Evening star., 1936-04-10
PROGRESS PASSES
ALABAMA CAPITAL
MorehouSe Expects to See
Confederate Flag Flying
in Montgomery.
BY WARD MOREHOITSE.


MONTGOMERY, Ala, April 10
(NA.NA).-The capital city of the
Alabamans is laid out haphazardly.
No primness of design. Streets go
this way and that. It's an old town
and here you find cobblestones and
tradition. They're taking up the cob
blestones along with the trolley tracks,
but tradition remains. There's an
indefinable something about Mont
gomery that renders it remote, that
leaves it seemingly untouched by
present-day progress.
Like, say, Charleston, S. c. AS I
strolled Dexter avenue toward the
great capitol. cleaning in the warm
Alabama sun, I half expected to hear
the faint refrain of Dixie" and to see
the flag of the Confederacy Tapping
from the hilltop.
Montgomery is a wet, wet town in
State were legal liquor lost by some
5000 votes. Liquor Is sold every
wherein some hotels, in restaurants,
In bars. The big hotels, however,
haven't kept pace with the hotels of
Georgia. Montgomery, even with all
its lack of restraint in liquor sales, is
not nearly so wide open as Augusta or
Savannah.
State Personally Wet.
Alabama explained Grover c.
Hall, editor of the Montgomery Adver-
tiser, "is politically wet If we can just
get the people of the State to 60 out
and vote. The State needs the rev.
enue. Favorable action by the present
Legislature on a referendum would put
it up to the voters again next month u
Mr.. Hall said that he could stand al
the Advertiser Building and hit II
bars with rock. Another cCmmenta-
tor on Alabama's illegal wetness-a
State Senator this time-told me that
Alabama is politically dry but per-
sonally wet" And he said that this
statement just about summed up his
own feelings in the matter.
Editor Hall, who won the Pulitzer
award in 1927 for his editorial cam.
paign against the Klu Klux Klan, ther
raging in Alabama and the South
said that if America can be sure o.
anything, it is that Alabama will con
tinue its support of the Democratic
President and party.
Alabama" he said, ''is just auto
matically Democratic, and 1886 hasn'
much political significance down here
We have a Governor-and we thinl
he's a good Governor-who is hear
and soul with the administration
I'm talking about Bibb Graves. He'
now in his sixth year in Office. Servet
one full four-year term and, after th'
constitutional interval is back at tn
capitol for his second four years
Eight years of Col. Graves. That's un
precedented in Alabama"
Governor in Lair.
You follow Dexter avenue, uphill
and you're at the Capitol, rambling
revered structure. Countless wings
high-ceilinged marble halls. great
stairways, marble rotunda and Stat'
legislators in broad-brimmed hats al
over the place Down corridor, tt
the left, and you find Bibb Graves
Southern gentleman and overseas
colonel, in his lair.
Alabama's Governor proved de-
parture from the routine. He's a
friendly, garrulous, kindly man of g.
colorful, colloQuial and tousled. He
has bark and bite when he has tc
have
He speaks with a great drawl, his
eyes twinkle, his face crinkles and ne
wears black laced shoes. He chuckles
leans forward ingratiatingly as he
talks and chews tobacco constantly
He is something you might once have
encountered in a Winchell Smith play
or you could meet him today in an
Alabama crossroads store. He doesn't
look the Yale man, which he is. He
never even suggests the A. E. F
colonel, which he was. But the finest
Southern stock classification is evel
apparent. Gov. Graves great, broae
desk is hopelessly Uttered. In the two
years remaining of his term he'll nevel
quite get around to it. He likes to q
to New York. He calls Alabama
garden spot, and as he indicates th'
portrait of Mrs. Graves on his desk n
says, Nov, there's the real Governo
of the state of Alabama
Democratic Party Omnipotent.
ANY chance, Governor" I asked
"of the people of Alabama turning
against the President and the Demo
cratic party?"
His face crinkled "The Democratic
party in the great State of Alabama,
he said, "is omnipotent. Alabama ha.
been Democratic since the days o.
reconstruction and hope that it vii
always be. AS far as Alabama i!
concerned, the 1886 election is al
over now"
He leaned forward and went or
conf1dentially: There are some kids
who won't play the game of tag unless
they can be st Well, President Roose-
welt has been it since he's been ir
Office and that makes lot of people
mad. That's the way try to run this
State. As long as I'm Governor, I'm
Governor. They might call be bull.
headed sometimes, but they can't say
I'm crook or a knave. If they want
to say wanted always to be st. well
that's all Highland so did
Bibb Graves Is the man for the
Democrats to see if they become dis
couraged. He is all confidence. He
predicts a national victory, but not
rs great a victory as in 1882.