The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-19
|GUBERNATORIAL
 ASPRANTS BUSY.
 AS GOSSIP FLIES
Mcdowell, Graves, Davis And Carmichael To
 Make Race
WISEACRES AllALYZE
 THEIR PROSPECTS
Many Believe Winning
 Candidate Is Yet In Background

tion in full swing, the poiltlcal sharp shooters in Birmingham are now spend inx much time. and energy in fly specking'' the Alabamaians whose names are most widely mentioned in connec tion with the 1926 campaign for gov errlor.
 This. it seems certain, will be the favorite indoor sport during the win ter. Most of the damage, if any, is be ing done in the hotel Hobbies, where tht sharpshOoters are wont to congregate daily to swap gossip with leaders from over the state who are constantly dropping in.
 Four names are figuring most prom inently in the gubernatorial talk Lieut.. Gov. Charles Mcdowell, Col Bibb Graves, Archie Carmichael and Atty. Gen. Harwell G. Davis. The political wizards are virtually unani' nouns in the belief that the going would be extremely rough for either of these potential aspirants.
 Most of these observers venture the further assertion that the political ma chine usually referred to as the "Old guard" will not be able to function successfully in 1928. They also predict that the city of Birmingham, at the proper time, will enter candidate whC will have to be seriously reckoned with but they do not profess to know yet who this candidate will be.
 Sentiment Rejected
 The views of these observers are in- they reflect sentiment from almost ev- 0f Alohav An -LaVo d reporter listened in on the lobby con- present the 1924 predictions of the politicians on the 1926 campaign.
 No close observer doubts that Lieu. the race, and that he will start off with here is what the "boys" from over the state say about his chances:
 He must bear the brut of the crititi- cism of the Brandon administration. Certain coal operators, who want the convict lease system continued, are for him. The sheriffs of the state who op- crate under the fee system are ex- pected to support him, as they get fat fees from the, convict lease plan. l.. Seyier, head of the Alabama Manu- lecturers association, who at one time was high official of the Southern railway, is said to be for him, and this causes observers to believe that the railroad hopes, with Mcdowell as gov ernor, to block the Mobile port develop ment, since it might affect freight rates. Mcdowell revealed his opposition ito port development when, as presiding of- fieers of the state senate, he appointed on the port body a majority whose previous records and later acts revealed their opposition to development.
 Fight For Underwood
 The wiseacres further point out that Mcdowell was not originally delegate to the recent democratic national con- vention, and that he had to promise before his appointment that he would ''go down the line with Senator Under wood on his anti-klan fight" They further assert that it will develop in the campaign that the old guard will back Mcdowell as long as he looks like winner, but that when the op- position opens up and reveals his anti labor record, the machine" will leave him. But they want him now, as his ideas confirm to their set program. Moreover, they want to rehabilitate Sen ator Underwood, and believe that the keeping down of opposition to Me Dowell would help to accomplish this
 What of Bibb Graves? According to the observers, he prOfesses to be the Ku Klux Klan candidate, and would also rely largely on his army record. They declare, however that his action when he was adjutant general in or dering the national guardsmen to cut diwn the tents of miners partici- pating in the big Jefferson county strike, will operate against his campaign with telling effect. Since returning from the war, the observers say, Graves has been ''c0urting" for the labor vote. He ran against Governor Brandon on an "Open shop" platform, however, and the labor forces of Jeffer- son, Walker, Etowah and Mobile coun- ties would take out after" him vigOr- ously.
 Next comes Archie Carmichael of Tuscumbia, who is planning to run on lis educational and prohibition records, both of which are admitted to be good. He introduced the first prohibition bill in this state. He is a brilliant lawyer, having represented the Southern rail way for years. It is presumed, the pol itically wise ones say, that if elected, he would find it difficult to keep from perpetuating the railroads policies. Thus, what he would do about the Mobile port development program, is not known. It is declared that he has been against it. Carmichael also is de- clared to be in the good graces of the Alabama Power company.
 Old Speech Reviewed
 As the observers see the situation. a speech made in the legislature years ago by MT. Carmichael would be re- vived and and do him much damages in campaign for governor In this speech he declared, in effect. that "the people haven't sense enough ot rule themselves"
 Attorney General Harwell G. Davis is another vulnerable" candidate, ob- servers agree with a marked unanimity. The announcement that he will make the race came from his own lips dur ing a recent visit to the Magic City. He told his friends here he would run on an "ex-service mans" ticket.
 In Mir. Davis, the political onlookers see a man with brilliant military re- cord and a burning ambition to stay in public office. He was wounded in action in France and is highly re- spectedby ex-service men and the peO- ple generally. But, as candidate for