The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-06
Strenuous Struggle to Oc- cur on the Basis of
 Representation
VOTING BASIS CAUSES
 PADDING OF RETURNS
Committeeman Greene to Aid the Counties Handicapped By Heavy Negro Population--Present
 Plight of One County

1 At the meeting of the state demo- cratic executive committee in Birming- ham December 20 there is promise of | q lively tilt in reference to the rep resentation of counties in the conven- 1 ;ion to be held next spring
 1 According to prospectus issued some weeks ago by R. Tyler Goodwin chairman of the committee, the rep resentation of the counties will be based on either the population, the vote cast in the democratic state primary,
 or the vote cast for Governor O'Neal in the general state election.
 The counties of the southern half of the state will be opposed it is con ceded generally, to the plan of repre- sentation based on the vote for gov ernor, holding that on account of their preponderance of negro population they will not receive justice unless their representation is based on population. Gardner Greene of Pell City, mem- Ger of the state committee, While in Birmingham yesterday declared that he would aid the effort of the southern
 counties, believing that inasmuch as
 they are to bear the negro burden of the state they should be accorded
 some political favor in return In this regard he said: "As the counties of the northern division of the state have comparatively few negroes, the great majority of whom wherever situated cannot exercise the right of suffrage, it would be manifestly unfair in my
 opinion to base representation in the
 A., far I
 understand that the southern counties
 are determined to obtain if possible the
 favor of county representation based on
 pop ulation. This is more just to all con-
 cerned I will aid them to the best
 of my ability, and l believe that other
 committeeman from the northern coun-
 ties will do likewise.
 "The counties of the southern half of
 the state are certain to maintain their
 strength in the convention, and If rep
 1esentation is based on voting strength, it
 will result in the counties with heavy
 negro population padding their returns.
 For instance, because of having padded
 it's returns, one county of the state is at
 the present time in an embarrassing sit uation. This county, after having cor
 rectly reported it's vote for governor, and after the victor had been declared the
 nominee, padded its return to the secre- l"tary of state. The county in question
 voted less than 1000 votese and it's re- turns to the secretary or state indicated that the vote had been more than z50O At the present time this county is en- deavoring to hold an election under the
 Smith bill to do away with the ineffective
 brand of prohibition with which it is af- hicted. Because of having padded it's re- turns in the governors race, it is impos- sible for the bearers of petitions to get 45
 per cent of the total number Of votes.
 Forty-five per cent of 25OO votes, which
 number was turned into the secretary of state, is more than the total number of qualified voters in the county.
 "On this point that is the representation of the counties in the convention, there is certain to be strenuous struggle. 1 claim of the counties in the southern sec ton that it would be unfair to them to base the representative on any other ground than population. It would certain ly be miscarriage of justice to give them representation based on their vot- ing strength, when by the constitution of 1901, their voting strength was reduced
 about 50 per cent"