The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-01
rHr noUNrREE MATrER.

I
 The meeting of the State Press Associa- ton at Birmingham on Friday. to deal with the shortcomings of Secretary Roun- tree. was disappointing in its results both to him and to his opponents.
 It was disappointing to him because he was cohadeat that he had control of enough votes to prevent any action what ever prejudicial to him. It was disap- pointing to his opponents because they expected a large atterdsnce'pf the mem bership and some firm, explicit condem- nation of his course, in word and act, in the light of tbe undisputed published evil dence and of his own admissions.
 The Executive Committee of the body. after 1t received the report of the special investigating committee and Rountree's second refusal within two weeks to render apfaccount of his stewardship as agent of the Association, decided with only one opposing vote to remove Roun- tree spmmariiy. This action was report led to the Convention with the reasons for doing; so. g.g,
 k Rountree attempted to have this action of the Executive Committee repudiated. But the Convention refused to do this in the Nexpress and offensive. terms of Mir. Benners's resolution. There was a num- Der of members condemning Rountree severely who doubted the power of the Executive Committee to take that step, or the expediency of the step. The result was the substitution for the Benners repudiating resolutions and the passage of, the following by MT. Conway:
 Be@it~zesolyed, That this Association deny the rightaof the Executive Commit tee to declare the ofice of secretary or any office vacant.
 Be it further resolved, That this As pended from office pending action on the charges filed against him.
 Rountree and his friends fought this action with every resource they could command, resorting to various methods that were severely criticized. Rountree himself was so desperate and had so little delicacy, as to cast two votes, on account of the two semi-occasional papers he gets out, on every question that came up, all involving him directly or indirectly. He had also packed into the Convention the representatives of a half dozen or more alleged newspapers issued in and about Birmingham at uncertain periods. The existence of some of these papers was boldly challenged by such a we'll known Jefferson County newspaper pub fisher as MT. Judson of The Bessemer Weekly. Nevertheless after a hurried inquiry amid great confusion by a Gre dentials Committee those papers. largely on ex-parte evidence, were permitted to vote. In addition Rountree made the most pitiful personal appeals to various members to stand by him. Nevertheless the Association, with only few votes beyond bare quorum, by a small ma jority passed the foregoing resolutions. the second of which suspended Rountree from office pending final action on the charges against him by the annual con- vention next June.
 E Under all the circumstances, 1t is re- markable that any action unfavorabe to him resulted. The Association did not discharge its whole duty, but its action is enthusiastically clear endorsement of the report of the Investigating Committee and virtual endorsement of the attitude of the Executive Committee The Inves- tigating Committee declared him guilty of the charges made against him, and recommended ~9decisive action. The Executive Committee virtually declared that he was unworthy to be trusted in the position of Secretary any longer. The As sociatlon by its action put him out of office.
 Unfortuna tely the matter Is not ended. Rountree persists in his refusal to render an account of his agency and stands on the technical letter of the Asso- ciation's law that he should be tried at a regular annual meeting. In the meantime he has the audacity to announce his can didacy for election next year and to ask some of his strongest opponents for sup port. He seems to be absolutely blind to moral situations. He cannot see him. self as majority of the members see him, as the public generally sees him. He hangs on to the hope that he may retain his fat job, with all the tenacious greed with which an avaricious miser holds to his gold
 What is to De the consequence of this blind, stubborn attitude on his part? Some members boldly predicted Friday that 1t would lead to a dissolution of the present Association and the formation of a new one, toward which there have already been. marked tendencies. Others believe that it is the duty of the solid. conscien- tious, profession loving members to stick by the Association until the meeting next year, fighting out the issue on technical constitutional lines to a finish. Then if the Association refuses to deal with Rountree with the justice he deserves, it is argued a new body may be formed. That may be just whatRountree and some of his friends want-a secession. He may want to get rid of his opponents and to keep up the semblance of an organiza- ton which he hopes to continue to use for his purposes. He is doubtless blind to the fact that the railroads of Alabama will never again have anything to do with Press Association of which he is an of- ficer, and that they will effectively block