The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-13
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA

1865--1874

tions were being made to take GOV crnor Smiths resistance of the success sion of Lindsay into the courts they waived the pledge of their joint reso- lltion to refrain from all Legislative action until the troops should be re moved from the capitol So, on De- cember. . the House invited the senate to appear in its hall to ballot Tor a scnator in Congress to succeed Gen. Willard Warner of Ohio as the act or Congress required.
 After each house had balloted in its own chamber and no candidate had re- ceived a majority of the votes of each house, the convention of the houses as- sembled in the hall of the representa- lives at 12 noon, December [, 1870. A single ballot decided the election. Sen stor Jones of Marengo. scalawag. placed in nomination Senator Willard War ner. Representative Toomer, democrat, of Lee nominated George Goldthwaite, and Senator Hinds, carpetbagger, nom mated w. J. Haralson of Morgan coun- ty.
 Senator Morgan received the major ity of the radical vote, 50 in all Har- alson received 14 votes, most of them csrpetbaggers; Judge Goldthwaite re- ccived the solid democratic vote, 65, two of which were by Senators Mabry of Barbour and Worthy of Pike. and was declared elected for six years
 Senator Spencer was now complete ly victorious. The removal of repub- 1ican colleague in the Senate had opened his way unobstructed by competition to the White House. President Grant was ntoriousiy his personal friend. The operation of the internal revenue laws in Alabama required a full corps of federal officers and these assuredly would be of his selection. President Grant would be reelected in 1872 for four years. The senator's own re-elec- tion would be by the legislature of 1872. Grant would desire to have the electoral college of Alabama which would be chosen on the same day that the legislature was elected and Spen- cer must secure the success of the President and himself in the same event. Undoubtedly between the Presi- dent and the senator a fellow feeling of ambition and jeopardy in Alabama would bring them Into perfect and ac- tive accord in Alabama political man. agement.
 Senator Spencer, carpetbagger, by a close margin had gained the defeat of Governor Smith, scalawag. By this masterly movement he had rid himself of all scalawag obligations. Carpet haggers only would fill the federal of fees In Alabama Every postoffice with considerable revenues would become dependency of Senator Spencer. Each and all the federal revenue officers. custom house people, internal revenue multitude and all the others would be of that kind who would do the beck and bidding of the senator. The work ahead was to turn out the democrats from control of the legislature and put in republican control. The gov crnor and all the state officers, now democrats. must go and Spencerites take their places. The railroads, ben- etciaries of state prodigality of help must be trained to look to Spencer.
 Senator Spencer must be reelected by the legislature of 1872 and he had two years time in which to restore the state government to his party. He had tho promise of the postoffice funds. the custom house funds, the internal rev enue funds, each kind, from hands of his own appointees. He had the never failing countenance of President Grant.
 In the annals of American politics of the low classification Spencer's ex- ploits in Alabama in 1S70-1872 stand without a rival His audacity, the re- sourcefulness of his enterprise. the per feet success of his scheming present the carpetbagger of, the day in the light of a man who ruled an empire. Of ignoble personal appearance. with. out single claim to oratory or any of the personal attributes supposed to he essential in the arena of statecraft and its compensations. this sorry speci- men of the carpetbagger seized for himself the most envied of the public offices open to assignment by the state and having provided safety for him self, without a shadow of Justification in. the law of the land. he conspired