The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-27

against the republican organization
was surcharged with the spirit of re-
form and the rank and file could never
again tolerate standpatism. With Col
onel Roosevelt they had sworn VEN
geance, and any one who had friend
ly word for Mr.. Taft was a traitor to
the cause of social justice.
Roosevelt hoped to be elected Presi-
dent in 1912, but if he failed in that
ambition the next best thing was to
help elect Mr.. Wilson.
There had been landslides before,
but never such landslide as that
which seated the democratic candidate
in the executive chair. Mr.. Taft car
ried only two small states with four
electoral votes each and Roosevelt
himself carried only six states. VIII
sons electoral vote was 339, being 10
more than he needed.
Would it be possible for any party
to defeat the democrats in 1916!
Hardly, was the opinion among demo-
cratic leaders, assuming, of course,
that the Wilson administration would
fulfill the promises made for it. But
the republican reactionaries "came
back" with a whoop and the colonel
with them.
The party which Roosevelt loathed,
or said he did, is as aggressive
as it ever was. Such is politics.
Taft, Root, Barnes, Penrose, Crane
and the other standpatters have been
indicated insofar as the republican
body is concerned. It's Christening re-
formed the party machine not whit.
The colonel is now working for the
election of Mr.. Hughes and the ques-
ton is, Will the reactionaries be VIM
dictated at the polls on the 7th OF
November, or will the independent
voters rise in their might and aid the
democrats in re-electing Mr.. Wilson,
who has done more for the country
in three and half years than any
republican administration ever ac-
complished In a score of years?
There should be no question about
it, but the public is proverbially tickle
and very often ungrateful.
7NHE republicans never lack for the
u "sinews of war" in a presl-
Dental year, and they sometimes have
money to burn" even if they do not
burn it. This is one of the years, how
ever, when the fl
Straw Votes and nance committee
the Solid South has for emergency
use a huge slush
fund; perhaps the largest raised since
1896. There are number of doubt
full states and in these most Of the
cash will be used.
Campaign Chairman Wilcox IS
wasting neither time nor money on
states known to be unquestionably for
Hughes or unquestionably for Wilson.
He started out with dreams of carry
ing certain of the southern states Tor
Hughes, but he soon got over such
illusions.
But the Hughes alliance, in which
women have an active part, an
nounces that the "solid south" is
breaking away from Wilson. This
information is obtained from straw
votes taken by means of coupons in
monthly and weekly publications.
According to the New York Sun, Of
ficials of the alliance were impressed
by the fact "that fully one-third OF the
new enrollments came from the south
ern states" A half dozen states were
mentioned, but Alabama was not one
of them. Texas is said to have en-
rolled more names in the alliance than
almost any other state in the union.
Straw votes registered in good faith
are interesting and sometimes show
the drift of the campaign; but often
the straws signify nothing.
The Hughes alliance, in its canvass
of magazine coupons, is evidently not
doing much in the way of scrutiny.
When any campaign organization
gives out reports to the effect that
the south is swinging against the
democratic ticket it is simply fooling
ill-informed people.
NNTILL the Jackson highway route
wv between Nashville and New
Orleans be located through Alabama,
via Birmingham, Montgomery and
Mobile, or through Mississippi, via
Florence and Meridian? That question
will be consid-
Renewed Interest in cred by t h e
the Jackson Highway board of direc-