The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-16
CEREMON|ALS ID 7 ATTEND CHANGES
 |NSTATE OFFICE
Four Will Qualify for Terms at Capital Monday-Two Will Take 0aths as Appellate
 JudgesA One for Utilities
By FRED IT. GORMLEY Bureau, The Age-Herald 221-2 First National Rank ISuildiug

ny rA>AAA Ah- UOAhnhLGA
 Montgomery, Bureau The Age-Herald
 221-2 First National Bank Building
 Montgomery, January 15.-(Special)- Four oaths- of office will be taken in the state capitol Monday, but in the begin ming of the new terms citizens of Ala bama will see only two new faces. The changes will result from the quadrennlal election of November 2, though the se aections were made by the democratic party in it's primary of May 13.
 The only new faces will be of A. c. Patterson, well-known merchant of All bany who will become president of the Alabama public service commission as the successor of Sam P. Kennedy of An niston, who has served since 1915. and Fudge B. M. Miller of Camden, whose reputation was established as judge cf the Fourth circuit, and who will take tfe oath as associate justice of the Ala bama supreme court. succeeding Judge J. B. Brown of Cullman.
 Oaths will be administered to Judge glenry P. Merritt, who will succeed him. self as member of the court of 'ap peals, and John H. Wallace, Jr. who Twill begin his fourth elective term as Lead of the state department of conser- Nation, formerly the state game and fish department.
 
 No unusual ceremony has been planned flor the induction of the new officials. They will go to the capitol, take the oath 1o support the constitution, swear thai they have not issued nor accepted a chal- lenge to a duel and begin their ternA. Each department affected will hold Its private reception in honor of the new official.
 Mir. Patterson has been elected for term of four years and will have asso- ciated with him $. F. Gaillard of Mobile and B. H. Cooper of Birmingham, whose aerms will run until 1923, they having been reelected for four years in the election of 1918 Mr. Patterson led the state ticket iE4 the last primary, having received more votes than his two oppo- rents combined. He has informed his friends that he will move to Montgom- cry and will give his entire time to the office.
 fight in the democratic primary having won the nomination in three-cornered contest for the two positions which be- gin next Monday. Judge Miller is one of the odese circuit judges, in point .s service, in Alabama and had establishes d reputation throughout Alabama be- tause of his positive stand in favor Of law enforcement He presided at the famous trial of David D. Overton, for ,ner circuit clerk of Madison county, who was sentence1 to death for the murder Of w. T. Lawler, probate judge of Mad ison county, sut who was killed after he had escaped from the Jefferson county 1al
 MERRITT IS VETERAN
 Judge Merritt is not new in Alabama public life. He was speaker of the house i.f representative in 1919 and leader of athe administration forces in many mat | hers of. legislation He had served sev- tral years as a member of the legisla- ,ture, most of the time as representative of Macon county He varied his career just once, having been elected member of the state senate from Macon and Bull lock counties for the term beginning in 1911.
 Judge Merritt was appointed mcm- Der of the court of appeals by Governor kilby shortly after the regular session of the legislature ended in 1919, succeed- ing Judge J. B. Brown, promoted to as- sociate justice of the supreme court He too, won the full unexpired term of Judge Brown in a three-cornered contest Judge Merritt's term. is for only two years and he will enter the primary again next year for a full term of six years. His two associates on the court of appeals will also be in the race if they desipe to remain on the court all terms expiring at the same time in January, 1923.
 Mr. Wallace, who will take another oath as state conservation commissioner. is the oldest official at the head of an executive department of the state gov ernment and the oldest lman in point of service at the head of a conservation de- partment in the United States. He IS elso the only conservation commissioner in the nation elected by the people, sall others being appointed by the governors. He has devoted his time almost exclu- svely since 1896 in a campaign for the protection of birds, fish and fur-bearing i. { animals, and started the movement in Alabama with the introduction of pro tective bill in the legislature while member from Madison county.
 GAME LAW PAYS
 The game and fish protection law was enacted in 1907 and he became the head of the department. No appropriation was made and no salaries were drawn by himself and assistants until sufficient funds had been placed in the game ana 6ish protection fund as result of the efforts of th. department. Between the date of the establishment of the depart ment and December 1, 1920, the net reVe- hue to the credit of the fund climbed to t9f,76z73. The legislature of 1919 enlarged the de- pertinent so as to provide for protection of fish, oysters, shrimp. fur-bearing ami mals and other natural resources which have passed to private ownership. In addition to the work in Alabama, the conservation commissioner has assisted other states in the writing of their pro- tective laws and has addressed practi- cally all state legislatures of the south in the interest of game and fish protec- tion Mr. Wallace is now urging the passage of bill by Congress extending Federal support to the protection of nat ural resources and creating head uI a department for this purpose, the off st cial to be member of the Presidents cabinet. One of the important works of the de- partment is the publication of the bird 6ay book annually, which is used in the nublic schools on one day each year. | which is dedicated to the memory of uohn James Audubon. the naturalist, and Suring which the pupils study birds. fish and game.
 BRAND TO FORM, MINISTRY 1