The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-27
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
 1S74-1901
No. 131-Johnston Elected and Party Reunited
 William c. Ga tes Governor

Johnston, the nominee for governor of the organized democracy, and Goodwin, the nominee of the popuists, were can wasting the state, each on the down bars principle.
 Whoever would pledge himself to vote
 the democratic ticket might vote for Johnston in the county democratic pri- maries No state primary was prepared Whoever desired to vote for Goodwin might perform his part without question of prior political affinities.
 On May 12 1896 Congressman Goodwin in his capacity as eapdidate for gover- nor, appeared in Birmingham accom- panied by c. B. Deans, chairman of the populist state committee. Deans, by the way was not very long a citizen of Alabama and never had been a demo- crat here. He was son-in-law of a vet eran railroad builder and developer, John w. Lapsley of Shelby county Deans became better known as republican col lector of the port of Mobile, Mckinley appointee.
 tain Johnston to immediate action. By | the ndnu Ol DednS nt SeDl d ltlltl tlO Johnston, as the nominee of the peoples party, endorsed by the republican party" | The gravaman of the letter was, a re-
 hinder to the democratic nominee that state elections in Alabama were liable to perversion of the verdict of the bal lot box 'I am induced, said the letter borne by Deans, ito make these propo- sitions in view of the notorious and prov en election methods that inexcusably and shamefully prevail in Alabama" etc. Captain Goodwin did not calculate so far into the future, but his letter be- came foundation stone of the suffrage proviso of the state constitution of 190l- that is. the end of reconstruction" in Alabama.
 The propositions were: qD That the contesting party committees respectively | should apply to the officers of the pend- | iI1g August elections for permission to name qualified persons for managers and clerks of the polls; @ that the two can
 didates for governor should canvass the state in joint debate.
 The democratic nominee did not see proper to reply to this letter. However, | by accident, there were occasional joint l debates between the two candidate as the campaign was prolonged.
 l The indorsement of the peoples party democrats of the Houston victory of 1874 1 by the republican party mostly negroes 1 in the rank and file, on the one issue of
 free ballots and fair count failed to
 have the desired effect upon voters who yet preserved lively recollection that until the indorsing party came upon the scene no complaint of fraud had ever l disgraced elections in Alabama. l Then came the democratic down bar" policy. Populists who desired to vote the
 
 l car understand. The city of New York l is to be the beneficiary under the will of
 his ait collection. which is valued at 1 about S15.000.000 MT. Altman felt that as
 il was the city of Ney York which gave
 him the opp ,rtunity of earning one of
 the great fortunes of the day it was with 1 justice that he repaid this obligation by
 bequeathing to the city his great col i lection
 A Farmers Boy
 James E. Nichols, whose birthplace was i in New HamI shire, revealed while still
 a farmers boy unusual aptitude for bus
 I ess. That brought him into association
 while very youns man with the wooden 1 mf, ufacturers at Franklin Falls. N. H. i Like so many other New England lads
 who began as clerks m wooden or cotton houses, and who afterward went to Bos- l ton or New York to achieve great ca reers, MT. Nichols was sent py the Frank l lin company to New York to look after his business here Unlike others who
 began their careers in New York as rep
 resentatves of New England manufactur- ing interests, MT. Nichols did not remain
 in such association very long. He turned 1 his attention to the wholesale grocery l business and built up a house whcih car | red or extensive transa ctions In all parts
 of the United States and had business l associations with Paris.
 l His accumula ions were rapid and he 1 became associated with bank, as di- l rector and vice president. which partly | under his leadership has now become one | of the great hanks of New York. But 1 whateS CT MT. Nichols business as asso- l cia tions were, he ressmbled MT Altman | and MT. McCutcheon in his concentration l of mind upon his chief business activity I He did not yield that insistent attention l until the day came when he was able to | pc ss the presidency If the corporation, l with a salary reported to be S0,000 a
 year, to the president of the bank with | Y bich he was associated. This exchange l made the banker the head of one of the | largest wholesale houses in the world l ard as it i5 understood, at double the sal l ary he was receiving as bank president | MT. McCutcheon was diverted from his | retail business only incidentally. He did Il serve as director and vice president of
 a national balk which was located only l a few steps away from his store. He, too, tt rned back 'nto the business year by year a COT siderable portion of the earnings un- til at last he was able to contemplate the
 ownership of the largest store in New York occupied exclusively with the re- taii trade in linen goods.