The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-02-15
NUNNELEE TELLS
WHERE HE STANDS
No Personal Motive in Resent
ing Governors Action
WAS MATER OF PRINCIPLE
Says Governors Chief Fault Is That
He Relies Too Much on the
Recommendation of
Friends.

Selma, February 14-Colonel ]. H.
Nunnelee has presented the following
letter to the Selma representative of The
Age-Herald with the request that 1t be
published:
Selma, Ala, February 10.
To the Editor of The Age-Herald
Your Montgomery correspondent had
an item in his column on Sunday headed
'Nunnelee's Stunt" in which ne says
that have played the leading part in
this weeks vaudeville performance at
the capitol. II your Montgomery repre-
sentative would now come out and give
the name Of the little fellow at the cap
itol who inspired his attack on me, then
the people of Alabama would under
stand his article better. | do not like
to be shot at from a masked battery,
but would like for his little chap to come
out In the open and break lance, II he
is so disposed, and / will promise the
people of Alabama a frst-class perform
ance before l am through with him.
The effort that certain newspaper cor
respondents and editorial writer's have
made to make 1t appear that I am after
the Governors scalp are laughable, to
say the least of Ii. l am not after the
Governor or anybody else, as for that
matter but am exposing a wrong. When
the new constitution was adopted the
black cloud that hung before our faces
by day and haunted our dreams by night
was done away with, 1 hope, forever.
thought that the adoption of the new
constitution meant fairness and candor
In Alabama politics, but II seems that
l have been mistaken.
There are seven newspaper men in
Selma, and so far as ! have been able
to learn not a single one of them knew
that Captain Kirkpatrick was going to
resign and that Mr.. Smith was going to
be appointed. / have made diligent in
quiry and so far l have only been able
to dig IN the names Of fourteen men who
knew anything about the resignation and
Mr.. Smiths application. Mayor Atkins
was asked to write a letter in Mr..
Smiths interest, but declined to do so,
because he knew the gun was loaded. j.
Craig Smith was appealed to through
letter, but he wrote back suggesting an
other man, and hence he was let
ve-ely alone In justice to Mr.. Smith I
will state that he was in Montgomery
and did not know but that the matter
was public property down here In Dali
las. The thing that is puzzling the pub
lie down here is Why did not some of
the other eleven men see that the affair
was loaded?
1 will take occasion right here to say.
l am out of politics. want no office in
the gift of the people, the President of
the United States or the governor of Ala
bama. / shall not ask Governor Cunning
ham for a single personal favor while he
is in the gubernatorial chair in the way
of pie for myself. | am a free Alabama
citizen. and l claim Just as much right to
petition him to have this or that man
appointed as the chairman Of any kind
of an organization, the. president of the
Dallas Bar association or any official in
Dallas county. If the men want are not
appointed 1t is all right, just so 1 have
had a chance to present their claims And
right here | will state that | had no
favorite staked out for Captain Kirkpat-
rick's job.
Under all the circumstances l do not
blame Governor Cunningham in the least
for appointing Mr.. Smith, whom | regard
as a gentleman and most competent
man for the position. Governor Cunning
ham is brilliant, brainy ;lan, and has
heart in him as tender as that of
woman's. He is making Alabama a good
governor, and l hape he will continue to
do so. Like the generous man that he is
he is a little too much inclined to take
the word of his friends without requiring
them to give bond.
| like Governor Cunningham, and am
proud to feel that he is my friend But
If he should make a mistake would not
hesitate to criticise him for 1t. | thank
God that l have reached that happy
stage in life where | do not have ito bend
the pregnant hinges of the knee, that
thrift may follow fawning" Governor
Cunningham is a man who can and does
appreciate true friendship, and down in
his heart he has contempt for the
smirking sycophant who hangs around
him for 'the crumbs that may fall from
the masters table" No man is too big,
In our estimation, to be criticised when he
does n wrong which affects the public,
and I have never yet seen a man who
does not appreciate a compliment when
he knows It comes straight from the heart
of an honest man.
Mr.. Editor, l expect to exercise the
right of free Albanian from this time
on. 1 cannot be ridiculed off the vaude-
vile stage of action, and the next per-
formance may be even more attractive
than the one just coming to a close,
which TO me is one of pria -,ple and not OF
personal feeling against any one. Yours
truly, ]. II. NUNNELEE.
RaHLAINr I naio