The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-27
] BATTLE GROUND IN ALABAMA Northern Section of The
 State. SECTION PICKED FOR FIGHT Pro-Amendment People Indicate
 Their Selection. Confidence of Those Opposing the Co., mer Agitation Is Increasing, and
 Reports Predict Defeat
 of Proposltion.
SECTION PICKED FOR FIGHT


 constitutional amendment. with one month gone and two months to come, has already developed into the hottest and costiiest campaign ever fought out in Alabama. And 1t has developed in the last week that the bigger part Of the fighting in the next two months will be done In North Alabama.
 Pro-amendment leaders will say pri- vately but not publicly that they do not expect any big majority in South Alabama and would be content with an even break which they hope to get. This means that they consider that part of Alabama south of the northern limits of Montgomery County the land Of the enemy, with a hope of rescue still prevailing. They expect to carry some of the South Alabama counties, but they think that the big majorities against the amendment in Montgom- cry and Mobile counties will eat up any advantage they might get in the smaller counties. Then 1t is conceded that Lowndes and Butler counties will go against the amendment unless there is a revolution of somt sort So they are going to center their fight on the North Alabama counties, the big white counties of East Alabama and they may later go into the wiregrass sec- tion. But the State organization for the present is busy with North Ala bama,
 Of course the pro-amendment people do not propose to abandon the fight in the South Alabama counties. The local organizations will be spurred on to activity and they will be kept as busy as. possible. The State organization will look largely to the local workers while 1t is busy with the heavy artil- cry in the North Alabama counties.
 Calera in Shelby County is about on dividing line between North Alabama and South Alabama. That part of North Alabama lying north of the Ca- lera line has probably 30,000 more votes than South Alabama, because the negro population of the State is largely south of that line and the negroes have not voted, "so you could notice it" In Alabama in the past eight years. With this class of voters eliminated North Alabama has the best of 1t by probably 30,000 votes.
 Tn the State of Alabama there are approximately 25,0O0 Republican vot- CTS. These are in North Alabama largely It might be said that 90 per cent of the Republican vote of the State Is north of the Calera line. if the county of Chiffon should for the moment be eliminated Still, the Re. publican vote this time will count 1ust as much as the Democratic vote and both sides will go after the Republican as we'll as the Democrat. .
 The anti amendment people made confident by continued good news. pro' pose to meet the amenders on any battle field and 1t is safe to predict that the .'big show of the coming cam patgn will be pulled off in North Ala bama.
 markahle increase in the vigor Of the pro-amendment campaign. It IS an open secret that when the proposeo
 
 Legislature the friends of it were so confident of an overwhelming victory that they proposed to make only one months campaign. They were going to let things rock along with occa- sionaI spontaneous meetings until the last month and jump in with a hur- rah campaign. Governor Conner Judge weakiey and Brooks Lawrence all went of on vacations and things were allowed to rock along.
 But every man cut short his vaca- ton. Each and every man hurried back to Alabama quicker than he ex- pected The opponents of the amend ment had jumNsd quickly into the fray An unexpected state of public sentiment was revealed. The oppo- nents of the amendment declared in less than two weeks, that the amend ment was overwhelmingly defeated and certainly the sentiment against It was stronger than anybody had ex- pected.
 Then the pro- amendment people got busy and got busy quickly. They threw aside any idea they had of a short campaign toward the end and jumped into the fight. which Is ex- pected to be the hottest Alabama has ever seen. The results of this &C., tivity were seen last week. Speak CTS for the amendment were sent far and wide. Literature was sent out in patches. They did not wait the re- turn of Chairman F. M. Jack son, who was out of the State. The situation demanded immediate action. Not only were speakers active and literature promiscous, but the pro-amendment weeklies throughout the State which had seemed dazzled by the big light against the amendment showed an un- expected stiffening and editorial col- umns, which had been tepid with en- thusiasm bristied suddenly with agres- siveness. Somebody during the week had put ginger in the campaign
 Many of the pro-am endment lead CTS were willing to admit that If the vote was taken now the amendment would be badly beaten. But such could and would be done fin two months. they contended.
 "The people have been misinformed. They don't understand the question" the pro-amendment man would say,