The daily critic., 1890-06-02
SITUATION IN ALABAMA.


Speaking Of the campaign just closed
in Alabama, the esteemed Post said in
its edition Of Sunday.
Mr. Kolb, the gentleman whom the Al
lance politicians wished nominated for
Governor, Is the present Commissioner OF
Agriculture uf the state. III has alWayg
been a Democrat, and there was nothing
urged against his personal character. The
contest developed into a question as TO
whether the Alliance was strong enough 70
dictate nomination after IL had decided
on candidate. The Democratic papers Of
the state made a vigorous campaign
against Mr.. k0lh, holding that IL would
forever ruin the party If a secret political
organization were allowed 10 utilize Il for
class purposes. On these lines the fight
Was Waged, and the straight-out Democ
racy won.
II our respected contemporary will
permit ms, we beg to suggest that this
Is an erroneous statement Of the case.
Dir. kolb did not appear as exclusively
The Alliance candidate Il Is true, he
was backed by Alliance men nearly
everywhere, but il was within the
Democratic party primaries and strictly
as a party man. Furthermore, there
ras something urged against his per
sonal character There was, in fact,
very much urged against il. Finding
that they could make no headway
against the popular uprising in Kolb's
favor by a slraight-out tight on the Al
lance, the old machine organs Of the
State, led by the Montgomery Idosr-
hseF, began a systematic assault upon
Mr. kolb's private character as
sault which for bitterness and violence,
was never surpassed In the darkest days
Of the reconstruction period when
scalaWags and carpet baggers only we're
the targets
Nor was this q campaign made by
the Democratic papers. as the P0a
asserts. 1t was made by some Demo
cratic papers, bat not by a majority Of
them on the contrary, a majority Of
the Democratic papers IN the state
were friendly 10 Kolb and they we're
headed by the Birmingham Ays-
Herald, which has altogether the
largest circulation and the widest Ia
duenee of any paper in the State We
are aware thai there has been q stu
dious effort 10 create the impression
abroad that the dght was by the Ala
hama Democracy against an organized
antagonist but This Is NOT true The
tight was within tie party lines aud
vas ia fact a revolt against The old
machine Tie Old managers the OLD
ideas ana ID great extent the old
methods
What DIE Pes calls Tie straighl-out
Democracy Won bat it was narrow
squeak Tn strictly Democratic con
veHti0H d more tbaa i've hundred dele
gates kolb held about tw0 hundred aud
forty votes from beginning 10 end au1
it Was only by using tle machine whip
merciiess aud combining an the aut.-
k5l1 forces au one man tLat this victory
Was sualched gut 81 Tie Gre Norris the
victory duaI Il auy sense Two years
hence there WiH Be another GubeTa8-
todal eampaig - and theu tie movement
n0W represented by hglb 8ill 1e iu
force again. There is IitlIe chance that
DE Alliance men VIII lose their anfhu
=iasm meanwhile. either C8I3uel Jones.
Die pr- eHt nominee whilst De Is gen
tlemau 81 nigh character ana aaiver
ally respected aud esteemed has far
years been identified with lae Louisville
aud Nashville Railroad as lls chief q
a9lley f7r Al49auas ana that ciE1gu