The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-04

Is
convention of the party, In the hall OF
the House of Representatives.
There was no appearance of internal
conflict. Unbroken harmony seemed &c
possess the white people while the freed.
men had ceased to aspire to public office
or be led to the polls like sheep to the
shambles.
But the very large number of delegates
who had loft their crops to attend the
convention, carried with their saerifieial
presence a deep significance The wei.
come given TO the convention by the
MONTGOMERY Advertiser. the acknowl-
edged organ OF the party was coupled
with a Warning The convention was
urged to bear in mind that the tendency
Of the government at Washington was to
advance from the seating of chief execu-
tive by fraud, to further encroachments
Of hazardous and irresponsible power.
Delegates left their crops at critical
season of the year, in large numbers, OPP
pressed with the still unsettled affairs of
the government at Washington Mont
gomery was crowded with the most intel
ligent men of the state, come together
to talk over the green back movement,
the Granger prospects, the chances of
General Grant. The earpetbagger and
the scalawag were gone; the negro con-
tented.
The convention must appoint an cleo
tcral ticket. The electors should be cap
able Of discussing vital federal questions
in their canvass. The convention must
SEND delegates to the Cincinnati national
democratic convention and it was urgently
important that these citizens should be
worthy of the state. Alabama was ac-
customed to high standing in national
democratic conventions.
At the convention the delegates would
confer informally upon the choice of q
senator to be made by the legislature, the
next winter to fill out the term of the
deceased Senator Houston and also upon
the proper persons to be sent to the lower
House of Congress at the approaching
November election. general apprehen-
sion of General Grants return to the
presidency gave profound interest to these
topics of consideration.
The convention was void of excitement.
Governor Cobb, Secretary of State; W. W.
Screws, Ike II. Vincent state treasurer;
Attorney General Henry Clay Tomplzins
were renominated, each for a second term
by acclamation. J. M. Carmichael of
Dale, ]. Mckee Gould of Greene and j.
II. Savage of Calhoun contested the nomi-
nation to succeed Willis Brewer at the
end of his two terms On the seventh
ballot, Carmichael won. Several competi-
tors appeared for the office of superin-
tendent of education. The nomination
fell to Henry Clay Armstrong of Lee.
Gen. E. A. o'Neal and Waiter L.
Bragg were made electors for the state
at large. An animated contest on the
floor closed with the selection of w
II. Barnes of Lee, and A. H. Kellar of
Colbert TO represent the state at large
in the approaching Cincinnati national
democratic convention.
The existing supreme court was re-
nominated-R. c. Brickell, chief JUS
tice A. r. Manning and G. w. Stone
associate justices. Justice Manning died
the month following the August cleo
tion and Governor Cobb appointed to
fill the full term the young attorney
Henderson NJ Sommerville of Tusea-
loosa
The republican party was not reor-
ganized. No state convention was called
by the former leaders. Col William NJ
Lowe, representative In Congress from
the Huntsville or Eighth district, pos
ing as an Independent, called confer
tlIS OI tlt iDOIldHl enemies VI
the democracy at the Exchange hotel
in Montgomery.
This conference published an oppo-
sition ticket, covering all the state of
fcers. The names were all obscure.
Rev. Pickens appeared on the ticket for
governor.
d The campaign was logically free of
eXcitement. In the August election
Governor Cobb received 127,S47 votes,
iclx Of t,a
legislature do not report any vote as
counted by that body, for the Lowe
conference ticket The Montgomery Ad-
vertiser reported the count as made by
the joint sessions of the two houses.
That authority gave Pickens ID in Ma
rengo, in Perry, in Dallas, but a
heavy vote in some of the white
counties.
The Lowe movement of 1880 was
ominous of party rupture. Nearly 40,-
900 white men had been allured away
from the noble battle cry of both
supremacy" The journals of both
houses We're approved the day follow
ing the count In the presence of both
houses, but neither journal made record
of single vote having been cast for
Pickens or for any candidate on the
Lowe ticket. Several counties do not
appear as having voted at all by the
legislative journals. Clarke, Dallas,
Fayette. Crenshaw, aldwin-tive-are
not accredited with votes cast for state
officers at the August election. 1880.
We are now entered upon the period
of interesting election returns. August
election returns OF 1880 introduce that
remarkable time. The vote for Hous-
ton In Greene county Of the black belt.
was only 864 in the great campaign
of 1874; the vote for Cobb practically
tu 1870
than double, that is, Cobb got in Greene
1861 votes in 1880 Houston received
in 1874. In Barbour county, 2771 votes
In 1880, Cobb, on the Houston platform
received there 5199. The combined vote
of Houston and the radical. Lewis
his opponent, In Barbour in 1874, was
only 243 greater than the vote for
Cobb in his second election. Practically
every eligible man, black and white
in Barbour county marched up to the
polls August, 1880, to vote for white
supremacy; the vote for Houston In
Perry county in 1874 was 1925 the vote
in Perry for Cobb in 1880 was 2515
where it is demonstrable that every
white man who did not vote for Hous-
ton failed to vote for Cobb. Hale
voted 1885 for Houston and six years
later, 1741 for Cobb.
The remarkable political situation
presents ltseil tnat While the opposition
to Houston in 1874 polled 93,92S votes
in the total of 200.046 it could not pre-
serve its organization, even whilesevery
federal officer in the state, and the
government at Washington gave il
countenance and measure of active
support.
The fierce and bloody riots in Bar.
bour county at the polls in 1874 were
so far healed as to unite the parties