The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-15
VOTER MUST STOP
AND THINK FIRST
Gossip Regarding Action of the
State Committee
MANY CANDIDATES THERE
Cunningham Greets His Friends and
Receives Many Assurances of
Support-Spent Yester-
day In Mobile.
BY HERvEY W. LAIRD.

| BY HEhVE1 w. LAlhbs
Montgomery, March (speeial)-The
plan adopted at the meeting of the state
committee of the democratic party in
| Alabama Tuesday is not new in the state,
yet it is in the way used. It has been
| the practice to have the election go all
one way, and the voter will have to stop
and study the situation a little this year.
To register his choice for members of
| the supreme court bench he will be al
| lowed to vote for them direct, their
names being on the ticket with the other
| aspirants for office. However, at the
same time delegates will be selected, and
| the man who is chosen for one of the
vacancies must have a majority of these
delegates, the difference of special note
being that in this unlike the rest of
the Ticket majority will rule and not
a plurality.
In word man may get many more
votes than either of his opponents for
the honor he seeks and less than a ma
jority, and stand chance TO lose in the
convention 1t is an adherence to the
good old doctrine of the majority ruling.
The plan does away with trading unless
the contest is finally sent to the conven-
ton, where 1t might be done in minor
way, at the same time allows every voter
to express his choice for each man and
provides that every man who goes on
the bench will be the choice of a majority
of the democrats of the state, unlike
other state servants
Many Candidates.
The meeting day of the committee was
field day for the candidates. Mr.. Conner
was down in Lafayette speaking to the
voters in Chambers but Mr.. Cunningham,
also aspiring to use that pretty new
! gubernatorial desk at the capitol, was
present and held levees frequently with
his friends from every section of the
| state. Though he sat behind the crowd
| on one of the long benches most of the
| time, he was kept busy shaking hands
| with admring friends from the time he
entered the room until he left. He also
| met and talked with number of FRIENDS
before leaving for Mobile on the morn
| ing after the session.
From all that could be heard the Doctor
was very much encouraged by the recep-
| ton received, and was assured by many
| that he would be remembered in sub
| stantal way on election day next Au-
| gust Among the other candidates here
were D. ]. Meador, in the running for
| lieutenant governor; II. E. Skeggs, for
railroad commissioner; w. C. Oates and
! w c. Fits, seeking senatorial honors,
| along with Tomlnson of the same ambi-
ton. and John Wallace of Madison, who
aspires to be speaker of the next House.
They all had a good time and heard a
lot from the boys in all the counties of
! the state
The Talk Fest.
One of the main features of the Tuesday
meeting of the state democratic commit
tee was the talk-fest Everybody, old
man and new, got in good vocal records
and there was enough of doctrine, old and
new, distributed to make the party every
thing 1t ought to be in the interest of the
best and most progressive people of the
south Besides the discussion of the
! change In the manner of selecting candi-
| dates for the supreme court bench. the
troubles of the Second district opened a
fine field for expression and oratory.
The debutantes of the organization were
much in evidence Leon McCord. just
admitted to full fellowship. told few
Marshall county stories and brought out
the heartiest laugh of the session. Judge
/ A p Smith, once in and for some time
out of the committee family, elected
again to membership. got busy with his
chin music" as soon as he was sworn
| in practically. He did not think the
state committee had anything to do with
that Second district row and wanted to
say So That he was right seemed proven
by the Overwhelming decision of the body
to let it severely alone. And there was
O'Rear of Walker. member from a sort
of twin district part hill billies' and
part black belt While he had voted with
the black belt fellows and loved them he
II ~ 1rrfts NxFl1t 70
man chance to vote was to have a
primary He tried to make a little joke
about Superintendent of Education HILL
but the chair though him serious and
called him down. He afterwards ex-
planned 1t to the chair and all was we'll
Merit In Controversy.
But there was merit in the Second dis
trict controversy or two mighty bright
fellows are wrong. These two are c. c.
Whitson Of Talledega and Thomas Stew
ems of Mobile. They thought it was wrong
TO allow committees to organize with less
than a majority even IL proxies were reg
ular and given in due form. 1t is bad
precedent to allow such things, as the
time may come when partisan committees
will sell out and allow men not selected
by anybody to deal out party laws and
regulations. IT seems that it Is only just
that all committees must have majority
l of the body present to organize, after
which proxies may be used if present.
At least this is the position of these two
men and there are many who think with
them However. the failure of the state
committee to take cognizance of the rum
pus was due to the fact that no individual
interest was injured or harm done any
| candidate hence the absence of special
| reason for action. The report is that the
whole thing was up in the interest of
man who is anxious to run for Congress
but did not make up his mind to do so
until too late to get on the committee
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