The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-09
WHERE ARE WE nATnr'

 authorizes The Advertiser to announce. | that his name will be presented to the next Democratic State Convention for the | nomination as candidate for Attorney | General.
 | Judge Cobb needs no introduction to l the people of the State, having filled | many of the, highest and most honorable places with honor and distinction.- Montgomery Advertiser.
 The Advertiser is correct in saying that | he needs no introduction to the people | of the State; for 1t was the same Judge 1 Cobb who coined the expression: Where
 am I at?' once upon time while he was said to have been on drunken | spree a, ; shington. when he was q | member of Congress. Has<it come to this that our leading newspaper puts | forward an old stoper' like this for so l high an office as Attorney General, when we have so many better. abler. and more | vigorous young men? If Alabama takes l a backward step to nominate Judge Cobb | it will be up to us to know where we | are t."-Dothan Siftings.
 We are surpriesd that so fair minded paper as The Siftings would perpetrate | as much injustice as Is contained in | the above extract. It does The Adver- tiser an injustice in saying that 1t puts forward Judge Cobb as candidate for Attorney General which can be con- strued into meaning that he is The Advertisers candidate. This can no more be said than that 1t has put for ward MT. Sanford of Pike. who has since withdrawn. MT. Wilson of Clarke MT. Garber of Taliadega. >or any other announced candidate all of whom have been, at different times, mentioned In The Advertiser and with more or less oI commendatory remarks. This paper has no candidate for Attorney General and
 will be tho partisan of none.
 Inasmuch, however, as The Siftings
 commented on a paragraph from The
 Andertiser in reference to Judge Cooe
 and made 1t the basis for its remarks
 we feel that justice demandstthis reply,
 without in the least committing The
 Advertiser for or against any candidate
 for the high and honorable position Of Att
 torney General
 If The Siftings would ask it's towns
 man. MT. Malone. who was member or
 the recent Constitutional Convention AS
 to the manner of man Judge Cobb is, we
 feel quite sure that he would say ne IS
 just tho reverse of that which It
 describes.
 For eight years he was 8 member of
 Congress and established a reputation,
 not only for ability, but for correctness
 of living For several years he pre-
 sided over the courts of circuit In this
 State. and never a word have we ever
 heard against his conduct. either as of-
 ficer or citizen.
 When celebrated election contest was
 pending in the Fifty-Second congress
 Judge Cobb was the leader of those who
 favored the retention by the Demo-
 crat. Mir Rockwell of New York. of the
 seat to which his certificate entitled him, Judge Cobb made a speech by common
 consent regarded as one of the ablest presentations of the law and facts in an election case ever heard in the House. He was interrupted continually and piled | with questions from all sides and he dis | posed of them in such way as to elicit
 the applause and commendation of most l of his party associates. Some of the | | favored unseating MT. Rockwell and | giving the place to his Republican oppo- nent. The chairman of the Elections | Committee, a Southern Democrat from | Virginia, favored that course MT. | Cobb with a divided Democracy and a
 solid Republican vote against him won | the cause he advocated and the result ht
 There was in that Congress a promi- | nent Populist member, Thomas E. | Watson of Georgia, who published a
 severe arraignment of the Democrats generally and ascribed to Mir. Cobb the
 utterance of the celebrated query where
 am l at." and charged him with being
 intoxicated. There was never a more | unjust accusation and members of the House by the' score testified that his statement was baseless. In all his long | life that Is the only time his conduct for sobrlety and good behavior has ever been challenged and that was by the | leader of a party which has done incal- | culable harm in the South. Certainly
 long and stainless public and private
 life ought to outweigh the partisan
 utterances of a man who was choking
 with bitterness against his former party
 and mad with rage and disappointment.
 There was once scene in the British ! House of Commons, when MT. Gladstone
 was speaking and was constantly inter- | rupted. After. he had gotten through
 with answering the questions he turned to the speaker and asked what point
 he was discussing at the time the inter-
 ruptions began. MT. Gladstone's great
 opponent Disraeli at once. from the floor,
 gave the desired information and the
 great English Commoner finished his
 speech and no discredit attached to him
 because he happened to ask the question.