The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-29
Siunificant StraWs.

During the next few weeks many voters in Alabama will change sides" said a veteran democrat Some men who started out as anti-amenders yielded to the persuasion of their wives, who happened to be members of the Womans Christian Temperance union, and an- nounced a change of heart. l look for a few more changes of this sort; but from what I know and what I conjecture, it is reasonable to say that thousands who have been wearing white ribbons will vote against the amendment.
 q felt very doubtful about the result of the election until a week ago. am intimately acquainted with not less than a dozen men in Tuscaloosa county, where I was born and reared, who have changed from the amendment side to the opposi- ton.
 Here is what eonvinces me that the amendment is beat and badly beat. With in a week I have visited three counties in northern Alabama, supposed to be strongly for the amendment, but found the sentiment instead of being pro-amend- ment, decidedly anti-amendment. I was told in each county that three weeks ago the amendment was in the lead, but that for one cause or another changes had been taking place very fast.
 "I am Mallory man and could, there fore, talk to Mallory men on confidential terms, no matter whether they were for or against constitutional prohibition. l have taken 8 half-dozen polls resulting as follows: Forty-one voters, all farm CTS, 29 being against the amendment, and of these 29 all but three were for Mallory for governor; 60 voters, most of them farmers, 42 against the amendment and all but five for Mallory; Il voters. of which 5S were against the amendment and all but four were for Mallory; 7S voters of which 62 were against the amendment and all but two for Mallory. These polls were taken at random, might say. If they don't mean some thing, there is no use figuring. With in the past few days I have heard sev- eral amenders admit that the wording of section was a mistake and that hold ing a special election this year to cost s50.- GOO, when the treasury is empty, was an- other mistake. Look out for a lot of small politicians leaving the Comer-
 
 the other bandwagon."
 The Late p. H. McCarren.
 Those living outside of New York and reading papers unfriendly to the late Pat rick Henry McCarren, the political leader, who was laid to rest in Brooklyn Tues day, might have thought that he was a corrupt boss. but no cleaner politician ever lived" said a man who was once resident of Brooklyn and who keeps fn close touch with New York affairs now. 'McCarren was a good, honest man and good fighter. His private life was above reproach. I was impressed with the truth of the words of the prelate, Monsignor McCarty. spoken over the dead mans body:
 " Our public men are too often cen sured and are too severely criticised. l know of no country in which this is 50 mercilessly done as here in our own. The work that these men do in legisating for and in managing immense interests of city and state calls for skilled handling and expert leadership. It Is not reason able to expect that the gigantic transac-
  with the nicety of care and economy that is often found in private business. These men live their lives in the strong light e. public observation and often criticism points to faults in them that pass unnoticed in other men. and it sometimes happens that their critics more than duplicate in their own lives the sins they think they see in the lives they crticise. Public men are not all angels of light nor are they all angels of darkness. Just like the rest of us, they are a mixture of light and shadow, and like ourselves they need and are entitled to justice and charity.
 Much of this life which is ended now was lived in the public view. It has not escaped the rasping voice of censure. dot not stand here to apologize for or to paliate anything wrong that may have crept into this career, nor would 1 stand sponsor here for the life of any man or woman in this large gathering or this larger city.
 He was worthy of any mans steel, and | his opponents say that he never took an l unfair advantage, that he never stepped