The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-05

little while before the convention met the crowd that had been so gathered formed a parade and marched around with the band playing in front of 1t, and after awhile went to the rink the procession being headed and in charge of Sam Davis and Ed Lusher and that they went into the rink and stood on the east side and voted for Swishe as Davis told them to do, and that after the convention was over they all went back down to the Stag saloon on Third avenue and MT. Davis paid them off and and gave a dollar to some of tn em and @ dollar and half to some of them, and that there was at least 100 people so voted and paid by Sam Davis and affant got $1."
 Both of the affidavits have been at tackled on the ground of the character of the men signing them, and the ac- cused official has denied the charge made therein. After 8 careful inquiry, however, conducted on the spot by our representative and covering several days during which the manner by which the affidavits were obtained and the opinions of many reputable citizens as to what actually took place were care fully inquired into. he came to the con- clusion that the statements in these af- fdavits as to what happened at this convention were substantially correct.
 Tafts Views.
 That the condition of the republican party in the south is well known to the administration Is shown by the fol- lowing from a report of & speech de- livered by President Taft at Greens boro, N. C., July g, 1906:
 "The question which should address itself to the great business interests of the south is how much longer the spectre of things past Is to hold tn em to an allegience that does thu em no good in national politics and deprives their communities of the inestimable benefit of two parties, each of which, If 1t does wrong, has real chance of being punished for its misconduct. The possibility of change of party control for such a cause Is the best security of good government. '
 "The struggle for the federal offices producing as it does jealousies and strifes and disappointments, paralyzes united effort to make the party strong at the polls and worthy of success. As long as the republican party In the southern states shall represent little save a factional chase for federal of- Aces in which business men and men of substance in the community have no desire to enter, we may expect the present political conditions of the south to continue.
 "There is little coterie of politicians who devote themselves solely to the selection of delegates to the national conventions, who devote no time and energy whatever to elections and whose who ole object is the securing of the fed eral patronage. The candidates named, if they be named are not worthy of our suffrage. The truth is the election is mere forma1ity. In my judgment, the repub- lican party of North Carolina would be much stronger if all the federal of fees were filled by democrats
 Bitter Contests.
 The illustrations of this report have been taken largely from the south. be- cause by reason of the bitter contests, the facts were more accessible. There is no doubt but that in the north public opinion has driven officeholdsrs to keep ing their work more under cover. There are many cases. however, like that of Postmaster Greinsr of Buffalo. N. Y.,