The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-07
Texas Laughs In Sleeue Ouer. Honor Paid To FWomanhood'
Voters Comforted By Dilemma Of Klan Or Fer
 guson Rule, Says Political Expert


 the piffle that has drifted out of Texas ing which I have been more or less, in terested in reading and making news papers, the most gorgeous brand IS tha, relating to Ma" Ferguson, who barring sfzse unheard of somersault, will be the next governor, or goveFness, as your fancy elects, of this state.
 This amiable lady certainly has been a boon to space writers and penny-a' liners during the dog days of summer that is very close kin to that old fash toned hot place in the matter of tenn perature. And what they have told nbout her in "the public prints" is just about as amazing as, the fact that Texas has had. the double distinction oi choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. It To hear these bright young men tell it, if, they happen to, be bright young men, Texas has. osSse the high wide and handsome thing by woman in being the first state in this grand and glorious union to wrap up female in, such honor. It is told that "Ma" Ferguson to be the first woman governor, will guide this grand old state through the wilderness and out into the open where the. sun shines brightest +. ,..
 It is to laugh.
 "M'' Ferguson will have just about as much influence on the destinies of Texas. and guiding the ship of state as a butterfly in Timbuctoo. Ma" hap. pens to be the wife of Jim Ferguson and there are those who have found out that Jim is just about as astute as they make 'em.
 No Notion of Running.
 To begin with, Ma" had no more notion of running for governor than she has genius for running this state until the courts ruled that her husband was ineligible for office due to the fact that he had been ,impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, or something like that. Those. who opposed Fergu- son thought they had him this time when they kept his name off the dem- ocratic ticket in the primary election But they reckoned without Jim, who like Fuzzy Wuzzy is generally shamming when he's dead. That is just about the time they had Jim ready for the political cooling board he dem onstrated that he was neither dead nor sleeping.
 As a matter of fact, and facts are stubborn and strange things, there are whole lot of people in this state who still believe Jim got rather raw deal when he was busted from office. To be exact, there are just few more than 146,O00 of them, and they proceeded to go to the polls and vote for Ma" when she took a place on the ticket and ran for "vindication". for Jim. and the name of Ferguson. Her candidacy was jJim's answer to the court which said he was ineligible.
 Result of Primary Law.
 Texas has a primary election law. It was designed to balk the rotten con- vention fixer and was hailed as the handwork of 6 political Moses who was to lead the state out of the convention wilderness. Remember there are. two parties in Texas: The democratic party that always grabs the state of flces and the republican party that usually dispenses the federal plums. A republican has no sort of chance to get near a state office and democrat does not often have a chance to get near a federal appointment in Texas. So the division, while not exactly even, has been fairly satisfactory to the ''ins." It would be mighty hard to find a dis ''in." So long as they remain ''ins" they may be counted on with certainty to be happy. At least few of them are sufficiently un- happy to resign.
 Having written the Terrell election law into the statutes, Texas started in to forget the log-rolling of the old con- vention days. But it was not long be- fore it was discovered that the chief requisite for a state office in Texas was q long purse and tough hide. Only a rhinoceros could enjoy a campaign f for a state office in Texas. As the but tough rhino is barred, like Jim Ferguson, from running for office in this state nobody has had much fun out of the mud slinging campaigns. But the lust for office has brought forth martyrs every pop and there has been no dearth of burnt offerings who, when the campaigns were over were well slimed by the mud that was squirted at them.
 Some Net Results
 The net result is that the class of in this state has been de- termined more by the depth of the epidermis than by his depth of learning and those finer sensibilities that are supposed to be an asset in public place, theoretically at least.
 Another result is that there are al- ways enough of those who rush in where angels fear to tread to make it a mortal ;cinch that a respectable minor ity block has place in the run-off grabbed before the field gets away from the barrier B..
 It is the law that the two high linen" settle the matter in a run-off and the voters have to take what they get. In the instance under discussion, there were two outstanding issues:
 First. Was Texas ready to drive into the Invisible empire and be gov erned by governor behind a bed sheet, and
 Second: Was the immortal name of Ferguson to be carried down the cor riders of time with smirch on it's 
 There were other candidates--lots of them-but they did not bask under the glare of the fry cross and they did not have the appeal for "vindication." Fer guson, himself denied a place on the ticket madA a SneciOus annaaI for