The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-09
DISCUSSES LOCAL
MATTERS POLITICAL
MR.. POWELL REFERS TO BELLS
TEMENT-QUOTE FROM AD-
DRESS OF COMMITTEE OF CON-
STlTUTIoNAL CONVENTION.

To the Editor of The Age Herald:
L had the honor of presiding at the
meeting of democrats which resulted in
the call for the mass meeting at Gelder's
hall, and which provided the means of
having the name of Col. e. L. Hlgdon
placed upon the legal ballot for the Of
| fee of sheriff of Jefferson county, which
was voted at the election ON November
| 6, and in view of the statement of Mr..
| Bell in The Age-Herald of November s.,
| desire to express my views and the
views of those of us who stood for Col
onel Higdon's election on the result of
| that election.
| have read the statement of Mr. r. n.
| Bell, in which he says he has no apollo
| gies for his efforts to carry successfully
| the flag of his party. At this time when,
after months of election strife and tur-
MOL, SO benefcent a result has been OBJ
tanned by the people in their determine
| ton to rebuke the party managers, or
rather those on the committee who at
| tempted to deprive Colonel Higdon of his
| nomination by acts of most fragrant par
| tisanshlp, 1t is well to say or do nothing
| that would tend to keep open the wounds
| of the party. But it is nevertheless the
| duty of those fearless democrats who
supported Colonel Higdon as the real
| nominee of the party to insist that the
verdict of the democratic people OF this
| county on November should be respect
ed and their will carried out
| In my opinion, Mr. Bell entirely mis-
| conceives the causes that lead up to the
| revolt against the action of the commit
tee. 1t is true, as he says, that the old
| laws are Numerically different in oper-
1 alton TO the new laws enacted under the
| new constitution; but he makes the mis-
1 take of supposing that that difference has
| never been realized by the people. Certain
| men upon the committee never realized
| the difference, or if they did so realize 1t,
they recklessly disregarded it; but at the
polls on Tuesday over 5000 legal voters, by
| their vote, emphasized the fact that they
| proposed to stand by the law and real
| lied the difference between the old law
| and the new law. The 1000 who voted for
! Judge Stiles were not all men who were
| disposed to ignore the changed condi-
| lions under the new law: but large num-
| bers of them on account of the high char
| acter of their candidate, his efficiency as
| an officer, and III the mistaken belief that
| he was the nominee, cast their votes ac-
cordingly.
Under the old election laws we had no
| punishment for crimes committed at cleo
| tons; the bribery of voters, the giving
away of intoxicating liquors to influence
| votes false registration, gambling on
| elections, all went unpublished under the
old law, and were not provided for be-
cause the conditions that made it abso-
lutely necessary TO disfranchse the negro
illegally, made it also imperative that we
| punish no man for doing that which was
necessary under that system.
| Under the new law to protect the bal
lot, to insure absolute fairness, and to
| do away with the condition that existed
under the old constitution, laws were
| passed in 1908, making it a crime to in
| fuence voters by the giving away of
money or intoxicating liquors; made brlb-
| cry at elections a crime; made false reg
istration a crime; prohibited the payment
| of poll tax by other than the one from
| whom it was due, and hedged around the
use of the ballot with such restrictions
| that. IL enforced, would insure fairness
and decency In all elections.
In the address of the committee of the
| constitutional convention to the people
of Alabama, on the PRONUNCIATION of the
new constitution, the committee used
| language which we can now recall with
profit, and as illustrating the conditions
that were foreseen by the leaders of the
party at that time. They said:
| ITO the penalties which the legislature
has provided. or may provide, to enforce
honesty in elections the constitution itself
has added Acknowledgement of all who
buy or sell votes, or make false returns
in legal or primary elections, and has
| made false registration a felony. With
the elimination of the mass of vicious
| votes the power of which is always
sought to umpire the result of elections
| when good men divide, all excuse or
temptation Is destroyed to tamper with
the ballot box, to prevent the vicious from
overturning good government and imperil-
| ling all that Is protected by it. With the
disappearance of the cause which leads to
I'm in1a ion of t1n car NJ
| public opinion, which is stronger and
| more far-reaching than law will again
reassert itself and effectually guard the
| ballot box
| I disagree with Mr.. Bell I think tina t
the difference between the old and the
new law has been realized by the peo-
pie. 1 believe with the committee of the
| constitutional convention, that the dis
| appearance of the cause which lead to the
Violation of the sancitity of elections, that
| public opinion which is stronger and more
far-reaching than law would again reas-
sert itself to effecutally guard the ballot
box: that the verdict of the 5000 who voted
for Higdon is plain and unmistakable, and
| that the meaning OF that verdict is that
public opinion has again reasserted itself
and will effectualy guard the ballot
box
1t was further said in the address of the
committee of the constitutional conven-
| ton:
| 1.-THE beneficent aims of the new instru-
| ment have far higher Inspirations than
the fate or fortunes of political parties.
| We appeal to men of every political faith,
who set the welfare of the state above
partisan consideration. The new instru-
| ment is born of the yeanring of our civili-
| cation to lift itself to higher and better
| things The ratification of the new con-
| stitution will promote public and private
! morality. strengthen justice. secure peace,
| restore confidence. give nobler inspiration
| to our children and lay stronger founda-
| tons for our happiness and prosperity.
| The aroused public conscience in Jeffer-
son county was followed in this election
| by an awakening all over the state or
| Alabama. This was a state election ana
| jefferson county. as ever foremost in all
things. is the pioneer for a higher. moral
tone in our politics. and for fairness and