The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-31
OF VITAL IMPORTANCE.

Ahe 8ohcfdi elcCtiOn or NOVemDeF . is one of the most importsat to which the Alabama voter has been called for participation in many years. With the overwhelming Democratic sentiment of Alabama the Democratic voter has been accustomed to view the primary election of the great importance while he looked upon the general election as only an endorsement of what the primary had done. For this election that view Is erroneous.
 In the first place we must disarm our critics of the North. who are still animated by the spirit of reconstruc- tion that they forced upon us and who would now cripple our political power by reducing our representation in Congress. The best and simplest way to do this is to cast big Democratic vote. It is recent political history that the Democratic leader in the lower House had to bear the jeers and jibes of his political enemies because in the Mississippi district which sent him to Congress. many of the Democrats as- sured of the outcome of the election. did not care to take the trouble to so to the polls.
 The Alabama Democrat should vote on Tuesday so that the aggregate vote will show an increase over the general election vote of four years ago, and to that extent dlscredit the Keifers and Crumpackers who would reduce Southern representation. The Alabama Democrat. while he knows full well that the Democratic majority in this State will be overwhelming, should take the palms to go to the polls and show that Bryan and Kern have be- hind them the solid Democratic vote of the state and in this way discrcdit the shrewd attempt that has been made to weaken Democracy in the South.
 The three proposed Constitutional amendments bear directly upon the fu- ture growth and welfare of- the State. Every Democrat should feel called
 
 upon to go to the polls and register his views upon each of the three. The Advertiser trusts that all three of the amendments will carry at the polls. We believe that their endorsement will mean much for the State. Two of the amendments; the one providing for the creation of new counties and the one providing for good roads, both of which are surrounded with thoughtful and conservative restrictions. have be- hind them strong organizations which have given them adequate presentation to the voters of the State.
 The third amendment, that which al- lows biennial sessions of the LegisIa- ture instead of the present quadrennIal | plan, which has proved so unsatisfac- tory, has had no campaign organiza- tion behind it. Nevertheless it is by | no means the least meritorfous of the | three proposed amendments The fact | that 1t is designed to benent no par ticular class, no particular county or community, and has called for no or- ganization which may be benehted by | 1t. but Is designed rather for the ben eft of the entire State should com | mend 1t to the great mass of Alabama | voters. The voters of Alabama are as | a unit on one issue-the issue of reduc- 1 ing the evils of hasty and i'll advised 1 legislation to a minimum. It will | hardly be denied that after seven | years trial of the quadrennial plan | those evils have been at a maximum. | It can not be denied that the State is ] forced to undergo a severe hardship | when it is made to do business for | four years under a bad and hastily | drawn law. It does not take four years to prove that a law is bad. Two | years is quite sufficient.
 Many men, having the same wish as The Advertiser to reduce the evils of bad legislation say carelessly that they are opposed to the Legislature meet ing except as seldom as possible. That was the same view that actuated the Constitutional Convention which de- creed that the Legislature should meet only every four years. The error of this has long since been discovered. The people Of Alabama now have a chance to correct that error.
 The voters of the State should bear in mind this significant fact; Alabama is the only State in the Union which forbids it's Legislature to meet except once every four years. Is Alabama alone wise and all other States of the Union wrong? The voter should think of this question.
 The three amendments should pre- vail. But whether they do or do not every Democrat of the State should go to the polls and register his vote The State needs it and Democracy needs it.
 THE VrNnErVnun