The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-08-19

To the Democfatlc voters or JeHefsoh
 County:
 The spirit of fair play is characteristic of the American people as a whole, and in southern men it is reinforced by a chiv- alrous instinct which makes them abhor questionable methods, and sternly rebuke whoever "hits below the belt" in any fight.
 Reprehensible Methods.
 In the present contest for the governor ship of Alabama--a contest between dem- ocrats which should be conducted upon the highest plane-the advocates of one Of the candidates, the candidate with the lone issue, have not hesitated to use weapons hitherto outlawed in political struggles in Alabama The other candt- date has been subjected to a merciless at tack His public record has been garbled and distorted, and the sacredness of his private life has been ruthlessly invaded. Russell M, Cunningham, distinguished physician, the man who has been at the head of the great Masonic order in Ala bama and who has served the state as senator, lieutenant-governor and acting governor. has been made the target ot outrageous slings and arrows, simply be- cause in obedience to the promptings or an honorable and laudable ambition ne has asked the people of the state to place him in the position where he can serve them to still better advantage by putting l into execution the plans which he has matured for the welfare and advance ment of the commonwealth.
 The People Are Disguised.
 Happily these wanton assaults are being followed by the inevitable reaction All over Alabama the people are becoming more and more outspoken of their purpose ! to express their condemnation of these disgraceful methods at the polls, and the tide of popular sentiment has unmistaka- bly, turned to Cunningham.
 Sacrificing the Party.
 IInhappily, however in the county of Jefferson, the home of both of the candi- dates for governor, the reprehensible l methods to which we have referred, have been used more unscrupulously and ener- getieally than anywhere else in the state. The friends of the candidate opposed to Dr. Cunningham have sought to array class against class and to SOW the seeds of enmity in the democratic party itself. It would seem that the disruption of the l party Is nothing to them, provided their selfish interests are advanced and never were selfish interests the petty as well as the presumptuous, more cunningly inter woven and glossed over with spacious i virtue than these.
 This is strong language, but the occasion l 1L. the forces in this county hostile to Dr. Cunningham, for the purpose of obscuring all issues except one, must be dissipated
 BugIe Call to the Old Guard
 Therefore, we address ourselves to the democrats of Jefferson county, and espe- cially to the "Old Guard" who know what 1t has cost to establish and maintain white supremacy In Alabama and ask them to i give their suffrages to a man who has fought valiantly for that cause all his life.
 Cogent as this consideration Is, however. it Is but one of many reasons why the voters of Jefferson county should rally | to his support. We shall enumerate some of them, but before doing so we desire to say that we do not intend to waste time in noticing any of the personal attacks which have been made, openly and by innuendo, upon Dr. Cunningham.
 Spontaneous Tribute to Character.
 man who has risen to the high offlcs of grand master of the Masonic order in Alabama MUST SHOW MANHOOD, and | a clean bill of moral health; and a man who has been in politics for years and can command the support of the ministers or the Christian religion, the school teachers | and the members of his own profession, who are so exceedingly careful in the
 
 being given to Dr. Cunningham, gratul- tously and enthusiastically, in every coun- ty in the state-must have enduring prin- ciples So we "pass the character" of Dr. Cunningham. as our good Methodist brethren would say.
 Stands for More Than One Issue. l Dr. Cunningham should receive the votes of the democrats of the most pro- gressive county in Alabama, because he | stands for all issues which affect the de- l velopment, prosperity and moral and edu- cational advancement of the state. His position as to each and every one of these | questions is not q matter of speculation or hearsay It is stated unequlvocally in his address to the people of Alabama, which was issued a year ago and which was | spread broadcast in printed form. He has l thus furnished the people with chart | whereupon they may prick his every act as governor hereafter and hold him to strict accountability. Would trim ming politician or demagogue commit himself thus unreservedly to the people? Not on his life!
 An Emphatic, Purposeful Declaration.
 Now let us turn to these printed and ir- revocable pages and see how Dr. Cunning ham stands as to the regulation Of rail roads:
 tAStNA of the regulation by law of railroad rates in the state of Alabama, and if governor would so recommend to the legislature. L. Therefore. I would if governor. approve a bill establishing the Georgia classification of railroads and Georgia rates for the transportation of property.
 Could language be more clear-cut and explicit? Contrast this dignified. purpose fuI expression with some of the intemper- ate utterances which have been heard of late.
 Backed by His Record.
 Behind these words of Dr. Cunningham is a record which shows he has been consistent advocate of the regulation of railroads by the state since 1880. the year | of his entrance into public life; and this record is preserved in the journals of the house and senate, where it may be read by all men.
 Although pr. Cunningham had recog- nized at this early period in his public career that the regulation of the railways is vital and essential, he also foresaw that it was but one of the many reforms im- perative in Alabama.
 As a Humanitarian. As physician of the penitentiary at Pratt mines he began in 1881 to work for the amelioration of the convicts, and finally