The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-31
BARKER|TES CONTENT
 SAYS MONTGOMERY
Postmaster Says Barker Fac
 tion Is Quite Satisfied
BACK FROM WASHINGTON
Declares Report of Injustice Done Post mistress Ella Nix of Fort Payne Is Exaggerated-Success
 a Perfect Gentleman

After visiting Washington and assist ing in the supposed trimming of the pow
 CT of Joseph O. Thompson, republican
 state chairman of Alabama. Postmaster Joseph H. Montgomery, who is one of
 the Barker faction, has returned to Bir
 mingham.
 He announced yesterday, when ques- toned relative to the alleged split be- tween MT. Thompson and Major Barker
 as to the distribution of republican pat
 ronage, that Major Barker and his friends were perfectly satisfied with what
 las taken place recently and would con- tinue to give their best thought and ser vice to the promulgation of republican
 progressive doctrine In this state. The alleged split has caused probably
 more speculation in republican circles
 than any developments of recent months
 The nasty conferences In Washington of
 prominent republicans, the return of Mir
 Thompson and the subsequent appoint
 ment of two officers not recommended by Mir Thompson, but by Major Barker
 are only a few incidents which have
 aroused intense interest among the fol- lowers of President Taft
 MT. Thompson has maintained a reti cent attitude about the split, not com
 menting on it at all when he returned.
 However. MT. Montgomery, recently in
 stalled as postmaster here, says that Major Barker Is victorious and points out
 the postoffice appointments at Fort
 Payne and Florence to justify the state ment. In commenting upon the report that an ex-Confederate's widow had been re-
 moved at Fort Payne-Mrs. Ella Nix to make a berth for a political henchman
 of Major Barker-G. l.. Malone-Postmas- ter Montgomery said:
 When Mrs. Ella Nix was appointed postmistress at Fort Payne the first time she promised not to apply again. When her term expired she sold out and re-
 moved all her worldly goods to Houston, Tex, whereupon republican was ap- pointed to fill the vacancy. That was in writing and witnessed by Prof. J. T. Blakemore of Birmingham. When this
 was made known to the late and revered Senator Edmound w. Pettus of Alabama he sent to Texas and Mrs. Nix came back to Fort Payne and was reinstalled post
 mistress. She has served there long and faithfully. perhaps, but her successor is a man in every way qualified and emi-
 nently respected in all circles He was
 indorsed by prominent bankers. church.
 men, merchants and judges for the place Circuit Judge James J. Curtis recom-
 mendcd him, along with others of his standing.
 "The republican patronage in Alabama
 is not being used to deprive widows of
 their earthly livelihood and no chival- rous gentlemen would stoop to such an act as is intimated. Mrs. Nix has been
 superseded by perfect gentleman after she has enjoyed the emoluments of the 1 position longer than she requested" | Mir. Montgomery in commenting upon l the split said it was so self evident that he would not make any further specula- | tion. He said however, that Major Barker was exultant upon his manifest
 high standing before the Postmaster Gen | eral and the President.