Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-15
TT Is ESTOPPED.


created by a refusal of some Of the men,
bers of that committee elected at Chi
cago to support the democratic nomi-
nees, the Mckinley organ at Montgomery
has the following to say:
"Why this difference between the
methods of the Bryan leaders in New
York and in Alabama? If it is good
policy to drive out the old-fashioned
democrats in New York, why shouldn't
their sort here in Alabama be kicked
out, too?"
We would like to know if the McI<in-
ley organ thinks it proper and right for a
member of the national democratic eX-
ecutive committee who declines to sup
port the nominees of the democratic par
ty to attempt to remain on the commit
tee? If that is the proper and manly
way TO do in the Advertisers estimation
why did it indorse the course of Hon.
Thomas II. Clarke when he, like the
manly man that he is promptly resign
ed his membership on the state demo-
cratic executive committee upon con-
Guiding to bolt the party?
If any member of the national demo-
cratic committee has resolved not to
support the party nominees he will if he
1
and that every man should have, prompt
ly resign, and unless he does so the COM
mittee should promptly take him off.
Such taking off would by no means be
kicking any "old-fashioned democrat
out of the party either. When man
deliberately takes himself out of the
party by boiling its nominees and setting
to work to defeat them it is by no means
manly to be bowling that he has been
kicked out by anybody but himself.
On the same subject and with reference
to the men who have bolted the party the
Advertiser says:
"Why, on the contrary, when they as
sert their conscientious views in a digni-
fled way, should they be pursued with
maledictions? Evidently it is to restrain
and hroWbeat Others"
Now. we have it. The Advertiser ask
ing the question why should men who
bolt the democratic party not be COM
plimented by democrats for doing so
rather than reproached for it?
To properly appreciate this the reader
must call to mind the curses, excavations,
imprecations, denunciations and anathe-
mas the Advertiser showered upon the
head of Kolb and the men who followed
him away from the party in 1892 -Four
years ago we had a very large bolt from
the party. They were men who asserted
their conscientious views in dignified
way" and nothing was too hard for the
Advertiser to say of them. Today we
have men boiling the same party, and
with them the Advertiser, and that pa
per, in the face of the record it has made,
has the monumental cheek to stand up
and say we should be complimented rath-
err than criticised.
Was the Advertiser engaged and has it
been engaged in the "browbeating" bus
mess since 1892 down to the date Of it's
recent bolt? 1t wanted honest men to
be required to sign written pledges last
spring, evidently because of the knowl-
edge of its own insincerity, and having
abused men in the past for doing what it
is now guilty of itself, 1t comes up and in
Inmates that honest critics of its present
course are engaged in an effort to brow
beat" If the Advertiser was engaged in
abusing and villifying the honest farmers
of Alabama who went off after Kolb with
the intention of "browbeating" others,
that is no reason that honest men and
newspapers who now, in the discharge
of their duty as democrats, criticise 1t
and its following for boiling the party
are attempting to "browbeat." Not by
any means.
In closing its remarks on the subject
the Advertiser says:
"rhe New York plan Is the more manly
and respectable"
Let's see what right the Mckinley Or
gan has to be suggesting to Alabama
democrats a course for them to pursue,
which, according to that organ is man
ly and respectable" Here is a newspa
per appealing to men to bolt the demo-
cratic party, proclaiming that the OBJ
ject of the bolt is to preserve the true
principles of democracy, when one of the
main-if not the main-leader in the
movement, General Bragg, says:
"The third ticket Is, in my estimation,
the surest way to assure the election of
Mckinley and Hobart, and we are work.
ing to thar end"
If the Mckinley organ proposes to slig-
gest a manly and respectable" course
for democrats to pursue 1t had best first
get back into the democratic party and
act manly and respectable itself; until
then it is estopped. 1t Is not performing
manly and respectable" now; it is not
a democratic newspaper. and is therefore
estopped from making suggestions to
&c