The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-12-05
Republicans in Alabama
the Editor of The Age-Herald:

tnlng to do with politics in Alabama 1, and will help bring the state into notice and then Alabama will have something te do with national affairs.
 l hope that the republican party in Ala.
 pama will be managed on high pinne and that one idea will be kept before the voters, and that is to get votes, and sincerely believe if all the federal ap pointments are given to men who realize the necessity and want two political par ties in Alabama, that in two years from
 now we will elect a republican gover.
 nor in this great state, and then Alabama
 will be on the political map and both
 parties will be seeking the votes of our ivoters.
 ! ] was in number of the counties in this state during the last campaign, ana find the people are very anxious fCr two political parties, even though there seems to be combined agreement of the Incwspapers and politicians in Alabama to Keep the people ignorant and uniformed on the public questions, but there is a 7 strong independent feeling among the vot- iers which will exert itself if there is a 'chance to do something. You can hardly find an intelligent voter in Alabama but what will tell you that we need two po- ! iitical parties, and that we will never receive anything from the national gov ernment until we have two parties, but | they are afraid to venture. Many voters told me that they would vote for me if l they thought 1t would do any good, but | that there were not any hopes for Ala
 bamaa to be anything except a democratic I state,, and that they wanted to stay in l good standing with their party.
 Let's start right now to work for the l future of Alabanla let's get some good, strong man or woman to run for gover- inor and let's invite all voters who want 1 to see our great state break away from | w a Let's try something new and if it is not | the best we can return to the old way. l Our state government has not done for us what it should have done; our taxes have been increased; licenses have been levied until it seems that they are un- l bearable, and when we search the books to see where we have been bnefitd from | the extortionate taxes we are compelled i to acknowledge that the common people are not getting any more from the gov ernment than they did several years ago, when their taxes were about one-fourtn l IS much as they are today.
 1 The legislature of 1919 passed law re- 1 quiring the governor to appoint com | mission of six men whose duty it was to 1 investigate the schools and school sys- l tenn, and to report back to the governor Iby July 1, 1919. The governor appointed | Sydney J. Bowie, who acted as char- l m2n;sJ. F. Dunaway, A. H. Carmichael, lR Fl, McCaslin, George Fl. Lanier ano l w. E. Dickson, who acted as associate | members; there was appropriated for l this investigation $10,000 I wish every voter in Alabama would listen to what | they say and remember that there IS l not a. single republican on the commit I tee They reported: And yet the record shows that in the year 1919, 54 years I after the Civil war, the percentage or l lilliteracy among our white population IS | greater than it was in 1S60;" again on page 10. table 6, of this report we find 1 com parisons of the money given to the I white schools. quote two countles shares: Every white child in Clehurne l county received in 1919 s4.32;l in Lowndes l county each child received s33 3.9l.p on | the same page and in table 8 l read l ..Tbe total number of white illiterates m 1 Cleburne county, from 10 to 20 years or age. is 429, and total number in Lowndes is ii <" Now, is it not time for the voters | in Alabama to stop and ask themselves, l What is the trouble and who IS to blame?" l The above report needs no comment from. me, but I will say that education of cur children is one of the most important questions that could come | before our state, and if, with all our l wealth and the progress we have maoe e in other, ways the democratic party has made such a miserable Failure 1 with our school system. voter, don't you think it Is time for change! 1 Will you let your prejudice make you vote a democratic ticket when far and impartial committee which was l appointed by the governor, and wnlcn was under oath, say that the white l people in Alabama are growing more lienorant and that our constitution In Alabama is not as fair for educatioh | as the one made for us by carpetbag- I gers in 1888? I think conditions are at least worth making an investiga- tion.
 Republicans, we must have a strong
 republican daily paper in this state
 there Is too much at stake for the
 people not to be able to hear both
 sides. The democratic papers have failed to keep the people posted they have not warned the people about the
 school system--in fact, they have only \ asked. "Is it best for the politicians?'
 And if it was, they would print the
 news. but if it was not they would not
 print it.
 suggest that we devise some means
 to get a clean and strong republican
 daily newspaper started. We nave
 over 10000 voters to start with. and | if there had been a state campaign in Alabama we would have over 100000.
 received over 77,00o votes; Senator
 Harding. over 74,000, and the state
 ticket. over 64,0o0. My vote being the |I largest can only be accounted for, be-
 cause I went out and worked ana
 made a fight for the party. Tn Chil- ton county we have a splendid news paper, the Union Banner. The repuo-
 licans' majority in this county was over 1900. Tn Dekalb county there Is
 republican newspaper and we re-
 ceived a majority of 1,200. In Shelby
 county there is a republican newspa- per. and our majority was over 900 Does 1t not pay to have a newspaper! | I wish we had good republican newspaper in every county in the state, but we must not stop until we have a state daily newspaper.
 Just a. few words about federal ap- pointments: I hope republicans VII be appointed to every place, but in l sist that only those should be recom' mended who will help to build up tht republican party, and I hope all ap' pointments will be made on the rec ommendation of the regular organiza tions of the state and counties. hopt sPresid ent- -elect Harding will aid us II building up republican party in thi: state and that nothing will stop tns
 movement that has begun.
 When I entered the race for United
 States senator, I knew I did not have a chance to win, but l was anxious to
 See how the people stood on building up a party, and I find they are ready
 and will the leaders do their part?
 Again thanking the voters. am, yours very truly, l.. H. REYNOLDS.
 Clanton, November 30, 1920.
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