Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-27
IF WILL BE JOHNSTON.

commanded to sacrafice himself upon the altar of the single gold standard in Ala bama, it became evident that in order to rehabilitate the democratic party in this state Captain Johnston was the man to place at the head of the ticket This fact was patent to every observant politician and man of affairs in the state. In the face of this then patent fact the Advertiser, backed by a cabal of rule or ruin politicians, commanded the blue eyed boy of destiny" to come forth and be slaughtered. In obedience to that de- mand he came forth. Going up to Wash ington and planting himself somewhere near the spot where he had been convert ed, he fired his announcement at the peo- pie of Alabama.
 From that day until this 1t has grown more and more evident every day that Captain Johnston was the choice of the democrats of Alabama to bear the colorS of the party on to a glorious victory in August. They had already concluded that he was the man to fill up the shat tered ranks of the once united party, and, as was to have been expected, Clarke s announcement fell flat.
 Every device known to the skillful worker up of interest and enthusiasm has been resorted to in the hope of in jecting some life into Clarke's cam paign, but all to no effect. It happened that Morgan county, a county very close in 1892 as between Oates and Johnston, but located In section of the state in which it was known that Captain John ston was very strong, acted earlier than any of the other counties in the state The idea occurred to the Clarke contin- gent to concentrate their entire forces Tn that county. and by all means to hold the strength developed there by Oates, and if possible, capture the county. In the event of success they hoped 1t would instill hope and life into the Clarke cam paign. Had they succeeded In holding the strength of Oates there they would have cried out in thunder tones that Clarke would surely win. He has dem onstrated that he Is as strong as Oates by carrying half of Morgan. Had he captured the county they would have deadened the ear drums of the populace in yelling that Johnston was not in it. Having made a miserable failure, they resort to the disgraceful method of howl ing fraud in the hope of diverting atten- tion from the fact actually demonstrated by the result in Morgan county, which was that the people have resolved to nominate Joe Johnston as the man to bear the party colors and pile up an old time democratic majority in August.
 Clarke had no chance from the begin ming to secure the nomination, and the conduct of the Advertiser toward the democrats of Morgan, which Clarke evi- dently indorses and winks at-for he has had ample opportunity to repudiate it. has placed him where he will not only meet defeat, but he will encounter the most overwhelming defeat that has ever yet fallen to the lot of candidate for the gubernatorial nomination in Ala bama.
 TWo-thirds of the democrats of this state were in favor of allowing Captain Johnston to be nominated without oppo- sition, and just about that number are now firmly resolved to vote against a the determined effort of the Advertiser to prepare the way to "Kentuckyize' Ala bama. MT. Clarke would have made a far better race but for the fact that he has had to carry the Advertiser, which in this instance will prove a very large mill stone about his neck
 Gormanism Is dead in Maryland, Brice- ism has gone down in Ohio, and Adver- tiserism in Alabama lacks only sixteen days of being too dead to ever be resur- rected. Johnston will be nominated by an overwhelming majority and for his fail ure to make even a respectable race MT. Clarke will have only the paper that forced him into the race to blame.