The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-28

! by the constitution was, the ballot box
should close the legislature and COVER
nor, the legislature should chose the state
OFFICERS, except governor, and by statute
provide for the choice of county officers
by the ballot box. The restriction of the
| ancient method of popular elections thus
MADE was evidently precaution against
the ballot box in uncertain surroundings.
Three candidates for governor an
nounoed By common consent all the can
didates offering were citizens of honor
able records in the public service and all
had been known as anti Yancey. One
was Robert M. Patton of Lauderdale
county, another was Micah j. Bulger of
Tallapoosa county, the third was William
r. Smith of Franklin county. The total
vote cast was 1850 all white. No dis
turbanee appeared at the polls and no dis
puted returns were offered. Patton re-
ceived q, 422 Bulger 1924 and Smith 1894.
The returns from the election of leg
islature were very satisfs Glory. There
had been no scramble for the places.
Many of the best men were chosen.
The body assembled In the capitol in the
customary absence of the military or any
evidences of irregularity.
The House presented three candidates
for speaker representing different parts
of the state Thomas B. Cooper, from
Cherokee, on the northeastern Georgia
border was one. Mr. Cooper had been
many times q member of the House. He
had just returned home from the consti-
tutional convention when elected to his
present office. He did not belong to the
secession faction. j. b. Bethea was a
candidate. Cooper and Bethea were both
South Carolinians perhaps. The latter
represented the large planter class. He
owned plantations in Alabama and in the
Yazoo valley of Mississippi with many
slaves. He lived in handsome style IN
Montgomery. Newton l.. Whitfield of
Tuscaloosa was the third candidate rep
resenting the holt way ground between
the hills and the plantations. On the
first ballot Cooper received a considerable
majority over the vote of both competi-
tors combined.
A convention of cotton planters had as
sembled in the capital at this significant
| time. Mr.. Bethea. recognizing the weight
| of the influence of such a body under ex-
listing conditions, moved that the legisla-
tive hall be rendered for their use when
not occupied by the House. The first
movement toward general legislation was
in the Bethea resolution to appoint
joint committee to report suitable code
| for the government of freedmen, incud-
ing the freed women and children. and
regulating the relation, duties and LA
bilities of the white and colored popula-
| tons to each other. with power TO con-
| fer with such persons tthe planters in
| convention) as they shall see fit.'
Thus we see this further evidence that
| at the very outset OF organized action
| by Alabama a distinctly race problem
was brought up. The Senate at once
agreed.
No action of the kind would have been
| thought of but for the .pernicious presence
of the Freedman's Bureau and the post
garrisons, both active in attempts to TO-
ment discord between the white and ne
gro elements. There was not a negro. in
the state that might not find a home, a
support and remunerative employment
We have seen that the natural course of
commerce would have put in circulation
at least s45.0000o0 from sales of cotton
then on hand and this ready money
would have established a powerful wage
system of labor in lieu of the demoraliz-
ing share or cropping system, forced by
the theft of the cotton and other diff
culties that turned the commodity into
abnormal channels of use. waste and ac-
tual removal.
The provisional governor sent in a well