The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-16
B|G STRUGGLE ID
 CLOSE TONIGHT Both Sides Confident In PreSi-
 dential Fight TELEGRAM FROM CAPITAL Chairman Smith Is Delighted By Edi- toriaI Appearing In Washington Post-Bryan Headquarters N
 Gets Reports.
TELEGRAM FROM CAPITAL

son of Minnesota within 10 days have probably stirred up more enthusiasm than was ever known in a presidential nomination contest in Alabama.
 "The Bryan club as I understand 1t from the able attorney, John W. Tom linson, of the defense, rested its case D. Smith yesterday.
 "The Johnson prosecution will not rest it's case until after the biggest mass meeting of the campaign is held Saturday night in the Jefferson theatre. Two weeks ago the people of Alabama did not know what Johnson stood for, but
 after tonight, with the facts before them.
 his friends are ready to leave the yer dict to the good judgment of the demo- cratic voters of Alabama. We believn they will decide for the candidate that can win"
 Everything is ready for the big mass meeting tonight Jesse Stallings, after long trip through the counties, Is In, Bir- mingham with his mettle up. He will De followed by a number of local speakers. The great enthusiasm on both Bryan and Johnson sides disr yed during the last few days makes it evident that the the atre will be crowded with friends of both candidates.
 Ensey Pratt City and all the suburbs have sent word that they are coming in good numbers. The issues of the cam paign will be brought to the fine point, and after a days rest the battle of the ballots will begin.
 Johnson headquarters last night re- ceived the following wire from Washing ton: "That is just what we think of the situation, and coming from great in- dependent paper we believe it stands for a good deal," said Chairman Smith. "The Washington Post this morning in a leading editorial, under head or Politics and Procrastination,' says: There was time and many years Of duration when the G. O. P. was the most energetic and most prompt organ ization our politics has produced swift to seize a situation, instant to deal with it; but to some seeming the party has lost much of its whilom virility and fallen into the bad habit of procrastina- iton Among the two score reasons given | for his loss of the battle of Waterloo was the fact that Napoleon postponed mounting his horse until after midnight the 17th.
 "The republicans have determin ed l that wh ether the tariff shall be revised up" or down." or "up" and down" the work shall not be done till after the election, and it is likewise ordered i that the paper trust shall be at liberty to do it's vandal work in our forests until after the election. The modified ton of the antitrust law is another post election job, and so is the statute | applying the initiative and referen- | dunn to judgments of federal courts in | injunction cases, for that is exactly what it means when there is appeal | from the order of the judge to the l jury for verdict.
 "Then there is the Brownsville case, | that, too, Is to await the election. But | there is illustrious and royal precedent 1 for that. Did not a King of France
 march up the hill with 10000 men and l then march down again? Why he went i up the hill he never deigned to tell, l and why he came down the hill is | matter of the merest speculation. All
 we know is that he marched up the
 hill with 40 900 men and then marched
 down again.
 But sometimes things in the na-
 ture of the miraculous happen. Suppose the south should discover the obvious
 by July and see what the rest of the | r,L. z,
 will be hopelessly beaten? Then sup pose John A. Johnson should be se-
 lected and the Scandinavian vote
 should be cast as solidly for him as | the German vote was cast for Abra-
 ham Lincoln in 1860.
 Suppose these things occur? John A. Johnson will be President"
 Bryan headquarters was perfectly | confident yesterday that the commoner | will carry the state four to one. The
 chairman has received letter from all the Dale county officials saying that Bryan will carry the county five to one. A telegram from Judge Price
 Williams, probate judge of Mobile
 county says that Mobile is overwhelm-
 ingly for Bryan. The Lawrence and
 Crenshaw county officials say their
 counties will go Bryan more than two
 to one. w. H. Mitchell, chairman of
 the Lauderdale committee wires an
 overwhelming strength for Bryan in
 that part of the state
 It is learned that the managers all
 over the state have been requested to
 count the state tickets first, and if
 they follow instructions, the returns !
 over the state will come in quickly.
 The vote is expected to be exceedingly
 heavy.
 Bryan and Johnson workers are
 scattered around every polling place.
 It was prophesied that on May IS a
 listless public would remain at their
 business, but it is now believed that
 the vote will rival in numbers that of the last governors election.