The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-04
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA
 1865-f874
No. 82-A Faithless Senator
1865-1374

 Administration to reduce the dual legis- lature in Alabama to one by force of counsel only. fell within constitu- tIonal prerogative perhaps. The coun- sel was accepted by the capitol body pro forina. Acceptance was without all ternative. Military government had not been reliquished by the mediator.
 To restate the plan-the radical sem |ator and representatives from Barbour county were to unseat the democrats.
 The senator, James Taylor Jones. democrat. from Marengo was to submit his right to the contest of Dereen, car petbagger If the democratic claimants from Marengo. Messrs. Morgan, McNei and Kimbrough, should aspire to con test the seats of the radical represen- tatives from that county. the way would be open.
 The claim of William Miller. Jr.. car Martin. democrat, from the district of Butler and Conecuh should be made liable to proof before the senate.
 Between the lines of the equity of the attorney generals plan. lay the pre- sumption of sympathy on the part of President Grant with the court room body. The Presidents recent course in Louisiana seemed to justify the pre- sumption.
 The settlement on the plan could do nothing to reconcile the partisans, parties to the dispute. The court room faction was dependent upon 1andless, |or property herd, wanting in a history, wanting in an alphabet or a God. The precipitately enfranchised negro had no experience i nthe jungles of the Congo, none in Liberia, Massachusetts or Ala bama by which he might be safely in troduced as a factor into the assem- blaze of intellectual and moral inven- tions whose name and style in the con- Icrete was, free government.
 The population of the states was all most equally divided between negroes and whites. No negroes in all the world were farther advanced toward civilian tion than those of Alabama. The slaves had been owned by educated and re- fined masters for the most part and had been taught the best art of labor. The domestic servants among them had learned to reflect in measure the in telligence and culture of their owners.
 The white population comprised a landed autocracy. The wage or salary class of that race was limited, practi- cally, to the towns and cities. Towns were few and not populous or thrifty. Mobile with a population not exceed ing 35.000 was the only city so large.
 The Marengo case was settled lr favor of the contestant. Dereen, early after the Christmas recess, that Is late In January. Dereen came to Demopohs with the garrison of federal troops, and remained in the employment of the government. He had no ties to bind him to the community. He was not as soeiate of the men of standing in the community. He possessed no wisdom, knowledge, eloquence, virtue of any kind. to prevail in the duty of the con stituency, to seek out from their ranks a state senator. He won the award of the senate committee of investigation over the judgment of the board of Icounty supervisors assisted by Patrick. the fedeeral deputy, The question turned on a technicality. a revised reg istration test.
 Jones was native of the county, a graduate of Princeton college, grad uate of the law department of the Uni versity of Virginia, a Confederate vet eran, a married man, supporting his family in the county, an advanced stu dent and man of experience In the science of government For the part of law maker for Alabama, the two men were not more alike than the Satyr to Apollo. The noble office fell to the unworthy aspirant because of the record of registration of voters. Was the registration correct, under the statute? The entries were of doubtful character. If all the entries were legal, what of the law that permitted sucn voters.
 Two reports came in. from the com mittee of four senators appointed to take testimony on the Miller Martin case. Gilmore, republican, from Sum ter, died. leaving Pennington. carpet lbagger from Lee to report the repub % lican side Martin held the certificate of Parker, secretary of state, and oc- cupied the seat on the floor.
 Pennington reported adversely to Martin and favorably 10 Miller. All of ficers of election in Butler county were democrats. Republicans had no rep resentation in the precinct inspectors or returning officers. The probate judge, Watson, the sheriff and the clerk of the circuit court, that comprised the coun- ty board of supervisors, were demo- crats This board of Butler. county Supervisors did not open the boxes and count the ballots. They merely added up the returns that came to them from the precincts. At least two precincts were not returned to the board A part of Escambia had been recently Idismembered and put on to Conecuh. In this part of Conecuh two tickets were voted one with only Martins name, the other with the names of state officers. Miller received no votes in the cut off territory. at least he was mot allowed any. In Monterey. In Butler county. 90 votes were counted for Martin and three only for Miller. The ballots were delivered to the board. not in box, but were carried