The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-23
SOME INTERESTING FACTS.
How Johnston Tried to Get Musgrovs
into the Fight.

Into the Fight.
New Orleans Times-peemocrat
One Of the most popular public men in
the State is Mr.. Musgrove, who is In New
Orleans on business, and is at the St
Charles Hotel. He has never been a can
| didate for office, although he has for
his party. He IL one of the heaviest Iron
and coal operators In the Birmingham
district. where he has made a fortune.
There wiil be an election tie Of state a. ON,
things are lost sight of In the fight for
the nomination for Governor. When Gov
ernor w. j. Sanford died about year
state Senate. succeeded to the Office:
Governor felix's is q candidate to succeed
| himself, for q full term.
But the Governor Is accused by his
/ enemies of being the leader of the
| ring" That is he and his friends are
'in,". This being the case, some of the
people began to look for candidate to
go INTO the ring and put the gloves on
The eyes Of the people" turned toward
Musgroye.. He 10 in the prime OF life,
genial, urbane, campaigner of recog-
nized ability. his family has lived 'in
Walker County for more than hundred
years. He is known as q fighter in poll
tics who will not admit defeat, and more
than all these admirable qualities COM
bined he has q BARI as big as hogs
his friends, those who know him say he
has no objection to opening 1t,
From every section Of the State came
requests that he permit his name to be
used But he refused Then his friends
intimated that they would run him
whether he gave his consent or not.
Among his stanchest friends is ex-Gov-
ernor Joseph II. Johnston, who was de-
termined that Musgrove should announce
himself a candidate.
About this time Mr. Musgroye thought
L a good time to take trip to New
the people" had selected another candi-
date. He had been in New. York only a
few days when he received a telegram
some at h once t hs friends would make 1 e hm
a candidate. A meeting was to be held
in Montgomery week ago today, and
at that meeting 1t was proposed to an-
n0unce Musgroye as a candidate He had
barely time to make the trip from Gew
York to Montgomery, but he did 1t, and
as result of the conference ex-Gov-
ernor Johnston consented to make the
race.
There are a great many persons in Ala
| hama yet who think Mr.. Musgrove will
| finally enter the race, but he told a
Times-Democrat reporter YESTERDAY tna s
never had any intention of becoming one.
IF / would have consented to rum, he
said, Ex-Governor Johnston would not
have announced his candidacy. never
had any Intention Of becoming a eandl-
| date for the nomination. can make
more money out of my business In
month than all the. State officers put to-
gether. S and Why should neglect 1t to
BESIDE the mere thought of having
| to look dignifled and, abeg good for two
years was enough to dissuade me. even
| had there been nothing else to take into
cOhsiosfs'ioh
'TThe reason they wanted me to run
is they know always go in to win, and
never stop to figure on expenses, But
was too wise. My legs are, Of equal
| length. now. and want to keep them
my mother always opposed the idea OF
my becoming a candidate. She told me
| they wanted to pull my leg and then
\ beat me. My old mountain NANNY
may not speak the purest English, but
"Whiie j was in New York Johnston
spent a week at our Moose. He told my
| mother he was out there TO get some re-
ports on mineral lands. But he was net
He was there to pump mother, ana To
| get her consent for me to make the race.
| But she pumped him, and when she
| learned they Intended to force me into
the race. she tslegraphed me a., 70 come
81 went to New York to keep from
| being talked to about the subject l was
not like John d. Rockefeller. One OF his
favorite pastimes Is skating. He bought
sixth street residence in New York so
he could put in ice machines and always
keep IA skating pond. Every evening
skates and II a man who goes to talk
to him cannot skate there Is no talking.
| for Rockefeller just keeps on skating
so I went to New York"
Leaving the subject of politics, Mr..
Musgrove talked Of industrial questions.
, quantities would eventually drive the coal
men out of business. The only reason
1t had not already done so, he said. was
that there was such a demand for fuel
that both oil and coal could not supply
the demand.
He said his companies had mined dou-
BILE the amount of coal this year that
they had last year, yet could not supply
that as soon as arrangements can be
made to convert coal burners Into oil
burners the coal men would be unable to
make the d business ness Ss sw Orleans are tn.
best cities in the United States" sal, said
and that within arfew years, to become a
% # S sts sAf should has e erer
Walker County / would either come to
New Orleans to live or go to New York.
But we have a city of great promise
face of the globe. and won't stop until
the half-million mark is reached"
In appearance Mr. Musgrove is an ideal
politician. Clean-shaven with bright
brown eyes. hair just slightly sprinkled
with gray, and with semi-judicial
stomach he bears a striking resemblance
to the younger school of statesmen rep
resented by Culberson, Bailey, and rBev-
eridRe. And he can tell a story as we'll
as John Allen of Tupelo.