The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-10

t-'AiitA'SoSSos d NCNCA all Ol tue Ouloh ATiIlyf
 wearing the blue, marched down Penn
 sylvania avenue side by side, denoting to the cheering throngs the established fact of a reunited country
 SERVICES FOR COMRADES l During his service in Congress he
 voted for the bill to locate and mark the graves of Confederate soldiers who died in northern prisons, or were buried in the north; he actively supported all claims for loss of property during the war; he voted for the resolution to re- turn to the several states all Confederat to flags and banners in the possession of the federal government, and for the measure providing for the compilation of the rosters of the Union and Confeder- ate armies. The welfare of his comrades in arms was ever dear to his hear. He died a great American, loyal to his re- united country, but he never forgot the i hardships and the suffering of his com radeS with whom he fought so valiantly for the flag that only lives in history. After the Civil war. Captain Bankhead returned to his home and resumed life on the farm. Although at the time he
 was in his early twenties. he was elected member of the Alabama house of rep resentatives for the session of 1S65-1S66 from Marion county. He was a member of the state senate from the Twelfth
 Senatorial district in the general as- sembly of 1S76-1ST, during which time he voted for Gen. John T. Morgan to be- come a senator in the Congress from Alabama. Thirty years later he succeeded Senator Morgan to that post of honor. In 1880 he again served in the house of Representatives of the Alabama general assembly, this time from the county of Lamar. which he had helped to create. His service in both branches of the general assembly brought Captain Bank
 head into public attention as man of more than ordinary ability. This fact.
 coupled with his humane character, prompted Gov. R. w. Cobb to appoint him warden of the state penitentiary. During his four years service as head of the penal system of the state many changes for the betterment of the prs oners were affected. He recommended other reforms since adopted, including reformatory training schools for youth full delinquents.
 "On Septemb Der 8. 1886, at Fayette Court. house, Captain Bankhead was nomi- mated for Congress by the democratic convention of the Sixth Congressional district of Alabama, and elected to- the office in November of that year, serving continuously from March 4, 1887, to March f. 1907, a period of 20 years For many years he was a member of the commission on public buildings and grounds and chairman of that committee during the period of democratic control It was during his chairmanship that she Congressional library at Washington was completed. For his own state he was instrumental in securing federal appro- priations for a number of public build ings. After March 4, 1897, he became a member of the committee on rivers and harbors and during his entire congress sional service, both in the House ana Senate, always took a prominent part in legislation to promote navigation. In recognition of his interest in the subject he was appointed. in 1907. member of the national waterways commission. Through his efforts the Warrior river in Alabama has been made navigable from the great coal and iron fields, where it rises, to Mobile bays Realizing the value of deep sea shipping to the port of Mobile, he worked unceasingly for the deepening of that harbor, and for in- provements and benefits to navigation of the adjacent waterways. Early recogniz- ing the advantage and economy of water power he devoted much labor to the enactment of water power bill and the development of the immense water power energy at Muscle Shoals on the Tennessee river. one of the great and successful results of his public career. During his fatal illness the water power law, recently passed, was In conrerence,
 cCh
 leagues concerning legislation of any character was message of his concern about certain features of that measure
 WORK FOR GOOD ROADS
 "He was always an earnest advocate of effective transportation methods and a pioneer in the promotion of good roads. He was one of the organizers and for many years president of the Alabama Good Roads association and from it's or po r,i1 Dp to 10 of his death president of the United States Good Roads association, one of the largest and most influential organ izations of it's kind. He stood in the forefront of the men who in the last two decades pressed unceasingly for national aid toward the construction of great system of highways throughout the country. His speeches in the Senate 13 years ago were among the first in sup port of federal aid for postroads, since an adopted policy of the government He was undaunted by the criticisms of his opponents and went steadily on to his objective and secured an appropriation of $5Oo.000 for experimentation and dem- onstration. He had driven the entering wedge and the sentiment of the country approved his action. Subsequently his bill was adopted for an appropriation of s75, 900 900 for postroads, later increased to s200 DOG, 900, to be expended in cooper ation with the several states of the union His earnest and unceasing efforts in the end accomplished great public work, for which grateful friends have justly made acknowledgement by naming a great transcontnental highway in his honor The Bankhead highway, begin ming at Washington, D. C., and ending at San Diego, Cal, is a just recogni- tion by the public of the achievements wrought by John Hollis Bankhead on behalf of good roads throughout the na- tion.
 '.In a primary election, held August N 1906. in a contest with six other aspirants, Senator Bankhead was nominated by the democratic party of the state of Ala bama to succeed to the first vacancy that might occur in the position of United States senator from Alabama On the death of the venerable and dis tiuguished Senator John T. Morgan, on June IS, 1907, he was formally elected by the state legislature In 1911 he was re- elected by the people for a full term, to expire March f. 1919. Again he was reelected and was serving his thr- teenth year in the Senate when death called him Altogether his period of service in Congress was nearly B years.
 s.In the Senate he was member of the postoffIce and postroads committee and for seven years the chairman, and at the time of his death chairman of the joint commission on postal salaries. He was for sometime a member of the Ag- ricuture committee and later of the commerce committee.
 "He was a man who never ceased to grow in mental power and capacity to serve, each new responsibility that came to him he successfully mastered He a,,.a T ,,,;+1. oradit in hffneelf and his state