Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-03-29
LETTER FROM BIG BUD

Editor of the Beacon:
Well Mr.. Editor, as | am here in the
magic city with but little to do and not
being very fond of sight seeing, will
write you one more weekly that hope
will not prove unintersting to your
readers, | find Birmingham in steady
healthy growth and every one enthused
at its progress. Building is on boom
and they say 1912 is destined to be the
banner year for building and other en-
terprises. Some fifteen millions are un-
der contract to be spent in this direction
during this year. This looks big to me
and | expect that they will in the near
future reach the 100000 inhabitant
mark. I hear that our own Mr.. Cooper
has been over recently looking over the
situation and says he has been visiting
this place for the last twenty years and
he finds property higher each time he
comes and thinks of adding heavily to
the Investments he already has here.
He is a msn of rare judgment and will
no doubt make his usual success, in
these investments. The people are in
the midst of an exciting election, which
comes off next week. I see the an
nouncement of numerous lawyers for
the position of Circuit and Appellate
judges and this looks good to me, for |
hope Mississippi, will some time follow
the example of our sister state and elect
our judges, but it does seem like we
cannot even submit an amendment to
the constitution that will be submitted
constitutionally.
We have adopted the amendment
twice but the Supreme Court decided
that the first time, while we had ma
jority of the votes cast, still. it ought
to have had majority of the registered
vote, and this time Governor Brewer
vetoed the act placing the amendment
in the constitution, as the amendment,
making both the circuit and chancery
judges elective, should not have been
submitted as one amendment. So here
it is and it will be at least two years be-
fore it can be submitted again. 1t
works we'll here and the Alabama judic-
iary ranks with that of any state.
Hobson is going to have close shave
to be reelected, and much as | admire
the worthy eccentric Alabanian, think
he ought to be beaten. | have never
forgiven him for voting to re-instate the
negro soldiers (who shot up Browns
ville) in the army and again his oppon-
ent showed ds that out of 35 roll calls
that were called on bills necessary for
the success of democratic measures he
was absent Qecturing) and failed to
vote on 26of these.
Absenteeism is the bane of all of our
legislators and no man, however bril-
liant he is, can do his duty by his con-
stituents and be absent from his post of
duty half of his time. Well this cannot
be charged against your representatives.
| was there all of the time except the
first three days of organization and
Henry and Tom missed but very few
roll calls. Henry and had the advan-
tage of our colleague and senator, for
while Mr.. Brame was on important
committees, he was not chairman and
the chairmen of the committees were
the ones that got into the limelight.
The work of the legislature is done in
the committees and after question is
threshed out in the committee room
and report is adopted the chairman of
that committee has the presentation of
the measure before the house. So how
ever active and useful man may be,
and how hard he works on the commit
tees, he gets no recognition except
from the members of the committee.
Mr.. Brame was high up on the commit
tee OH railroads, and judiciary, impor-
tant tpfsathittees, but not chairman of
either, hs had nothing 10 do with ths
question on the AoeF. sunless It met