The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-28
AN ALABAMA PROPHET.

From the Washington Star.
 Representative Clayton of Alabama is in prophetic mood. He sees a change in political matters, and democratic pros poets rosy in the extreme. The republic ans are "on the run" and the creek is not far away. A abusing next year is certain to be their portion.
 Says Mir Clayton to an interviewer:
 You can bet all you have that the next Congress will be democratic, and four years from now we will have a democrat in the White House. The republican party never was in so pitiable a plight as it is today. It has confessed it's incom- potency on the floor of the House and in the Senate. There will, I say, be nothing to it two years from now when the peo- pie are called upon to vote for mem bers of Congress"
 This is the language of enthusiasm, and not to be taken literally or too seriously. Betting is risky and against the law, and Mir Clayton is a law-abiding man. The republicans have confessed nothing There are differences among them on the tariff question, but the democrats are not united. Would it not be better for the Ala bama statesman to be encouraging his party friends to union? They have an op- portunity, but have won no battle. The fight is just beginning, and, with MT. Ald- rich leading the opposition. business and not buncombe should be the cry. If the republicans appear to be retreating in dis order there may be method in the ma neuver Has Mir Clayton never heard of an ambuscade?
 Asked as to the democratic candidate for President in 1912, MT. Clayton rejected the names of Judge Gray of Delaware and Governor Johnson of Minnesota. Hear him on that subject:
 NO, positively no; neither one of them. You can leave them out of the equation. Some of Judge Grays decisions on the bench will make him impossible, and Gov ernor Johnson will not be nominated, be- cause-wel, go into Minnesota and you will find out
 Mir Clayton should name the objection able decisions. The public Is not as familiar with Judge Gray's record on the bench as the Alabamian seems to be, but 1t thinks very highly of the man, and will hear with surprise this criticism of the jurist. Do those decisions bear against labor? As an arbitrator in the anthracite coal strike Judge Gray showed sympathy for labor. Do they sustain standardization as against state rights? How can that be when Judge Gray as politician was protege of MT. Bayard, one of the most attractive and uncompromising of the state rights school of democrats?
 And what is said of Governor Johnson needs explanation. The public lacks the time to visit Minnesota. MT. Clayton seems to have been there and become convinced of Governor Johnson's non availability, but there are others with hrst-hand information, who do not share his view. MT. Watterson's dark horse cannot be disposed of by an indictment resting upon shake of the head and an unsupported declaration that The won't of Swedish extraction, with knodwl- do." Why won't he do? What Is known of the man now that was not known last year, when his friends offered him in opposition to MT. Bryan as Moses Moses of Swedis extraction, with knowl- edge of old roads and new roads, and of how to get out of the wilderness. All reflections on Moses call for specifications