The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-21

cotton can be held is one of the hold backs to business.
 This section feels the fall off in the lum- Der trade. While the most of the saw mills are running they are taking up old business for the most part, and the fear Is very emphatic among the mill owners that there will be break in prices, al- ready below what is thought to be safe business. Buyers in the east are taking little at this time, waiting for the outcome of the tariff hearings in Congress. As a rule, the south is not much worried about the tariff, believing that 1t will not make much difference either way.
 Paucity of Politics. Things are to the bad politically. Gov ernor Conner took fly into Coffee county for couple of days speaking on educa- tiona1 lines, constituting about the only move that looks like popularity campaign ing for the week. And this is hardly in that class, the governor never failing to lend a hand where he can do good for the , cause of schools or educational advance ment.
 There Is the announcement of Capt. R. F. Kolb for commissioner of agricul- ture. He brings to mind old and stren- uous days of politics, when to be either democrat or a populist took a lot of good nerve. Captain Kolb has large
 
 race. Already many are getting active for him. So far as Is now know Hec- tor D. Lane of north Alabama is the only other man known to aspire to the place, though it Is supposed that w. H. Seymour state cotton statistician, is con- sidering the matter
 Great Load of Work.
 Few people realize the great amount of work done by the judges of the su- preme court. When they do they under stand why former Chief Justice Ty- son was willing to get out One judge has written 2S cases since the adjourn ment for the April recess. To be up by the time of reassembling each one of the seven must write over 40. Sometimes there are hundreds of pages to be read in the way of briefs. It is not infre- quent that judge is forced to work a week on a single case.
 Once upon g. time this was not so. Judge Bricknell put in three months on one case in the years that he was on the bench. But now 1t is different. Law yers discourage limitations because it cuts down litigation. Men of good judg- ment think cases involving less than $1V0 should never come to the high court. If man cannot get justice for that amount from 12 of his neighbors and his own judge he ought to stop there. The only hope seems to lie in tho al- lowance of more clerks. The prospect of limiting appeals Is not bright.
 Frank Julian Busy.
 Secretary of State Frank N. Julian, who is ex-officio insurance commissioner, is vigilant in his inspection of the in- surance companies doing business in the state He is going over the books of every one of them and is seeing for him. self that they are fully able to meet all the demands upon them. Show me-" is the slogan of the department
 Going All the Time.
 Any man who l1Nes a lot of work ought to look in on the office of State Aud itor Brandon. One item illustrates 1t. His office must draw and he must sign 64000 pension warrants a year, 16000 every quarter. There, is never a time when the clerks are not drawing war rants. They have to keep at it to pre- vent the papers going out late and this has never been the case.