Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-01
TALLADEGA.
The Protests of Messrs. Dryer and Castle
 berry Answered.


 To the State Herald
 In yesterdays Montgomery Advertiser
 is published two communications, one
 over the signature of Col. W. B. Castle
 berry and the other over that of E. H.
 Dryer, in which they assert that the ac-
 ton of the executive committee of this
 county in ordering primary to select
 delegates to the county convention IS H.
 legal and undemocratic. It seems to me that statement should not go umhal- lenged.
 To say that the action of the commit tee in calling a primary is illegal be- cause. perchance, it happens that CFrke
 has strength of about 200 out of about 5000 democratic votes in this county, md that therefore, the rights of the minority
 are disregarded, is 1t seems to mel
 most monumental piece of absurdity.
 Reverse the facts and would these Ais
 tingushed gentlemen who esptuse
 Clarke's cause be kicking if their c4ndi-
 date could control 2700 votes out of. 5000?
 Is it illegal and undemocratie Tor a coun-
 ty to elect a solid delegation for candi- date, when such an overwhelming ma jorty of it's citizens are in favor or ms nominatio In what does such illegal ity consist? If either of these two dis tinguished young democrats should hap pen to become the choice of large ma ority of the democratic party of this county for an office within the gift of
 
 legal and undemocratic if each precinct should send solid delegations to the con-
 vention in their interest? Grant that the minority should be represented, still should not that minority be of sufficient force and consequence to have some weight and make itself felt sufficiently, at least, to elect one delegate to repre- sent it? Is a minority so weak as not
 to be able to elect a single delegate to the county convention in d primary cleo a,tit n rnnrpSpntltlOnf contrary, should not the will of the ma iority govern? Is not the majority rule legal and democratic? If the large ma jority of our people are opposed to Clarke and the single gold standard administra- tion of Grover Cleveland, at which shrine MT. Clarke so ardently worships. and if we prefer to support Johnston and his financial views, is that undemocrat- | ic? Is Johnston not a democrat? Don't democrats differ on the money question! | Cannot man be democrat and at the same time be opposed to Cleveland's l gold standard policy, and opposed to the national administration shipping and | tagging to us a governor" from Wash | ington every four years? Can't dem | ocratic voter have his choice between | democratic candidates? If not, there | are largely more undenocratic demo- | crats in this county than otherwise | Johnston and Clarke are both democrats | Clarke representing the latterday gold | standard democracy and Johnston the
 good, old-fashioned Jeffersonian democ- | racy.
 But fortunately, I believe we can all | "get together" so to speak. before the | ides of August. Messrs. Dryer and Cas- | tleberry are true and tried democrats | and there is no doubt they will fall grace | fully into line in time to help give John | ston rousing majority for governor l In the meantime they may quaff some degree of comfort from the fact-that in | several counties Clarke will get the soldi l delegation just as Johnston will in this
 because a majority in those counties are | for him.
 The longest pole knocks the persim- | mon, and. in this county if Clarlk9s poll isn't long enough. Johnston's fs The
 minority has a right to be heard In the primary, along with the majority; but
 when the majority annhilates the mil
 nority, what then? Respectfully. M D. sIyEY.