The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-15
COUNTY POLITICS
 AS AN INDICATOR Results Will Be Watched With
 Much Interest. THE AMENDMENT ISSUE Anfis Were Successful Candidates in Jackson County-Fieht Between Driver and Hefiin in Fourth
 District Will He Bitter.
THE AMENDMENT ISSUE

While the candidates for the other state offices are up in the mountains and down in the sticks, the eyes of the political prophets will watch the results of the county elections as an index of public feeling, and a pretty sure indication of the way the majority will stand between the two candidates for governor in the May primary.
 The first county election was held Sat- urday night in the big county of Jackson. Definite reports from that county yester- day show that Charles Haekworth, strong anti-arnendist, defeated Judge Will Hams, Governor Comer's appontee, and an amendist, by a good vote The son of Judge AIcCUtcheon, was elected circuit solicitor. It will be remembered that on the death of Judge McCutcheon his son was indorsed for the position, but Will Hams was appointed and Conner was burned in effigy at the county seat.
 this is taken as a good test of the country vote, and politicians are wonder ing whether the Mallory leaders will he able to change the farmers after their minds are made up.
 Next Monday the Montgomery county election will be held, and since the anti-amendment and amendment lines are closely drswn in this contest, q good idea of the feeling in the cities may be gleaned. Six or seven counties will go to the polls during the next month and many more by April l, and unless there is a general division among the offices, the sentiment will point so strongly to ONeal that aiiy effort to check the wave of sentiment on May might prove futile. No man knows, however, how these coun- ty elections will come out, but their bear ing on state politics is not being under estimated.
 Politics makes strange bed fellows remarked an observant politician in the hotel lobby last night. 1t is really down. right funny the way things have changed around in this state. Conner beat Mill ten Smith and the Louisville and Nash vile railroad when he was elected. Now we have beaten the Anti-Saloon league.
 To-day, although the Anti-Saloon leagues lawyer is prosecuting the Louis vile and Nashville railroad in Louisville, its other officers and members, and this aelfsame Governor Conner are backing up the counsel for the Louisville and Nash vile railroad for governor. Now, if that isn't the funniest thing I have seen in politics in many a day, I'll give it up.'
 Perhaps the warmest personal fight the state will see this spring is that con- test for Congress over in the Fifth dis triet, where Judge Driver and Thomas Hehln are getting ready to fly at each other. There is a great deal of personal Bitterness between these two, and while they were a enc time the best of friends and have offices in the same courthouse, they have not been on speaking terms for some years.
 It is said that Hefiin induced Varda- man, Probate Judge Drivers own chief clerk, to run against the judge in Cham bers county, but instead of opposing Vardaman, Driver is going right after Hehin himself, and, 1t is understood that with the aid of Judge Denson. he will have a fine chance against Hefin in Chambers county, the home of both candidates.
 Driver is not a speechmaker, while lief lin is a spellbinder. There will be no joint debates, as they are not on speak ing terms, but some hot times, and in teresting incidents are expected when the campaign gets heated up.
 J. Lee Long, who is supporting Elm met O'Neal for governor, resents the ef- fort of an afternoon paper to connect him with conference in Birmingham yes- terday. Colonel Stallings Is not in the city and I have not seen Mir Bowman today" he said. "There has been no con sultation, so far as l know, and I am quite certain that no one around O'Neal headquarters is frightened about hun dreds and thousands of anti-amendists' aligning themselves with the Mallory movement"
 MT. Long will be one of the active par ticipants in the ONeal conference here Thursday, and will be actively in charge of the organization work of the O'Neal campaign.
 Col. Felix Smith of Rockford, one of the strong men in the Fifth district, was in Birmingham yesterday. Colonel Smith was an amendist, and in sizing up