The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-24
3EHuxE7. . UT
TO DA Y
O'NEAL AND WEAKLEY BATTLE
 OYER SIX HOURS AT SHEFFIELD
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

club of this place, presided. Before al. lowing O'Neal to enter upon his discus- sion MT. Urquhart took occasion to say several good things concerning Sheffield and to predict that some of these days this city would enter upon the period of greatness that It's natural resources guaranteed.
 MT. O'Neal stated in the beginning that he was opposed to investing the legisla- ture with more power than any other similar organization possesses. He re- ferred to the recent Montgomery con- vention, stating that that gathering was a protest against the excesses of the leg islature and was not called for the pur- pose of attacking prohibition or putting the saloon back into the state. He then proceeded to place the Birmingham con- Yention of the prohibition party on the gridiron, charging that it was a session of the Anti-Saloon league, "a secret or ganization controlled by the administra- ton and officeseekers of the state and held in church of~God." The meeting was nothing more or less he said than a "hypocritical, insidious effort to give the political gathering a religious color ing. This was a shock to the Christian sentiment of the entire state
 Insisted on Politics.
 
 sistent that the movement for the amend mentment be separated from politics, the administration and all candidates. In spite of the sycophants that surround the throne, however, Conner took the stump and declared that inasmuch as prohi- bition was a child of his great brain, the defeat of the amendment would be a slap in his face. He contended that he was the greatest governor in the his- tory of the state and that his legis- lature was the greatest body of such a functional nature in the world and there is no surprise when it Is remembered that Conner, having found a treasury overflowing with money and will leave 1t facing the greatest deficit in it's his tory and having caused throughout the state business discredit and discord among his people, that the friends Of the amendment desired to put the gov ernor to the background.
 But every man of this state knows that the slmy tentacles of the political devilfsh held this little gathering in it's grasp and it Is useless for the pro-amend- ment people to endeavor to persuade the liberty lovers of Alabama to other beliefs and opinions
 Refers to WeakIey's Record.
 At this moment MT. O'Neal shook his finger near Weakley's face. The judge smiled slightly. The speaker then refer red to Weakley's record. declaring that hardly had the amendment bill been adopted when Weakley announced his candidacy for governor, this giving, he continued, coloring to the report that the extraordinary session was called and the amendment submitted to the people in order that there might be an issue on which Weakley might be elected gover- nor of the state.
 "The administration evidently thinks, continued the speaker, that Weakley alone is worthy to take up the work which will be left unfinished by Conner Mallory no doubt thinks different and be. lieyes, I presume, that the judge should be satisfied with hts munificent share oi the remuneration of s50,0Oo paid by ths administration to the lawyers of the cause"
 He charged that the reason for rushing the amendment election, when 1t coult have been postponed year and prevent ed an unnecessary expenditure of s50.oo0 was found in the fact that 10000 white citizens of the state not dreaming thai there would be an occasion for the exer' else of suffrage ttlis year. had failed tc pay their poll tax. He charged that 1t wa, the purpose of the sdninistration to pre- vent a calm and judicial discussion. H. pointed out that had the amendment waited but @ days lloJoo more people