The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-28
AN ELEVENTH HOUR LABoRnR.

of the Birmingham situation: "Ths Ledger is on one side. The News on the other and The Age-Herald. as usual is on the fence" The Alabama press smiled over this classification but nobody arose to dispute 1t.
 The Ase-Herald has left its sccus- toned place on the fence to stretch its legs and read The Advertiser a lecture. because The Advertiser has seen fit to urge thoughtful Democrats to look after the welfare Of the Dem. ocratic party after it's recent disas- trous defeat. The Age-Herald. once off the fence. in a sudden assumption l of virtue and patriotism. tries to re- prove The Advertiser for speaking it's mind.
 The Age-Herald probably wonders why anybody or any paper should have the temerity to say anything ex- eept what is admittedly popular. But The Advertiser has always spoken it's mind on every question affecting the l welfare Of the people of Alabama. It has done this at the cost of popularity and at times at the cost of temporary prestige. Did The Age-Heraid ever have any such experience7
 The Advertiser has ever been a worker for the happiness and the prosperity of Alabama. On every oc- casion it has spoken it's mind. When l the people of Alabama were misled by clamor and when the radicalism that was inaugurated by Roosevelt in Washington. helped along by Glenn in North Carolina. Smith in Georgia and Conner in Alabama. was at it's height The Advertiser did not fear to brave the opinion of a majority of the voters of Alabama by warning them of the dangers of populIsm and radicalism and standing boldly against them. The industrial Ills that were foreseen and predicted by The Advertiser as a result of the attacks on prosperity fol- lows as naturally as the night fol- lows the day.
 Did The Age Herald speak up in those days? Not so that anybody could notice 1t. It rode the fence in it's old accustomed place or descended now and then to add word of con- demnation to the agencies which had built up Birmingham and made its own publication possible. Prosperity, so far as The Age Herald was con eerned. could look after itself and The Age-Herald now and then for exercise ran with the hounds. Now it is in full tilt with the hares for return of the prosperity which either passive ly or actively, in the times of radical ism it helped to banish.
 The Advertiser steadily lent its in- fiuence to the aid and upbui1ding of Alabama's industry and commerce. It has done what 1t could to protect that industry and commerce from radical ism and denunciation. agencies which brought about the unfortunate condt- tions of the past year. Now that the danger from radicalism is over it well comes The Age-Herald from it's perch on the fence and its brief run with the radicals as a worker among those laboring to restore the older and bet ter conditions to Alabama.
 The Age-Herald in it's new found virtue would reprove The Advertiser because 1t intimates that 1t is the duty of Democrats of Alabama to record their belief that the Democratic party is larger than William Jennings Bryan, The Age Herald is wrought up be- cause it fears that The Advertiser is going to disturb harmony. The Age Herald knows or should know that for three or four years previous to 1908, the zealous friends of MT. Bryan were organizing Alabama in his i'm terest and not only organizing Ala bama, but other Democratic States as well. The Age-Herald failed at that time to rise in it's righteous wrath and denounce them for halting prosperity and disturbing harmony. The Age Herald was either auiescent or en- dorsing what was popular.
 In his after election statements Mir. Bryan clearly indicated that he was now as much a candidate for the Pres idency as he had ever been. Those statements made the issue and sprung the discussion within the party. The Advertiser drew attention to their sig uificance as did many other Demo- cratic papers of the country and The Advertiser declared that Alabama Democrats should not again go to sleep while MT. Bryan's friends spent four years organizing the party in his interest to secure the Alabama dele gation. And no matter how hard Mir. Bryan's friends might have gone to work there would have been no clarion call from the bugle of The Age Herald on the watch tower, or rather on the fence.
 The Advertiser continues to main tain it's right to oppose radicalism as a menace to business and prosperity. whether that radicalism is interwoven with political or industrial conditions. The Advertiser will continue to assert