Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-21
\ HOUSING RECEPTION Given Captain Johnston in Mont
 gomery Last Night. THE THEATER WAS PACKED Col. John D. Roquemore, Sound Money
 Democrat, Introduced Him. THE ADVERTISER WAS MENTIONED Captain Johnston Gave the Old Lady Some Bitter Pills to Swallow and His
 Friends Few Nuts to
 Crack
THE ADVERTISER WAS MENTIONED

entHtSOIuely, Y cO Gu.-NoPONiai'i HA more splendid audience than that which greeted Captain Johnston here tonight was never assembled in Alabama The big theater was crowded with men rep resenting every trade, profession and business, even the peanut galleries be- ing occupied by interested listeners. The big audience was thoroughly re- sponsve throughout the two hours speech. Captain Johnston was in good trim. and the result of it all was that the meeting was big Johnston winning. Col. John D. Roquemore leading at torney here, vice-president of the Johnston club, and, by the way, sound money democrat, introduced the speaker as a veteran democrat who had endured the tolls of many a conflict, and who had never been known to turn ms nack oid Id the enemy. Colonel Roquemore sald Captain Johnston had been bold leader fin Alabama democracy for tWenty-fVe years and that his fealty had been tired in the fiery furnace.
 The audience greeted the appearance of the speaker with enormous and pro longed applause. Captain Johnston com menced by saying that Run out of Jef- ferson, driven out of Dallas, he had hed 10 Montgomery as an Asafat of protec- tion and those present would naturally understand that he appreciated the cor dial reception accorded him." He sald he was not making any personal sacrl- fees in becoming a candidate; that he just simply wanted the job and was going to have it. He said he had not o9ta1ned the consent of the queen of England, the sultan of Turkey, the khedive of Egypt, but was running as a free white demo- crat. He said he would set his dlstln- guished opponent good example Dy say ing nothing unkind about nun. lie c. salu MT Clarke had mentioned in his speeches several objections to his candidacy, but had omitted the most important part that he was going to be nominated. lie said Mr. Clarke had charged him with being a chronic officeseeker but as matter of fact he had never been can didate but for one office and had twice asked for that. He said he had com menced to work and vote in 1861 when he was 17 years old; that Confederate sol diers were entitled to vote regardless of age or qualification, and that his hrst vote was for Jefferson Davis
 He told the audience of how, when the Fourth district had been despaired of by the democracy, it had been redeemed, he being at the time at the head of the dis trict executive committee. He said, speaking of his being chronic office seeker that he had never drawn dollar from the public treasury, whereas his worthy opponent had commenced run ming for office before he had any beard, and had been in the same business ever w GOO from the public treasury Referring to the Advertisers echo of the cry that he sought too much after office. he re- minded the audience that the editor of that paper had for many years been pub lie printer, then secretary of state, and was now postmaster of Montgomery, all fat offices and was even now candidate for congress from this district. He said another charge in MT. Clarkes- indict ment of him was that he had written 2500 letters to democrats throughout Ala bama. He acknowledged he had written twice that many. He said the fact was, he liked to write to democrats. He said that when he had held public office as long as MT. Clarke had he would guarantee to pass the bottle and not reach out after two bottles. He denied the charge that he had attacked the administration. That he considered that MT. Cleveland's first message had mot been in accord with the national democratic platform and that he had ex- pressed his. dissent. That he knew 1t was not in accord with the interpretation the Advertiser, MT. Clarke himself and all other democrats in Alabama had placed on it before the people of Ala bama. He said that equality and free dom were the foundation stones of de- mocracy. and that he accorded to every democrat the right to an opinion on mat ters relating to the party's welfare. He said that when the democracy placed him on a platform next year he would either stand by every word of it or he would decline the nomination. He said he had Differed with the president, but he had never told General Pettus or any one else at the national convention in Chi cago, or anywhere else. that "Mr. Cleve- land was d--d mugwump, and no demo- crat." He said he had not growled when Cleveland appointed Gresham a lifelong republican, to the chief position in his cabinet-that he believed he could have found good democrat for the place. He made considerable sport of MT. Clarkes protestations about being a candidate on principle. He said that principles were everlasting, that men changed, but prin- ciples never, but that which was true a thousand years ago would be true a thousand years hence.
 He asked if MT. Clarke was fighting for principle now what was he fighting for in 1892; that he was a free silver ad- vocate then. He reminded the audience hr, Ar tIa rlrn hod laid