The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-01
AL AbAMA CONNECTS HAVE FINE DINNER No Man Had to do Any Work
 Yesterday. ONE MAN MADE OBJECTION But the Board Was imperative In It's Demand That Every Man Should Have Holiday and Be Served
 With an Extra Dinner.
ONE MAN MADE OBJECTION

 ner. consisting of every delicacy that will go on the tables of the best fixed of the citizens of the commonwealth Not a lick of work is being done save at the viola ton of the convict himself, and if he does work he is paid by the contractor exact ly the same wages that is received by free labor for the same service. This is one day-there are two others, Christmas and the Fourth of July-when the poor con- vict is on footing with those who are one the outside as concerns labor and food.
 One would think that on this good day when everybody is at peace and the whole country is supposed to be giving grateful thanks for the blessings of the year, that there would be discordant note in the ef- fort to make it pleasant for the poor fel- lows who are under the involuntary care of the state But there is. When Pres ident Shirley Bragg of the state board of convict inspector sent out the word some days ago that all the camps were to observe the rule of holiday and good dinner one small fellow was found. Dr. Bragg did not call him a small fellow, but this is the impression that many have gotten of him. This fellow works a big bunch of convicts. He told Dr. Bragg that his enterprise, as consequence Of their work netted him sl2,ooo profit last month.
 Rest on Thanksgiving.
 ''We do not feel able to give the men this extra dinner.' he wrote the head of the board Tt will cost us more than we can afford at this time" And that is not all "Can we not work our men Thanksgiving and give them some Satur- day off to make up for it?' he wrote.
 "We are very much in need of the pro- ducts of our plant now and 1t will mean a loss to us to stop a day. The words quoted may not be Just what the letters contained but they convey the exact sense of them. It is not possible for obvious reasons to see the letters.
 But his scheme to work today did not pan out He was told that nothing of the kind could be done The law and the convict board has provided that convicts shall rest on Thanksgiving and every con- tractor must see that it Is carried out. Some of them undertook to evade it last year and were very forcibly called down. This year they were watched to see that nothing of the kind was attempted To the credit of the contractors he, it is said. however, the one mentioned, is the lone one who has made anything but enthusl- astic response to the request
 The objector's men had their big dinner, however orders being sent to that effect from here. It consisted of game, as at the others, turkey, with cranberry sauce, various vegetables, with all kinds of fruit and candy, to make glad the heart of the poor fellows in durance vile.
 Supreme Court Decisions.
 The supreme court was busy today on not only one of the largest lists of crim- inal case submissions for some time, but the argument of two of the most inter- esting and complicated cases of the term, the damage suits of Braxton B. Conner vs. the Birmingham Age-Herald and the Louisville and Nashville railroad. In the first the case Is brought against the Age Herald Publishing company, in the sec ond against the Louisville and Nashville Railroad company, B. M. Starks and E. A. Dickert.
 The suits are echoes of the campaign made by MT. Conner for president of the Alabama railroad commission. The article complained of was one printed in the paper as an advertisement. The averment is that there were damages real and sup posed, and that the offense was such that reflected upon the personal character of MT. Conner The cases were thrown out of the lower court because statutory five days notice was not given the defense. It is held that this statute Is unconstitu- tional on the part of the plaintiff, also that 1t Is no a legal amendment of the code as it purports to be. Capt F. s. White, who was MT. Corners manager in the campaign. appears for MT Conner assisted by s. D. Weakly, of Cabaniss & Weakly. The defense is repre- sented by the Hon. Henry A. Sharpe, for mer justice of the supreme court. and for many years on the bench of the city court of Birmingham. and W. I. Grubb of the law firm of Tillman, Campbell. Grubb X Morrow All the lawyers are of Blrming ham.
 the right of the court of county com missioners of Fayette county. They are trying over there to operate under two laws an old one and a new, and have had six commissioners elected instead of four, as allowed in each one of the laws Judge s. H. Sprott decided against the two extra fellows who are trying to get in and the case came here. There being nc attorney to speak for the appeal it went over. and will very likely be dismissed Certainly so if there is not more atten4 tion given it.
 List of Decisions. The list of decisions handed down today embraced the following
 Tyson. J.: Tutwiler Coal, Coke and Iron company vs. J. W. Harrington, appeal from Birmingham city court reversed and remanded.
 Simpson, J.: M. D. Johnson vs Citizens bank, appeal from Crenshaw circuit court affirmed
 Anderson, J.: Chandler Bros. NJ. M Higgins, appeal from Bessemer city court reversed and remanded.
 Central Foundry company vs. William M. Bennett, appeal from Bessemer city court; reversed and remanded. Cora Killebrew vs. Whitford Mauldin appeal from Dale chancery court. af- firmed.
 J. H. 1olladay vs. D. A. Rutledge, ap- peal from Crenshaw circuit court; af- | firmed.
 James E. Foy ct al. vs. James M. Barr appeal from Barbour chancery court; re. versed and remanded.
 Denson. J.: Barden Mercantile company vs. Charlie Whiteside, appeal from Bes- semer city court; reversed and remanded Fisher H. Merritt vs Alabama Pyrites company ct al.. appeal from Montgomery city court; affirmed.
 Alabama Pyrites company ct al. vs Fisher H. Merritt, appeal from Montgom- cry city court: appeal dismissed.