The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-18
COMER PROMINENT FIGURE IN ALL THE POLITICAL GOSSIP Regarded as Certain to Seek Place Either of Gov
 ernOr or Senator TALK OF FILLING
 SIMPSONS PLACE Either Mobile or Birmingham Is Ex- pected to Get Representation on
 Bench = Gossip in City
 Political Circles
By HUGH ". ROBERTS


 Following the adjournment of the extra Gov B. B. Conner willsannounce himself Ia candidate either for the gubernatorial snomination or for a seat in the Senate chamber of the United States.
 Announcement to this effect was the most interesting development in Alabama politics during the week just closed.
 Deductions based on the announcement have naturally followed. It is taken TOT granted that if in the extraordinary ses- sion legislators frame laws sufficiently po- tent to ''curb the railroads, Conner Will tin, uth Senator Johnston, Congressman ClaA n, Congressman Hobson and pr. John NN Abercrombie for the second seat in the Senate to which this state Is en- l titled On the other hand, it naturally follows that if the legislators deal in a 1 dilatory fashion with the common car riers operating through Alabama. Conner win make the effort to land the guberna torial nomination-and having landed, will again take charge of the campaign for lower passenger and freight rates for the people of the commonwealth.
 In case Governor O'Neal declines to call the legislature together, it is very prob able that ex-Governor Conner will consider that action even as he wound a session ir which nothing formidable against the railroads was accomplished
 l The interesting feature of the situation is that the former governor has an- nounced that he is in politics, and that he will be in the campaign for the gover- nnrehir ar for tho Sonata
 Alabamians who claim to be "close' to ex-Governor Conner declare that he hopes tho legislature will meet and pass laws strong enough to prevent the further ruth less disregard on the part of the railroads of the laws which the "Comer legisla- ture," after so much controversy and the expenditure of so much money, wrote upon the statute books of Alabama. These friends intimate that the former chief ex- ecutive is sincerely trustful that it will not be necessary for him again to step in and save the state.r In other words, they claim that he is very anxious to win seat in the Senate of the nation.
 Inasmuch as it is believed generally that MT. Conner can win the gubernatorial non- ination without the necessity of rutfling ms feathers, IL IS true lHdl a majority is hopeful that he will reach the conclusion that he can best serve the common people as a senator.
 The reason is apparent. There Is pop ular lust for spectacular conflict be- tween several unbeatable titans. And fur thermore, were Conner and Hobson and Johnston and Clayton and Abercrombie to take the stump in an effort to land the senatorial plum, it would necessarily fol- low that another campaign equally as thrillisg would result from the ambition of other patriots to secure the guberna- torial plum
 Inasmuch. however as 1t is considered very probable that instead of for No- vember, Governor O'Neal will call the extra session for January, 1t might hap pen that Mir. Conner will not delay his announcement until the conclusion of the lawmakers duties. The report, however, that Governor Conner will make his for nal announcement in a speech to be de- livered at GreenVille in the near future, is believed to be in error.
 From recent remarks of MT. Conner, the impression was formed that at Greenvile he will contribute another chapter to the tepd controversy which, for so many years, has been pending between him and Judge Thomas G. Jones' It is very probable, in other
 
 endeavor to prove that if eX-President Roosevelt appointed Judge Jones on the recommendation of ex-President Cleve- land, that fact does not make the alleged environs of Judge Jones any more per feet in the opinion of Conner than had the appointment been made on the rec ommendation of the Louisville & Nash vile railroad and Booker T. Washing ton.
 MT. Conner in recent conversation based on the utterance of Roosevelt. made significant reference to Perry Belmont and other gentlemen of Gotham who are said to be Instrumental in fur thering the influence and empire of predatory wealth"
 The death in New York last week of Judge Robert T. Simpson furnished op- portunities for political writers to in- dulge in prophetic harangue concerning the man whom Governor o'Neal will ap- point to occupy the vacant seat on the bench of the supreme court.
 A Montgomery correspondent capped the climax when he declared that 1t was absolutely certain that the governor would appoint a progressive" and thereby establish a majority composed of members of the court which will think as he himself thinks in reference to oyerturning decisions on grounds purely