The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-23
Many New Issues Have Arisen and Old Ones Will Be Worn Threadbare on Stump
EVEN PERSONALITIES
 MAY PLAY A PART
 IN COMING FIGHTS
State, Congressional and County Offices Are to Be Filled at Democratic Pri- mary in May
By l.. s. BETTY

By l.. s. BETTY
 Montgomery, January 22.-(SpeciaL With the bond issue election out o1 the way, candidates soon will begin to assert their claims for state, coun- ty and congressional offices Within the next week or 10 days they will have lined up for battle and then will follow a political campaign equal in spirit and intensity to the recent gu bernatorial fight
 How nearly complete is the list o1 candidates for various offices is not known. Already there have been tive announcements for an important state office since the bond issue election and indications point to a number of en- tries for other offices within the very near future
 For the past few months candidates and would-be candidates have re- strained their eagerness and ardor to join the fray, have waited patiently for the day when the voters of the state should dismiss from their minds all thoughts of. the bond issue ana be able to yield attention to their as pira and claims. And now that that day has come, candidates soon will be falling" over one another to get to them first.
 The campaign promises to be a viz orous one. Probably 1t might not be wrong to say that the campaign prom ises to be bitter, for it must be re- membered that too many issues have been presented before the people with in the past year or more not to give certain aspirants for office an oppor- tunity to challenge the views of other candidates, as well as an opportunity to indulge in great deal of dema- goguery.
 PRESENT OLD ISSUES
 Although the people generally wish to forget the legislature, it is doubt full if they will be allowed to do SC until after the May primary. The people also are willing to dismiss from their thoughts the proposed bond issue. And again probably the majority of the peo- pie would prefer not to have called to their attention the prohibition issue So far as they are concerned, all three are now dead issues and cannot be re- vived for three years.
 But there is hardly a chance that they will be allowed to forget any one of these three issues. In them candi- dlcS Will SeS et SOldSH opPOl tuIilS, oIN they will use it for all it is worth. They will hurl defiance at the opponent who espouses a different cause, and in a short time the campaign will have de- scended to the plane of the usual cam paign.
 Already one candidate has sounded the tocsin of war. He declared, with but one opponent against him, that he would not make his race on the "demerits" of or nra a 1cn ntharS might be. Another candidate, and a later aspirant for the same office, proclaimed that he would wear no other man collar"
 Hence, it would seem that soon every thing will be in excellent shape for a nice, warm campaign. The bond issue will be ridden until it is threadbare. The merits and demerits of the legiSla- ture will be proclaimed to long -suf- ferng people from every stump in Ala bama And the prohibitionists and the local optionists will be held equally re- sponsible for all the evils visited upon the state from the beginning of time.
 LARGE LIST OF CANDIDATES
 Looking at the list of candidates and no political article would be com plete without some mention of these gentlemen-we find an array of as pirants for office of varied talents and ability. These qualities, however, need not be mentioned. Suffice it to say that each and every candidate claims he is the best equipped for the office to which he aspires
 For the office of president of the state public service commission there are three candidates. Sam F. Kennedy, president of the commission, is opposed by Henry F. Merritt of Tuskegee and J. A. Carnley of Elba, both of whom are members of the legislature. MT. Mer- ritt and MT. Carnley announced their candidacy within the past two days.
 President Kennedy Is passing his claims for election principally upon the grounds of experience and efficiency. As is known, he has been with the commission a number Of years, having served on the old commission in the capacity of secretary. He is regarded as one of the most capable men who has ever been at the head of the com mission and his friends claim he should have little difficulty Tn winning HIS present race.
 Both MT. Merritt and Mir. Carnley however, will contest vigorously Pres ident Kennedy's claims for the office and it is expected that the campaign for president of the commission Will be one of the most interesting to be waged at this time.
 FOR APPELLATE COURT
 Another interesting fight will be TOT places on the court of appeals. All three judges of the court are seeking another term of office and they all express confidence that they will De nominated in the May primary. The members of the court are Judge John Pelham, presiding judge; Judge E Perry Thomas and Judge J. B. Brown.
 In addition to these candidates TOT places on the court of appeals there are Chancellor w. w. Whiteside of An niston, Solicitor c. R. Bricken of Lu- verne and Thomas E. Knight of Greens boro. With six candidates in the race the contest promises to be interesting
 Judge Pelham is the presiding judge of the court by reason of seniority having served on the court since the time of its establishment. In training and experience, he is considered one o1 the ablest judges in Alabama and his friends believe he will be nominated for another term.
 Judges Brown and Thomas also are basing their claims for election on the ground that training is just as benefi- cial in judicial position as it is il any other public service and theil l .-s A