The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-10-27
MASS MEETING WAS
HELD. LAST NIGHT
Speakers Discuss Issues of the
ShrievaIty Race
J. P. STILES Is ADVOCATED
Robert NJ. Bell, J. Nj. Caldwell, w. (.
Urquhart and A. n. Williamson
Make Strong Addresses at
Gelders' Hall.
J. P. STILES IS ADVOCATED

At mass meeting at Gelder's hall last
night, Chairman Robert n. Bell, John NJ,
Caldwell, w, e. Urquhart and A. II. Will
Hanson addressed about 200 people on the
issues involved in the contest for sheriff
of Jefferson county between Judge j. p,
Stiles and Col E. L. Higdon.
The meeting was In the interest of Judge
Stiles, and the voters present seemed to
take great interest In the argument of
the speakers.
Robert N. Bell. chairman of the county
democratic campaign committee, presided
over the meeting and opened with an adj
dress, in which he reviewed the position
of Judge Stiles as the democratic nominee
for sheriff and the duty of democrats in
supporting him
lie was followed by John M. Caldwell.
who made a strong appeal to all demo-
Gratis to support the nominee OF the party.
W. E. Urquhart reviewed the proceed.
inss of the county democratic executive
committee In hearing the contest and de-
claring Judge stiles the party nominee.
His speech received hearty applause from
the people.
A. II. Williamson of Bessemer made a
short talk. in which he stated that in
spite of the great buster of the Higdon
people the democratic voters of Bessemer
would on November 6, register a safe ma
jority vote for all the regular nominees
of the party.
Mr.. Bell spoke in part as follows:
Chairman Bell.
I'VE have come together tonight for the
purpose of hearing a discussion of the is
sues that have wrought up the people of
JEFFERSON county more than anything has
done In the past ten years. As | view the
situation, 1t is for a calm, deliberate con-
sideration of the thinker to take the mat
ter In hand. The frenzied, excited and
preJudieed man will possibly not be able
TO control himself | say that this is a
time for the man of thought the man of
brains. the man who will look the situa-
ton of affairs straight in tile face; 1t is
not time when people should be con-
trolled or allow themselves to be con-
trolled by the passions or prejudlces of
other people, or allow themselves to be
controlled by their own passions and
prejudices.
THE party. the men who wrested Ala
bama from the hands of negro rule and
carpet-baggers and established party for
the white men-their party Is now threat
ened In Jefferson county, and that means
almost the state of Alabama, by re-
volt. AT what? Revolts and revolutions at
times may be justified, but revolution
against the exercise of law placed on
the statutes of Alabama by democratic
legislature Is never justifiable. The demo-
Gratis of Alabama elected the representa-
tives and the senate, they elected a dem
hat aria 1oft A.
governor passed a law and placed 1t upon
the statute books, reciting that in Ala
bama elections a contest might be insti-
tuted at any time within five days there
after. That had never been the law in Ala
bama, but when 1t was placed there as
law, where is there an honest man, an
unprecedented, unbiased man, that blames
anybody for taking advantage of the law
OF the land; and that, gentlemen, is the
only complaint that there is against Judge
stiles at this time. Why do | say SO?
Because every Higdon man that you find
says that his man Is the nominee of this
the old democratic executive committee
nominated five days before Judge Stiles
instituted his contest, within the time
prescribed by law and he will tell you
that he never heard of such n law Pos
sibly he never has, but the legislature ba q
heard of 1t and fixed the law. And the
man who disregards it and fails to recog-
nze the right of that committee. and OF
Judge Stiles, In this instance is a man
VINO fails to recognize the law upon the
statute books of Alabama.
Now, gentlemen. there are other
speakers who will address you on this
subject. There is only one thing | want
to add in addition to what | have said
and that Is this: John II. Miller and A. o.
Lane are good men and good lawyers.
and II the name of ]. p. Stiles. as the
democratic nominee of the voters of JEFF
ferson county. was improperly put on
that ticket, they would have 1t taken
off. They write long legal opinions, and
dodge in and dodge out and say this
and that, but you know, and every man
in Birmingham knows, that if the name
of Judge j. p. Stiles was not lawfully
under the party emblem-the old demo-
cratic rooster-that John H. Miller and
A. o. Lane would have had IT taken ava Y
long ago. (Cheers). Where is there man
in Jefferson county, be he a Higdon man
or not, that believes that Samuel e.
Greene is dishonest or corrupt Where is
there an honest man In Jefferson county,
no matter who he Is for, that believes
that Samuel e. Greene would have placed
unjustly the name of J. =. Stiles under
the democratic rooster?
Personal to Himself.
Now, gentlemen, | must mention one
thing personal to myself, ana | trust
you will pardon me for doing so; l notice
a communication from Ensley. which 10
published in the Birmingham Ledger.
of this afternoon, that "Messrs. Sterling
A. Wood, Edward Finn, p G. Bowman
and M. M. Ullman all spoke, and Mr.
Finn said he came here specially to
charge Mr.. Bell, manager of the demo-
cratic campaign, with having tried to
bride three men from Tuscaloosa to swear
falsely TO the effect that Mr.. Peeyey,
Higdons manager, was corporation
lawyer and had tried to have Mr.. Finn
assassinated some time ago | will lsave
this first, to men OH the Higdon side
men who know me. Ask John II. Miller;
ask Mr.. A. o. Lane; ask Mr.. Thompson.
back over there, If he believes a single,
solitary word of it.. / have lived In Biz
minSham long enough for the people to
know that l do not bride men, or even
attempt it; to know that / am no violator
of the law. IL he can make campaign
capital out of that, he Is welcome to
do so. | believe / have enough Higdon
followers TO resent that, and defeat his
party, IL he will undertake to carry it
through the campaign. | want to say
though, positively, that it Is a lie as
black as hell, out of the whole cloth
| want to say, in justice to Mr.. Peeyey,
as | believe he would say In justice
to me, that such a statement, If true.
would not hurt Colonel Higdon; such a
statement made by me, II true, would
not hurt Judge Stiles / have entered