The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-04
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
18H-1901
No. 39-Administrati0n of Governor Cobb
Election of Senator Houston

An active campaign for the succession
to the seat occupied by George E. Spen-
Ger of New York in the Senate of the
United States, as from Alabama, had
been prosecuted by several distinguished
political leaders of the state prior to The
meeting of the legislature of 1878. Spen-
GERS term continued until March T. tine
year following. Governor Houston, Gen.
Joseph Wheeler, James L. PuGh, GenG.
Leroy Pope, Walker and Paul Bradford
were the candidates. General Wheeler
had not up to that time aspired to any
civil office. The legislature was about
to assemble and vet he had entertained
no thought of an office. Col. D. S. Troy,
senator from Montgomery. and perhaps
other gentlemen of the capital, wrote sud-
denly to him, suggesting that he should
come before the legislature as a candidate.
With his familiar energy he engaged in
a canvass of the members, night and day.
Several sessions OF the party caucus were
necessary to select the man. The Old
rule a senator from south Alabama and
the other from north Alabama, stood in
the way of Mr.. Pugh Governor Hods-
ton brought many claims into the situa-
ton He had been chosen to the office rs
the patton" legislature in 1865, but the
door of the Senate was then closed
against the state. He had aspired to :e-
election by the same legislature, in 1866,
but John A Winston won from him the
empty honor, as it proved. He had been
a candidate against Morgan, in 1875, but
failed Probably Morgan alone could
have defeated him then. Now he was en-
titled to the recognition of his infinite
service in the state election of 1874, fol-
lowed by that of 1876. The ancient rule
of division of territory for selecting SEN
ators bad come around to favor him now.
On November 26, 1873, the two houses
ballotted separately for senator. The next
day the convention of the two assembled
to take the prescribed joint action for the
choosing of a senator. There the presi-
dent of the Senate announced that George
s. Houston had received all the votes in
the Senate; the speaker announced that
George S. Houston had received all the
votes of the house except two. One of the
dissenting votes was for John w. A. San
ford and the other for r. NJ Patton.
The senate convened in the usual extra
executive sessions to consider President
Hayes appointments. Senator Houston
qualified Immediately that Spencef's term
expired He died at his home. Athens. on
December 81, following and Governor Cobb
appointed Luke Pryor, distinguished
lawyer of Athens and former partner of
the dead senator, to the vacancy. MIR
Pryor had been a true democrat, but had
never aspired to public office except that
in 1858 he consented to go to the legisla-
ture to favor state Endorsement of the
project to build the Nashville and De-
catur railroad, which passed through
Athens. He succeeded in this effort.
Governor Winston vetoed the bill, but
largely through the influence of Pryor it
PASSED over the veto and became law
In the number OF this series next pre-
ceding we have seen that in May In the
recess of Congress, Senator Houston led
the delegation of Alabamians in Con-
gress to petition the Attorney General,
Devens of Massachusetts, to postpone the
trial of more than 20 farmers of some a
the lower timber counties. who had beer
arrested by United States Madshal
George Turner from the spring term to
the full term to enable them to cultivate
their crops without interruption.