The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-30
STATE CAMPA|GN| IS REMARKABLY QUIET | AS DAY DRAWS NEAR Little Ginger Now Apparent
 in Fight for Utilities
 Head
 INTEREST, HOWEVER,
 IS STILL VERY KEEN Candidates for Judicial Places Have Been Conducting Campaigns in Quiet and Dignified Manner
Rx LEON q. BRADLEY

The present state campaign bids fair to go down in the political history of Ala bama as one of the quietest ever con- ducted. With only 10 days remaining be- fore the results are settled by the voters at the polls, no one of the various races for state office has caused any great excitement on the part of the electors. The contests for president of the Ala bama public service commission, and for the three places on the court of appeals, have attracted the greatest attention of the state races.
 Henry P. Merritt of Tuskegee, Sam P. Kennedy of Anniston and J. A. Carnley of Elba are the opposing contestants for the head of the public service commits sion. Due to the vastly increased powers of this office, it is now a close second to the governorship, @ fact which ap- parently is slow in being appreciated by the voters. Both MT. Merritt and Mir. Kennedy, the present head of the com. mission. have conducted very active cam. paigns. MT. Carnley, who stirred up things for sometime with his charges against his two opponents, has been rather inactive for the past several weeks. The charges of MT. Carnley probably had greater effect on Borden Burr and Charles E. Rice, whose names were brought into the Carnley statements incidentally, than they did on either of his two opponents.
 INTEREST IN JEFFERSON
 In no part of the state has this race attracted greater attention than in Jeff ferson county. The action of the Mer- chants and Manufacturers association in indorsing the candidacy of Mr. Merritt on the ground that he would be a friend of the shippers served to draw public at tention to the contest. Stress was laid on the fact that since the shippers had no appeal from the decision of the commis- sion, a right which the railroads enjoyed, 1t was important that no one aligned with the railroads should be selected.
 Probably the best stroke made for Mer- ritt in the state was the acceptance by Murray Brown, general manager of Good all-Brown company, of the position of state manager The activity of Henry T. DeBardeleben, president of the DeBarde leben Coal company, as his county man ager, has also served to greatly boost the stock of MT. Merritt in this section of the state.
 MT. DeBardeleben and Murray Brown have been very active i'll their work for Merritt, and to their efforts is due in large degree the support his candidacy Is receiving from the merchants and manu- lecturers in this section of the state.
 MT. Kennedy is also making an active race, and has been practically all over the state. He has based his claims for election on his experience his knowledge of rates and his service for several years as secretary of the commission. Matt Murphy, a popular attorney, is his man. ager in Jefferson county.
 Mr.. Carnley, accompanied by Kyle Price, created quite stir in the contest for sometime, but he has been more or less inactive recently. Whether he will resume his speaking tours during the next few days is not known.
 COURT OF APPEALS RACE
 The race for court of appeals, to which three men are to be selected, has been very interesting fight in which there were six candidates. Judge John Pel- ham, the presiding judge, who has been a member of the court since it was cre- ated, is considered as certain of elec- ton. While he was unable, on account of court being in session, to engage in the active campaign until recently, his friends over the state assure him that his interests have been well taken care.
 Judge Thomas F.. Knight of Greensboro is another very active contestant for the