The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-06

over the candidates for the other offices.
The two great national parties had now
placed their candidates for the presi-
dency in the field, and the democratic
electors for Alabama, Messrs. John r.
Morgan and James l.. Pugh. began an
active campaign for Tilden and Hendrix,
| the democratic nominees for President and
vice president set forth by the st. Louis
national convention. Morgan had spoken
in Is counties for the state ticket. He
proceeded next with his canvass for Tilden.
President Grant was refused nomination
for a third term at the Cincinnati repub-
lican convention. Congress had exposed
the venality of many of his appointees to
high office Some of his stoutest friends
had taken alarm at the readiness with
which ne applied the sword to the south.
Blaine, Conkling, Morton of Indiana were
also rejected by the convention. The
nomination for President fell on the sew
enth ballot to Rutherford b. Hayes, then
for the third time since the war governor
OF Ohio. The nominee had been a brigadier
| in the volunteer army of the United
States. The selection for vice president
fell on William Wheeler a representative
| in Congress from the interior of New
York. He was the leading factor of the
commmittee sent by the lower house of
Congress two years before to pass upon
the state election in Louisiana.
| While President Grant failed in his as
pirations for the honors of his party, he
was extremely solicitous for its present
success Defeat for Hayes, if at all,
must come from detection of the party
| which Grant had done so much to build
up in the north. The south had been
driven by the sword of Congress to give
him its electoral vote in 1868, against the
democratic candidate, Gov. Horatio Sey-
mour of New York. In 1872 the south
\ had been driven by Grants own sword to
I give him its electoral vote against the
great reformer and editor of New York,
| Horace Greedy Should the most conspic-
nous democrat of the union, Samuel TIL
den governor of New York, now be per-
mitted for fear of the sword in the south
| to reverse the policies of the two success
| sive Grant administrations.
Unwelcome news from the Alabama
state elections of August came to the
AT
Branch on the New Jersey coast. On Au-
gust 10. Secretary of War Cameron issued
an order TO Lieut.. Gen. w. Tecumseh
Sheman, commanding the army, to hold
all troops then not engaged fighting in
| dams to be distributed throughout the
south on quick time.
He explained to Congress that in his
opinion the only way to prevent the south
from resuming possession of the govern
I Al. ttaIS hot had
Gently conquered those. was in holding
| them down by force. Henry Hoyt, chair
| man of the Pennsylvania republican COM
mttee issued an animating address to his
party, declaring: THE confederate army
| is far more united today in the new eff
| fort to seize the government than it was
Is years ago in the mad effort to de-
| stroy it.
The law and constitution of the union
| required that the President should await
| the application of the legislature of
state for troops to restore order or the
| application of the governor when the
body could not be assembled. No appli-
| cation of that character went out to
| Washington from Georgia, where Gen.
| John b. Gordon was governor, neverthe-
| less the war office sent General Ruger to
| Atlanta to make his headquarters with
| orders to distribute troops for political
purposes in localities where they might be
needed
| fortnight after the state election, ex-
| Governor Lewis executed the last, per-
haps. of his political somersaults. He
| addressed an open letter of many words
and sound reasoning to his fellow towns
men of Huntsville, eX-Confederate Col. ID.
| r Hundley announcing his purpose to
support the democratic presidential tick
eft ..because the republican party has
sought by military force and the terror
| of party to subdue the southern states
While the President lived at Long Branch
| the cabinet generally look the neid lot
| HAYES and Wheeler.
| The federal election day was without
jnportant incident in Alabama. General
Ruger did not appear on the scene ne
gro Alfred Campbell, lay around the polls
all day while the voting went on, making
no effort to register or to vote. some
davs later he went before w. II. Hunter,
carnetbaeger United States commissioner.
and made affidavit that the registrar, j..
II Nav. democrat, had eonspired with
other whites to shut him off from the
nolls Hunter thereupon caused the ar
,est of Nav and bound him over under
$4,000 bond to the federal grand jury.
Spencer of course recognized the rate
before him. His term was now half spent
with no promise whatever of a reelection
He persevered therefore in his project
developed in the recent state campaign
He would confuse and disorsanize the ne
gro vote and so make 1t appear that the
democrats had driven the negroes out OF
the electorate.
Accordingly when Jere Haralson, ne
gro was nominated by the regulars ior
Congress from the Selma or Fourth dis
trict Spencer called in Rapier, negro, from
without the district to oppose him. His
nurpose was to elect the democratic can
didate, Gen. c. NJ. Shelley, and then try
to oust Shelley by contest before the
House.
The democrats elected the full delega-
ton to Congress and the Tilden and Hen
bricks electors. The congressman chosen
were: James Taylor Jones, First district;
Hilary A. Herbert, Second; Jere N. Will
liams, Third; c. NJ. Shelley, Fourth, X.
+. Ligon, Fifth G.. w. Hewitt, Sixth; W.
II. Forhey, Seventh, and W. W. Garth,
Eighth General Shelley received only
a bout 40 per cent of the combined vote
of the two negro opponents and this was
what Spencer expected. He would use il
| to oust the plurality candidate before
the House on allegation of fraud in The
| returns.
! The new legislature assembled Tuesday,
November IA, 1876. The body was re-.
markable in the ability of large pro-
portion of the members. Rufus w. Cobb
J of Shelby was elected president of the
| Senate. The new constitution provided
no lieutenant governor. ]. 70. Carmichael
of Dale was made secretary. On the floor
| sat John II. Bankhead of Lamar, Francis
| $. Lyon of Marengo, A. c. Hargrove II
| Tuscaloosa Brett Randolph OF Blount, w.
| G.. Little, Jr of Sumter. A few radicals
We're there, b. +. Saffold of Dallas and