at the Capitol was still at work. This
additional clerk, he said. had. however,
been divided into about eight pieces, and
| each of the pieces was now drawing
1920 a year. 1t had been said he de-
clared that all of these things were wrong
and yet when his political enemies Sc
cured control OF the Legislature, they did
not repeal law or a policy established
during his administration.
| He referred to the refusal of Governor
Jelks to meet him in joint debate. Allud-
| ing to his refusal to meet Hon. r. H
| Clarke in 1896, he said he was satisfied
| that he made a mistake. The conditions
| We're different in 1898. The white mer
were divided, almost evenly, into hostile
political camps. He feared then that
sores would be engendered that woud
| Db III buDScQuSHI campaigns III
| thanked God that there were now ne
bitter resentments between white mel
of Alabama, and added that the only re
greet he had was that the State Commit
| tee failed to invite all white men who
believed in Democratic principles to par
ticipate in the forthcoming primary,
Honest Election Wanted.
The speaker appealed for an homes
primary and an honest election. Ever
IL a Republican should carry Alabama
he said, he would want to see him get the
office What he objected to was little
coterie getting together and running the
| government"
He said the question of the Railroad
Commission had been discussed and de
clared that If the people elected legisla-
tors and they passed an act providing
for the election Of the Railroad Commits.
sioners it would meet with his approval
This statement was applauded.
There are some good things in the new
| Constitution, Governor Johnston said
particularly those parts of the old Con
stitution that were saved and some OF
the things that he had recommended. But
the Constitution had been proclaimed as
the law, he said. notwithstanding 1t was
ratified by negro votes in the black belt
counties. Still 1t was the law and he
intended to accept it in good faith. al.
though he intended to tighten It's burden
upon the people when he became Cover
nor. by moderating it by legislation. He
had always expressed himself candidlS
to the Legislature and he said he would
do so again.
He invited any one in the audience tC
speak out If he had approved an ACT
which had wrongfully appropriated the
money of the people.
| I'm here in Montgomery" continued
Johnston. where a great many dirty
things have been said about me- If ]
have done these things say so now and
do not stick knife in my back"
That part of the audience down in front
| applauded this statement and the ex-
| Governor then produced a printed state
ment which he read. 1t proved to be Q
report of the State Superintendent of Ed
ucation, submitted when Ex-Governor
Johnston occupied the executive chair
The report showed great improvement In
the public school system of the State and
attributed these conditions to the admin
istration of affairs by the then Governor
| Johnston.
Tip to Reporters.
He told the newspaper reporters present
to copy these statements from the Su.
perintendent of Education and print then
if they wanted to be fair.
The Birmingham candidate dwelt some
more upon the idea that the working
men are backing his campaign. He sait
he understood that eighty members of tn,
Beauvoir Club of Montgomery had beer
| polled and but one of them was for him