Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-04-08

few years ago 1t required more moral
courage than ordinary mortals possessed
for a white business man to vote the re-
publican ticket. AS one gentleman ex-
pressed it, Those who wanted to vote
that way had to go to the polls in a crowd
to keep I'D the courage Of each other. A
man will do most anything In a croWd.
but he does not like to do an unpopular
thing alone"
Nevertheless. there has been no ostra-
cism in this part of the country for vot-
ing the republican ticket since the first
Mckinley campaign. Bryan furnished
silver sixteen-tO-one bridge upon winch
many democrats crossed over to the re-
publican party. He furnlsneo them o.,
excuse and justification for doing so. and
since that election there has been no pen
atty. social or otherwise. imposed upon
white people who vote the republican
ticket.
Il reckon Roosevelt has more genuine
admirers in the south than he has in
New York." said a Mobile business man.
I'VE have lot of fellows down mere
who would stand up and fight Tor MIN
at the drop Of the hat. and will follow
him anywhere that he will lead. l reck-
on that Roosevelt could be elected Gov
ernor of Alabama or go to Congress
from any district in this state IL he
should take a notion to come down mere
and get naturalized. He has mighty
big pull with the young men OF Ala
bama and has done more TO obiiterate
the difference between the terms repub-
lican and democratic than anything else
that ever happened.
And the Taft men are equally out
spoken few years ago nobody with
any self-respect would have dared call
himself a republican, but now hair OF US
are Taft men or Roosevelt men and most
of us are both. So far as national poll
tics are concerned, it would be easy to
organize a Taft party in this state, ana
If he don't disappoint us he will poll Dig
vote in Alabama when he runs again
for President in 1912.
Alabama Women in Politics.
The women of Alabama are, becoming
very active in political affairs, although
there is no "suffragette' movement here.
Clubs of women have been organized in
almost every community for the better
ment of local conditions. and during the
last five years the Federation Of Wom-
ems Clubs has become a powerful In
fuence in legislation and for public i'm
provements. through state, county and
municipal agencies. This organization
was largely responsible for the prohibit
ton law and for the increased appro-
priations granted by the recent legisla-
ture for educational purposes. The
women are almost entirely responsible
| for the passage of the law which es-
tablishes a high school in every county.
| the lou ana u JIG ucuolSu oAu
| the state government to supply teachers
at a maximum expense Of $4,000 per an
mum. Until now there have been very
| few high schools in Alabama, and they
were limited entirely to the cities, ex-
cept the two or three normal schools.
| Today, through the influence of women S
clubs, high school building has been
erected, or Is in progress Of erection. at
every county seat in the state, at a total
cost Of more than q million dollars.
The women are also at work in organic
ing for a compulsory education law. and
are carrying on special campaigns in the
counties where public opinion is most
| Indifferent to education. The passage
Of such a law will make 1t necessary to
erect a great many new schoolhouses, be-
cause the strongest argument against
compelling people to send their children
to school is the lack of schools to which
they may be sent. That lack will be
supplied very rapidly in the immediate
future. During the recent session of the
legislature there was an appropriation OF
$1,150.0O0 for the support OF additional
free public schools, and an appropriation
J of s2SS.000 for the erection Of new rural