Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-08
BRER RABBIT STRIKES THE TAR
 RARY

Is Colonel Hodgson a two-faced man? Does he shoot off the silver bazoo for the State and the gold razoo for the Register At least this is what some folks say.-Tus- kaloosa Gazette. Brer Rabbit wasn't such a simpleton as folks thought he was when he 'laid low and said nuthin' "-Age- Her ald. Colonel Hodgson has had no connec- ton with the Register since September 1893. During the entire time he was editor Of the Register that journal was for free silver coinage at the established ratio. It was only after he left it that the Register arrived by it's zigzag steps to its present anomalous position.-Daily State, May 5, 1885,
 'Brer Rabbit laid low and said nuth- in" for long time, but one day the tar baby made him mad and 'he up and hit it." Naturally enough his paw stuck and he hit out with the other one, then kicked with both feet and finally tried the William goat plan with his head But the tar baby had him stuck fast, and the rest of the neighborhood enjoyed the circus very much.
 And now, Brer Rabbit Hodgson has run right up against tar baby, and he will have to do some lively explaining before he can get loose. The esteemed Mobile Register is so valuable record of State history, that in some newspaper offices it is kept on file. It is full of inter- esting matter, and filled with lauda- ble desire to settle this razoo-bazoQ dis cussion the Age Herald armed itself with the editorial scissors and took a dive into history. September, 1893. was the time given editorially by the Daily State as the date from which the esteemed Register and Colonel Hodgson began to go sepa> rate ways. Incidentally. it may be re- marked that Capt. Joseph F. Johnston is not responsible for that paragraph; he is not the editor Of the State. His only connection with the paper is to put up his voice in praise of it's circulation, merit. etc. Therefore. Colonel Hodgson is the man who wrote it. But We digress. The editorial brain moved slowly; not so the editorial scissors, and in remarkably short time the Age-Herald had accumu- lated a lot of clippings which, in view Of the fact that Colonel Hpdgson did not sever his connection with the Register until September 1893, are good, fat nig- gers to find in a wood pile, to say the least of them. We quote the following:
 Tho 16 to 1 silver men at Chicago are as a class opposed to the Democratic party. They are opposed absolutely to the Demo- cratic platform. They are also opposed to the Republican platform-they are flocking by themselves upon lonely rock marked '16 to l." and they fly flag that says in effect: "The government must support the mine owners" They will not find the sen timent of the country as much interested in their business as they are.-Mobile Reg ister, August 3, 1893.
 Ex-Congressman Pearce of Tennessee arose in the 16 to 1 convention at Chicago and cried out, 'I am here as a Democrat!' It was not necessary for him to jump on MT. Cleveland in order to prove that his initiatory declaration was erroneous He was not there as Democrat. A Democrat would not have been there; and further Democrat would at this particular juncture have had the good sense to keep his mouth shut, especially concerning MT. Cleveland. We shall hear from Mr. Cleveland next week and shall see that Pearce's statement that he, Cleveland. "misrepresents the Democracy is as false as his declaration that he, Pearce, was at Chicago Dem- ocrat. Mobile Register August l, 1893.
 We quite agree with the Montgomery Journal in it's remarks on this subject that ''the increase in the coinage ratio between silver and gold would make all dollars of equal and intrinsic purchasing and debt paying power and fulfill the platform pledge of the Democratic party."-Mobile Register. July 9, 1893.
 So soon as the silver men begin to admit that arbitrary ratio like 16 to 1 cannot longer be maintained, there is hope that they will come, in time, to a full under- standing of the wise words of the Chicago platform.-Moble Register, August Il, 1885
 There's nothing zig-zag about that. The Register seems to have stood perfectly fiat-footed on the finan- cial question, and, being Democratic, held and continues to hold the interest of the people as paramount to the claims of tho silver monometallistS. If it's condition is anomalous" now when it opposes the chameleon views of its quondam editor. why was it not anomalous" then, when, perched upon the tripod, the re- | spected colonel promulgated as official the editorial sentiments above quoted? Make out a case of Razoo vs. Bazoo and | find out which is the colonel It would seem that he is a sort of cross between | the two.
 The Age-Herald is not impeaching the | wisdom of these editorials On the con- trary, it pronounces them sound Demo- | cratic doctrine and commends Colonel | Hodgson for having written them. What | it does deprecate. is that the genial col | onel having left the home of his youth and come to a new, thriving town to grow up with the country, should have | turned a three-cornered flip-flop and | fallen to the level of the editor of silver monometallist paper.
 Come back to the Democratic party, | Colonel. The utterances above quoted
 showed that your profession of faith was l all right, and if force of circumstances
 made you wobble little, own up and climb the Democratic platform and all
 will be forgiven you. There's room
 enough for you, and if anybody in the | crowd complains of detecting the odor of l tar we will not tell on yOu or even inti- | mate that there was ever time when