The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-19
Corners Ringing Speech
 Tn Behalf Of Democracy
Governor Says All Differences of Opinion Must Be Settled Within Party and Pledges His Hearty Support to Every Nominee of the Democratic Party What Democracy Has Accomplished
 For Alabama
(Communicated)
For Alabama

speech in behalf of a united and mi itant democracy last night at the big
 rally held at the Jefferson theatre in Birmingham. Governor Conner said: Tn 1870, I, just out of school, liv-
 ing on q plantation at Springhill, Bar
 bour county, had my first experience
 at the polls. >It was election day Soon
 after breakfast l received a hurried
 message to come to the polls and to
 come quick. I knew that meant trou-
 ble With a double barrel shotgun and
 a pistol l went at full speed. l found
 a little assembly of my neighbors with coo negroes in line for the express purpose of taking possession of the
 polls and running them The little band
 of whites, less than 50 strong, with l the determination characteristic of the | whi race when standing for it's right ts, | told the white leader plainly that his
 crowd could not run the election and
 that if trouble was prccipitated he
 would be the first man killed. A con-
 fiict was avoided by his taking his negroes away.
 At the same place at the election
 in 1874 there were 1900 negroes, a 1 squad of federal troops, many negro | federal deputy marshals, all there for
 the aVowed purpose of taking the polls
 and controlling the election. There were
 less than 150 whites, but these stood
 as one man; they realized that the
 time had come to do or die. They were
 formed under the leadership of the | great Houston of Limestone, and the | battle cry was. This is a white mans
 country and must be a white mans $ government It was from such condi- | tions as 1 have named that the white
 democracy of Alabama delivered us. It was in the terrible forge of recon | ctr ba
 wrought. l became what Is called black belt democrat, meaning by that a man thoroughly acquainted with what | the white mans government and the white mans democracy of Alabama had
 done for that great section or the
 state, the black belt, and from that day to this l have stood by and with
 the democratic party. l have contend ed that any political differences that
 might come between the white men of | the state should be fought out with ! in the party and not out of 1t. l have said in many a speech that Captain Kolb made a fearful mistake when,
 under the grievance of count-out for | governor by a fictitious and fictitious
 vote he led that great body of white
 men out of the democratic party and | formed the populist party. These were l as good men as the state ever had; | their intentions were S correct as could be- but the mistake was in go | ing out of the party to settle wrong. | The democratic party should be one l of righ teousness and justice and when
 ever any of our policies deviate from | the correct line the white people of | Alabama should get together and bring | the party back to those principles of
 good government-equal protection for | all, special privileges to none. There
 never has been radical departure In any southern states from the demo-
 cratic party that has not cost the peo-
 pie of that state dear.
 | "Governor- elect O'Neal, I wish to say | to you that l do not agree with some | parts of your platform; that l do not agree with some of the conduct of the late convention, the way 1t was formed
 and the way 1t was run. wish to
 say to you that l, as democrat, voted | for your father, General O'Neal, and
 shall work and vote for you. In
 my campaign for governor you were
 my friend and I appreciated 1t. You will go into office with my very best
 wishes for your success.
 T am going out of office with the conviction that l have given the state
 and the democracy of the state the
 very best that was in me. l have tried in every part of the state to inculcate a higher citizenship; l have | tried to surround every citizen and ev-
 cry property with the proper care and protection of the state. have CO.,
 operated with the legislature in the | enactment of the most progressive laws
 to establish a higher care of our elee- mosynary institutions, including the old soldier. the industrial school for boys,
 the deaf and dumb and insane asylums; ; | to encourage temperance, or the es- | ta ablishing of a new and higher moral
 fabric throughout the state; toward the | equalization of tax values, that every property should bear the burden of the
 state alike; toward the dominance and | control of the state over our public
 service corporations, and the restric
 tion of their charges and rules regu-
 lating their business with the people
 of the state; toward the advancement | in all directions of educational facil- 1 ities, making the rural schools and
 also the high schools and colleges
 reachable by every boy and girl of the
 land These statutes and their intent | recommend to your most careful
 study, as I sincerely believe that out
 of their advancement will grow great | ly increased prosperity and improved
 conditions to every citizen and prop
 erty of the state.
 "Citizens of Birmingham, I have been
 with you since 1890; have joined with you | in many enterprises to help build the I things I have ever helped to accomplish
 was our Greater Birmingham. I have mo- ticed by the papers that you have given | silver tea service to the introducer of the bill, MT. King, and that was well, | but I wish to remind you of a toast at | one of the dinners of the New England | forefathers. The toast was to the Pilgrim Mothers and the response was given by Mir. Hilton. It was thought that the mothers had been overlooked in many
 feasts of the past and that some notice,
 some mede of praise was due them. MT. | Tilton's beginning was ITO the Pilgrim 1 Mothers, There Could Have Been No
 Pilgrim Fathers Without Them" and l
 wish to say to you, citizens of Greater
 Birmingham, there could have been no Greater Birmingham without what is
 called the 'Comer legislature, because
 it was they, in the true democracy of | their intent. who said to all the excluded
 properties in that remarkable proposed | boundary line that ran in and out, talk ing in some properties and leaving out | others that all must be treated alike. Thus, in the true democratic spirit they created Gerater Birmingham. I leave it | to you If it was not wisely done. You are indebted to the Conner administration
 and the Conner legislature for your pres
 ent limitations and your realized Greater | Birmingham, and I will say aside to you that if you want a still Gerater Birming-
 ham, have again similar administration | and legislature.
 T have just recited my experience in
 reconstruction days in the black belt and the horrors of negro domination and ne-
 gro control. In those days we had negro legislators, negro office holders, negro | douinance and control lay like a black