The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-29


first ballot for the nomination for gov
crnor was taken Thursday, 6 D. m.-Kolb
2S5. Johnston 104, Richardson IS, Crook
50. Jones 45. With the third ballot the
day closed-Kob 236, Johnston 9s, Rich
ardson SO, Crook 81. Jones 40, fractions
omitted.
So on Friday. at 9 a. m, when the
convention opened, Kolb seemed to lack
% votes of a majority of the conven-
ton.
On Saturday forenoon, the fourth day
Henry D. Clayton, Jr.. arose from his
seat to say: MIR. Chairman, ] now ask
leave of this convention to withdraw the
ms me of as sound a democrat as ever
fc light under the banners OF democracy.
I withdraw the name of Reuben F. Kolb.
Mr. Chairman l stood for him when l
was a boy, in the dark days of 1874 l
have seen that man single and alone, IN
the city election of Eufaula, do what
no other man dared to 40. | say there
exists today no better democrat on the
face of Gods green earth than Reuben
f. Kolb of Barbour.
We return to the scenes and the polit-
ical management of Friday by which the
action of the convention was finally de-
termined
All day Friday the Kolb phalanx re-
manned practically unorolSen. The thirty
eighth ballot closed the day. The <olb
column had Increased from 2S5 to 24l.
are the Johnston column from 104 to
116 Jones had fallen to the starting
points votes.
On this day the committee on platform
| reported through its Chairman. Lawyer
E. j Taliaferro of Birmingham. The JEFF
fersonian doctrine of states rights was
reaffirmed as the fundamental of gov
errment. State control of public schools,
tariff for revenue only, legal regulation
OF monopolies, equality of protection to
tEe races and the pledge of united party
to the nominees of the convention con-
tained the brief enumeration The res
| onant sentence of Taliaforro, Democracy,
pi omulgated by jefferson, defended by
jackson and maintained by Grover Cleve.
lana" appeared in this his masterpiece.
Roll call on ballots became wearisome.
A delegate from Lowndes, observing that
Kolb seemed irrepressible, yet lacking a
score more of votes, would have Bar
beur county silenced by annexation to the
neighboring territory of Georgia. Many
Kolb delegates in answer TO his call had
come to the city on Monday, two days
in advance of the convention. Hotel bills
had already consumed their pocket money
and their round trip tickets on the rail-
reads would expire that day. Chairman
benson put the motion that the state
committee should explain to the railroads
/ ...s.~ . =. +s.T-1 1..-.44
When the ayes We're heard, the chair
man announced if there were any nays he
did not wish to hear them.
Mr.. Sellers of Bibb arg ded that on every
successive ballot the lowest name on the
previous ballot should he dropped until
nomination was declared. The chair
pleaded that the convention should listen
to the gentleman from Bibb, even If he
had weak lungs.
In the afternoon the interminable ballot
ting yet continuing, much confusion pre-
vailed on the floor, many delegates leav-
ing These were mostly Kolb men out of
funds The chair said, Let us have or
Ger or quit and settle the question by a
big row." The outflow continuing, the
chair insisted that all who needed "a
orink will please attend To it at once"
Kolb leader. g. L. Conner, calling from
his seat, inquired. IF the chair would
joir in." I'VE haven't the timer re-
piled the chair, amidst uproarious ap-
plause.
The Johnston solid columns from the
two great counties where he had lived the
years of his manhood never wavered-
Dallas 80 votes, Jefferson 5.
Lamar county in despair, on one ballot
cast its vote for "W. H, benson" The
chair announced this as scattering,
creating much amusement.
The Coffee county vote of was steadily
announced, ballot succeeding ballot, "kolb
seek"
Saturday Jones won! Why? Johnston
1t was believed suggested the ex-
pedient. AT any rate, Rufus N. Rhodes
of Birmingham, a brilliant young jour-
nalst, representing Johnston, Wiley
Tunstall of Greensboro of the railroad
commission, representing Crook, the
distinguished gentleman, Jones of Flor
ence, representing Richardson. and J.
M. Falkner, his law partner. represent
ing Jones, met at an early hour on the
Friday night in a bed chamber in the
Exchange hotel for one of the most
portentious political conferences of the
many. under that historic roof. The OBJ
ject was to select one from the four
candidates to defeat Kolb the next
morning before the convention, the
fourth day of the meeting.
The day dawned Saturday upon the
the four. No record of the deliberations
has been preserved. The public was un-
informed of the proceedings of the con-
ference or of the argument which pre-
vailed after. daylight, to bring it to a
decision
That Colonel Jones was selected 70
go before the convention Saturday
morning and contest with Kolb, who
already had scored more than five votes
on the floor to his one, steadily
through 3S ballots, where alignment
was most severe for whole days of
conflict, was announced on the streets,
before breakfast, and that was all any
body seemed to know, save the four
silent conferees.
In fact Jones was restored by the
conference to the position, from which
he could not be logically removed. He
had come boldly forth in May, 1889, to
formulate grounds of opposition to the
political supremacy of the State Alli-
ance, a secret order composed of one
class and from membership in which all
other classes were rigidly excluded. He
had declared himself a candidate for
nomination by the party process for
governor to give conference and impulse
to the party in its conflict with that
secret order for possession of the state
government.
No other candidate now before the
convention had done as Colonel Jones
did. No other of those candidates had
gone upon the stump to forewarn the
delegates to the convention. Jones, on
the other hand, had addressed large
audiences at Dadeville, at Greensboro
and at Opelika, strongholds. all, of the