The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-17

road to a stop at Macon (Gallion) sta
| ton TO receive passengers, burly me-
gro stepped upon the platform of the
white coach, ticket in hand. to enter.
Mcconnell was "a giant. He promptly
blocked the door with his person, at
the same time instructing the negro
to take the forward coach assigned to
his race. That was the only demonstra-
tion heard of in a large area of PLAN
tations thickly inhabited by negroes
made to enjoy the obnoxious legislation
of Congress
! With the result of the campaign and
the election of 1874 the white people
of Alabama We're thoroughly convinced
| that the freedmen had too serious at
| tachment to the right of suffrage
forced upon, them from Washington.
/, The purpose was then well fixed in
the mind of the whites to eliminate
| the negro vote as soon as the arbi-
| trary power of Congress in the prem
| ises might be disposed of. Meantime
| the rapid recovery of the commerce of
| the south year by year effected polit-
| ical sentiment at the north pari passu.
| While time and events awaited the con-
stitution of 1901, the politics of the
| state and the ambition of political
| leaders had great involvement in the
cumstances we shall have much to re-
late in order of occurrence.
Twenty democrats held seats in the
senate of Alabama when the Legislature
convened at the outset of the admin
istration of Governor Houston. Among
these were men of extraordinary
weight In political affairs-R. W. Cobb
of Shelby, j. w. 1nzer of st. Clair. j.
NJ. Carmichael of Dale, Daniel Coleman
of Limestone, Peter Hamilton of Mo-
bile. J. M. Martin of Tuscaloosa. Greene,
Hale, Perry. Dallas. Lowndes and Bull
lock each was represented by q ne
gro. Besides the six negroes, seven
white senators represented the revolu-
tionary element. Some of these were
"hold overs" senators of the class that
was elected in 1872 for four years.
Soon after the body began work un-
der Lieutenant Governor Ligon presid-
ing, Senator Cobb took up the con-
tested election case. Miller VS.. Mar
tin, from the Butler and Conecuh dis
trict, where it had been left off in
1872 by the tyrannical and outrageous
ruling of Lieutenant Governor McKin-
stry. Mckinstry had seated the young
carpetbagger, Miller. The ruling was
now reversed and Martin took the seat.
The ousting of Miller excited his po-
litical allies in the two houses great
ly. They had but one recourse and
that was appeal to President Grant to
avenge the insult inflicted on him.
Miller had been seated to execute~the
Attorney Generals plan' for making
up legislature. Thus As radicals. led
by Coon and Bruce, carpetbag members
of the house, prepared a petition to
the President to restore military gov
ernment in Alabama and sent it to
Washington by the hand of ]. B. Binr-
ham, The democrats got possession Of
copy and read 1T to the senate. 1t was
most currilous paper. Upon the read
ing the negro senators. Green, ROYAL.
Leftwich and Jones. explained that
they had attached their names under
a total. misapprehension of the con-
tents. Senator Moore. democrat from
Colbert, denounced the allegations set
/ forth by the paper in extremely Bit
ter terms. He demanded the expulsion
of all the signers. He would march
the gang to the door and put them out
with announcement that. this chamber
is no place for liars and slanderers. .
Samuel b. Brewer of Montgomery
was chosen secretary Of the senate and