Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-04
EDITORS LETTER BOX.
Mir. Lawson Writes Again.

To the State Herald:
 Montgomery, March 3-In the year 1874
 Hon. Wallace w. Screws, the proprietor
 and editor of the Montgomery Advertiser,
 who has since grown gray in the service
 of the democratic party, with heart
 burning within him with love for Ala
 bama and his people, made a pilgrimage
 to north Alabama to get suitable man
 to consent to lead the white people
 against the horde of republicans that had
 fastened their fangs upon our beloved
 state. He did not seek secessionist, nor
 any who had led the Confederate armies
 or followed the Confederate flag, but a
 union man. Hon. George s. Houston of
 Limestone, as being the best fitted to
 lead the democratic party.
 Two years before, in 1872, the demo-
 crats nominated for governor seces- sionist and an ex-Confederate soldier, Hon. Thomas H. Herndon of Mobile, one of the purest men in public life in Ala
 bama, but he, with the ticket, went down in defeat.
 ty in Alabama at the present time is not similar to it's condition in 1874 it only lacks two years and the nomination of Hon. R. H. Clarke of Mobile this year. In the year 1898 we will see the Hon. Wallace w. Screws the editor of the Montgomery Advertiser, a sound money, Cleveland democrat, with a heart burn Ing within him with love for Alabama and his people, making another pilgrim age to north Alabama to get the consent ef~some suitable person to lead the dem ocratic party against the populite-repub- lican party. He will not seek a sound money, Cleveland democrat, but some despised free silver, anti-Cleveland dem ocrat, to lead the democratic party as the despised union man was sought out in 1874.
 The black belt sound money democrats rl.s foresee this condition of the party in 1898 with MT. Clarke as the nominee this year and intend to avoid 1t and save Major Screws from making that humiliating pilgrimage by the nomination of Captain Johnston this year.
 A crisis is upon us and relief must be had. The black belt cannot be expected to give the majority next August as in past elections, and the loss to the party in this section must be made up in the white counties, and to this end looking and working are found those democrats S who have borne the heat and burdens of the party, upon whose shoulders has rested the responsibility of democra tic victory for the past twenty years and the future success of the party in this, sec tion. They want division of the respon- Sibility and they expect to get it by the
 nomination of a man who can increase the democratic vote in the white counties. They want harmony in the party and recognize that to maintain our organiza- tion and succeed in the elections this war upon democrats must cease, and the best feasible way to put an end to 1t is to de- feat those who make it.
 If the national democratic convention should adopt sound money platform the best thing that could be done for the na- tional ticket would be the nomination and election of Captain Johnston. It
 would insure the electoral vote of Ala bama for the national democratic ticket
 In any aspect in which this question can be presented he is the logical candidate for the democratic party to nominate. w H LAWSON