Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-21
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

the call upon those who are 10 parllCl- pate in the primaries.
 We feel it to be our duty once more to suggest that it is outside of the powers of the committee to determine how broad or how narrow shall be the call upon voters. In the absence of any such au- thoAity given to this committee by the convention of 1884, which called 1t into existence, it has no right to name the qualification of electors. On one occa- sion, that is in 1892, a state convention clothed their committee with some such power but never before that and never since that occasion has such power been delegated to the executive committee. The committee has no such inherent power If so. they might, according to the bias of a majority of the members, please themselves and to displease the mass of their party. They might declare for gold basis or a silver basis, for free trade or incidental protection for na- tional school system, or for any other matter about which the people differ And so also, if they were to presume to say what character or class of men should participate in the primaries, they run the danger of ignoring honest differ ences which have divided the democracy in various localities, but which should not preclude any democrat from chang ing his attitude. It seems to us that this question rightly belongs to the county and to the precinct, under the theory of local self-government. This theory should prevail inside of the party, as We of the south have so long contended that 1t should prevail in state matters. For the governor or the legislature, directly or by commission, to administer the affairs of a county is uncomfortable. It runs counter to our most cherished ideas of personal and local independence, and so by analogy and parity of reasoning we contend that the executive committee and the convention of party should not meddle with the local affairs of a county or precinct The precinct is the ca stle of the democracy, and 1t is from that stronghold that the yeomen go forth to align themselves under the ban ner of their king. That castle must be respected. The winds may blow through it and the storms may beat into it, but the king and all his army dare not pass its portals. That was the Anglo-SaXon law, and that is the unwritten law of the democratic party. Let the call be as broad and comprehensive as the liberties we would establish. Let it be as liberal as the fundamental principles which Jeff ferson planted and Jackson nurtured! The democrats of each county and each precinct know their neighbors and know yvh to ft1G democrats who voted for MT. Cleveland have no fear that they can be overborne at the primaries by those democrats who followed Kolb in 1892 and refused to fol- low him In 1894.
 But while there is no danger that the admission of those old democrats would create dissension or engender corruption, there Is grave danger of defeat all along the lines unless we extend to them the olive branch of peace and good will defeat not only of the state ticket, but defeat also of candidates for congress and defeat of county officers, who are brought into immediate and close con tact with the affairs of the people. The 10000 democrats and more who voted for MT. Cleveland and who did not vote for Governor Oates will in all probability hold the balance of power in the coming state election. Are those men to be class ed with the enemies of the party because, like Achilles, they retired in disgust to their tents? Their arms are as strong and their hearts are as loyal as ever, Does any sane man imagine that the democracy will ostracize those of Ken lucky who refused to vote for Hardin, or those who refused to vote for Camp bell in Ohio, or those who sat still in Lowndes win the day? Much as action of the gold men in Ken lucky and much as the gold men may deplore the action of the silver men or silver men, cannot afford to be in- tolerant to those who have broken awAy from us because of financial grievances or minor differences of opinion.
 It Is the duty of the executive commit tee to bring all democrats together if possible. It is not a question of John ston or of Clarke. It is a question how best to win the next battle. The contest before us will be fierce. We will need every man we can muster. It is the fool who places reliance in fraud. Behind the returns stands the possibility of the next congress and president being in the hands of the enemy. We must face that possibility. It is not a remote danger but present, urgent and highly probable. It can be met only by an honest, open and fair election, and to secure such an elec- tion the democratic party needs the twenty odd thousand men who voted for President Cleveland in 1892. and who declined to vote for Governor Oates in the election of 1894 These men did not join the enemy. They have never voted anything but what they held to be the democratic ticket. Let us welcome them honestly, cordially and Loyalty and lock our shields with theirs as we advance once more upon the com mon enemy. >
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