The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-14

2 = ss,zes.ss Birmnghams population always acts handsomely Our people are not swept off their feet or out of their heads by foolish agitation When wrong is to be lighted however, they can always be relied upon to come up to the scratch.
 Waves of Reform.
 l T don't take much stock in these tidal waves of reform. They make me think of an evangelist who once came to this town He was going to reform it over night. One day he met a prominent re- spectable citizen. He told this citizen that things were in bad shape. Saloons, said he were violating the law; gambling houses were running wide open; other kinds of houses were doing land office business; crime was rampant in the streets by day and by night. The citizen heard the evangelist through, and finally said: My friend, you say you have been in town three days. and you know all this to be true Well, I've been here ten years, and l don't know anything abou- it.
 People Here Are Moral.
 "That's just it. There are strata of so- ciety here that know nothing of the vices of the town. These strata are composed of home people. Of course the resident population here has it's shortcomings-has vices common to all urban centers But, by and large, Birmingham's people are moral and sane, responding promptly to every appeal made to their intelligence and conscience.
 T am not in the millennium business, even though I am a minister of the gos- pei. I have quit chasing moral rain bows, and I've quit shooting at the moral moon. By that, l don't mean that l would compromise with sin or vice or crime. l mean simply that we ought to strike an average between conditions as they are and conditions as they ought to be, and act accordingly, not forgetting to keep our eyes always on the ideal goal The first thing requisite in a re- former is common sense-an ability to understand that men and women are human beings, and not angels shaped in human form.
 q see that lectures are being given on the vices of Birmingham. Well. that's all right in it's way. But we should re- member that this town isn't nearly as vicious as it used to be- Birmingham isn't as good town as it might be- but 1 it might be a great deal worse than 1t is l want to see all these vices rooted out but l know they've been a long time taking root, and they cant be erad- icated in a day. The encouraging thing 1 ;e f1,at ahead steadily, regulating our life, if not perfecting it.
 Political Leadership.
 Proof of this is to be found in the kind of man the people are electing to high of fee. l hope, in this connection, that pr. R. M. Cunningham will be our next gov ernor. He rings true on the great moral issue of the hour He believes in na- tional reform along all lines. and he has the capacity and the courage to put these reforms through, ,conservativey yet eff fectively. There is only one thing in his candidacy that is likely to discourage his friends and admirers, namely, that ne will in case there is a vacancy in the United States senatorship, appoint to that office for personal reasons a man not 1 acceptable to the people.
 John B. Knox.
 "I am one of the large majority of the people of Alabama who believe that, in case of a vacancy in the states repre- sentation in the United States Senate, the appointment or election as the case might be, should go to Mr. John B. Knox of Anniston. MT. Knox ls in my judgment and I think the overwhelming majority of Alabama voters will agree with me- easily the first citizen of the state except ing only our two United S;a,es senator's the man who has done the state it's great est service, and who, if elected to the United States Senate, would do us great est credit in the eve of the country.
 If Dr. Cunningham could convince the people that their ehoice-John B. Knox would not be passed over by him in the matter of the United States senatorship, he would think, be our next governor.
 But that has nothing to do with the Civic league of Birmingham, has it?" said eIr West. And vet it Is subject of widespread and profound interest"
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