The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-10-20
UNDERWOOD SPEAKS
IN MARVEL CITY
The Congressman and Judge
Allen Address Stiles Meeting
LARGE CROWD ATTENDED
Executive Committee Was Defended
In All Its Actlons-An Appeal
Made for Harmony
In the Party.
LARGE CROWD ATTENDED

Bessemer. October 19-(Specia1.) --Rebbie
hall was the scene of an enthusi" site
meeting tonight. Fully three hundred
democrats were seated in the city court
room, in the jury box, and some were
standing around the walls 1t was an
attentive audience, which seemed to care
fully weigh every argument and to appre-
ciate a strong point when 1t was pressed
home. The room several times resound-
ed with loud cheers. The crowd was a
mixture of Higdon and Stiles adherents
as was the case at the Higdon meeting
last night, but all were orderly and OBJ
servant
At $50 DR.. e. p. Lacey, president of
The Democratic club of Bessemer, called
the meeting to order and introduced
the first speaker with a few compliment
airy remarks. Judge b. NJ. Allen then took
the floor and made an earnest talk for
about 40 minutes.
He said that never before had he been
called upon to protect the democratic
party from the attacks of those who
seemed interested in it's downfall, but
that he would always be ready to stand
and fight for that cause. He then en-
tered into a minute description of every
step which has been taken in the cam
paign by both candidates, relating the
events which led up to the contest, and
defending the action of Judge Stiles il
his right to file contest. Mr.. Allen said
that man who would not have done so,
when he knew there We're illegal voters,
would have been disloyal to the demo-
cratic party, unfaithful to his friends who
voted for him. and fool himself. The
remainder of his speech was a defense
of the executive committee In its every
action, and a direct reply to all the
charges which have been printed by the
Higdon campaign managers.
The Judge was enthused with his sub
ject and several times forgot that he was
not pleading case at the bar, and ad-
dressed the audience as Gentlemen of
the jury 1--WE have the rooster any
how" he said land while there are a
few tail feathers pulled out the game
bird is still the emblem of the demo-
cratic party Men will think a long time
before they will pull out from under the
wing of the old rooster" He claimed that
the republican vote is with Higdon.
Underwood Speaks.
The address of Congressman Under
wood was pitched from the high plane of
defending the new constitution of Ala
bama, the primary law and white SUI
premacy. Twelve years ago. he began,
you gave me the banner of democracy,
and | have carried 1t through many
hard fight. | appreciate the high office
of congressman with which ] am en-
trusted, and now when, in my own state,
democracy is threatened | am willing to
stand or fall with the party" He said
that he had helped to place the new
constitution on the statute books because
he believed that by the elimination of the
negro vote. fraud would be checked
that the poll tax and voting qualifications
set out in that constitution are the bar
iiers which stand between the white man
and the negro; that when a man votes
Illegally it is the duty of every democrat
to contest his vote, as a vote cast by
a man who has not paid his poll tax en-
dangers the supremacy of the whites and
robs the school children OF their educa-
tonal funds. He personally asked If there
were any men present who wanted fraud
to enter into elections No one did.
The meeting was closed at 10 o'clock
and the audience, divided into groups,
remained to discuss the issues till late
hour.
The democratic executive committee is
oaiIad 70 n,aat in the citv court ZOO,
next Monday to elect officers. appoint
WORKING committees ana open UP SIREN
nous campaign III the interest OIL Judge
Stiles.
A Hot Chase
The police were notified last night that
a negro house at Browns Station had
been entered, and robbed of a watch and
a suit of clothes, the thief escaping I'M
detected
This morning at $3.50, after the trail was
eighteen hours old, Captain Doyle of the
fire department took his bunch of blood
hounds out from Bessemer and sue
ceeded in tracing the thief to his home
The dogs took the trail readily and after
a four hours chase through woods and
over streams. the dogs stopped at shack
in Powderly, where negro lives who
was previously suspected. The house was
guarded by two of the negroes who had
lest the property while another went
after warrant. The thief had left the
house again and his trail was then too
cold to follow, but he will probably re-
turn tomorrow and the warrant will be
served
The gang of burglars which has been
operating so successful around Bessemer
for the past month Is being rapidly broken
up. there having been five arrests in
the past few days, and the police are
working on several other important clews.
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