The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
THE AGEHERALDs WEEKLY REVIEW SITUATION
Three Candidates Yet To
Enter The State Campaign
HENDERSON TO OPEN BIRMING-
HAM OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
WELL INTERVIEWED ON CO.
MER AND LIQUOR-vALUE OF
MONEY BEING PROVED

e h4>D LiQOOh-f ALUE OF
MONEY BEING PROVED
BY HUGH w. ROBERTS
While the state campaign has been
under way for several months, it is
considered positive that the list of cam
didates Is not as yet complete 1t Is
believed that Brooks Smith will make
an effort to secure the juicy little plum
of the state treasury. w. II. Seymour,
former cotton statistician, will in all
probability be an applicant for com
missioner of agriculture. Harry Shorter
has said that he will ask to be elected
secretary of state.
When these candidates have entered
the fold. the gate will be closed. 1t is
now considered certain that there VIII
be no other entry for the gubernatorial
nomination. Efforts from certain quar-
ters to produce opposition to Thomas
E. Kilby, candidate for lieutenant gov
ernor, have repeatedly failed. 1t is
now believed that he will be chosen
| without a struggle. He has already
done so much preliminary work that
1t would be almost impossible 10 bring
| about his defeat.
The campaign, relegated to the rear
as popular favorite when the senate
rial situation developed, is coming
again into it's own. The probability
that Alabama will be without a second
senator for many months has caused
the public to center its attention again
on the various phases of the state cam
paign.
Renewed Interest in
the State Campaign
The situation Is again becoming n
matter of interest. True. the petition
of b. B. Conner for an Investigation of
the lobby which he says the Louisville
and Nashville railroad Is conducting in
Alabama, failed to stir the public pulse.
The reply OF Milton II. Smith, president
OF the Louisville and Nashville rail-
read, was equally as futile as a stimu-
lus. There is little interest in the
promise of Mr.. Conner that he Will have
something to say, and the announce
ment that the Louisville and Nashville
is preparing to discharge the other
barrel of its gun, has not created a
ripple.
But the campaign is in full swing,
with all of the candidates for governor
beating every bush in an effort TO make
the people believe that their happiness
and prosperity is at stake; that the
commonweal is endangered, the voters
are becoming trifle more responsive.
Up to the present time Mr. Conner
has managed to maintain his lead He
Is still regarded as the strongest indi-
generally believed to be running sec
ond. The other candidates have lust
begun their fight. During the past
week John II. Wallace, Jr., developed
strength In the western portion of the
state. lie made a splendid showing at
tayette, where he delivered an address
last Monday. an address featured by its
charge that Mr. Comer's latest assault
against the Louisville and Nashville
railroad was the result of the necessity
which confronted him of supporting his
falling and falling campaign.
Henderson Will Soon
Open Local Headquarters
The advantage held at the present
time by Mr.. Conner and Mr.. Seed is due,
IL is regarded as true, to the fact that
they have conducted the most aggres-
siye campaign. Mr.. Wallace has not
as yet named his campaign manager.
speech as late as September L. Mr.
henderson has been occupied with the
business of the railroad commission,
ana has postponed the opening of north
Alabama headquarters until the Biz
mingham municipal campaign will have
been completed. This week, 1t Is said,
that the Henderson campaign will be
started in north Alabama, and that the
campaign will be of a most aggressive
nature. This week, also. 1t Is consid-
cred probable that Captain kolb will
name his manager for north Alabama.
| The indications are that the cam
paign will be expensive to all the can
didates. Mr.. Wallace and Captain Kolb
nave observed with truth that the pos
session of wealth does not argue the
possession of craftsmanship or even of
virtue. But it is being demonstrated
more and more plainly every day that
f1noney is counting and is destined to
count more emphatically as the cam
paign progresses. Mr.. Conner and Mr.
Henderson are men of great wealth. Mr.
Seed is possessed of enough of the
worlds goods to guarantee his contin-
ued activities to the end Of the fight.
Running for Office Very
Expensive Pastime
As an illustration of the effective use
OF money--and, also, of how expensive
the campaign is destined to be--the cir
i
Investigation of the Louisville and
Nashville railroad serves as an excel
lent example.
The petition was first printed in
pamphlet form. This expense was
nominal. 1t was next inserted as ad-
vertsing matter in the daily newspa-
pers of the state 1t was next pub
lished as advertising matter in each of
the rural dailies and weelSlies. This
expense was enormous. 1t was next
mailed to the voters of the state-and
the mailing of one letter to each OF
100000 voters entails an expense of
$4,000 When it is recalled that the
next governors salary for an entire
year will be only $500. it is realized
| that only men of wealth should pre-
| sumo to ask for honorable promotion
and political preferment in the good
state OF Alabama
There has been no indication of a :
liquor fund in Alabama, and the only
railroad, money expended has been In
advertising through the columns of
the newspapers.
Conner and Liquor
"Down in Old Mobile
| The most signal development Of the
week just passed was the interview of
Harry 7. Hartwen of Mobile relating
| to the views of Mr.. Conner regarding
the liquor traffic. From the Hartwell
statement the public gathered that Mo-
| bile county will support Mr.. Conner for
two reasons--the belief of the city of
Mobile that the railroads have dfscrim-
mated against the port of Mobile and