Birmingham state herald., 1896-04-08
THE ISSUE IN A NUT SHE'LL.

understands the political situation of Alabama that the first and foremost question before the people at present is not so much what may be the character of our currency as who will be the most available candidate for governor. If the democratic party should lose the August election no one can foretell the evils that would result to Alabama from republi- can rule. A fusion of popuists and re- publicans means, of course, republican rule and republican rule means, of course, negro rule. There is no escape from negro rule except by the nomina- ton of a candidate who can be fairly elected by the people. There have been fusionists in Louisiana and lily-white. re- publicans, who hoped to escape contarni- nation from the negro hordes. but the lily whites have been compelled in every instance to bow to the negro legions who dominate the republican camp.
 The defeat of democracy in Alabama in August means republican domination It means negro domination Unless the election Is fairlyseonducted, and our nom inee for governor shows bona fide ma jority of the votes as cast, we will find negro domination fixed upon us by con gressonal interference, unless the result of the presidential and congressional election is very different from what is now expected.
 If any one wishes to know what re- publican domination means he has only to look back to the days of 1872, when Herndon of Mobile was defeated for gov ernor, and when the republicans by the aid of congress took possession of the Alabama legislature. The first act pass ed by them was to levy a tax of per cent upon the property of Alabamians. Such a tax at that time was almost con- fscation.. The people were hanging on the ragged edge of the business collapse which came soon after, and which swept away tens of millions of our-property. Fortunately, by a compromise, under which there was an adjustment of the claims of the rival legislatures, this act passed out of existence. But the fact re- meains that had the republican legisla- ture felt sure of it's position that tax would have been levied and a vast sum | of money, far in excess of our necessary | expenses, would have been collected | from tax-ridden people and expended | by lot of irresponsible and impecunious officeholders elected by negroes.
 No citizen who has any property or pride would be willing to incur again such danger as that threatened in 1872. but we will surely incur that and graver | dangers involving the business and peace of every section of the state, unless we nominate for governor on Saturday next man who can be elected in Au- | gust,
 Captain Johnston can be elected in Au- fo;r rlx will | tens of thousands of the old Jeffersonian democrats back to the fold We need | these votes and it is very evident that Mir Clarke cannot get them Will our l gold standard friends let barren ideali- | ty stand between them and the peace and prosperity of the state? We speak | of their peculiar currency views as a bar ren ideality because it is evident that the commercial nations must very soon return to the free and equal coinage of | gold and silver and that every intelligent man will demand that the laws, whether | by international agreement or by separate action, shall keep the metals at parity l There is no difference between the gold | men and the silver men on this question, | except that the gold men say the parity | cannot be preserved and the silver men I Say IIidl II Cdl bt picSclNcu oiiu oAiOdio | be tried. If the trial should prove that the parity cannot be preserved and that we are drifting to silver monometallism we surely have the statesmen who would | call halt
 | We say then that the question of cur rency is nothing to be compared to the | question of white government in Ala bama We have lived and prospered un- der every kind of currency. No people
 prospered more than we when we had a
 paper currency from 1865 to 1879 and
 when both silver and gold were in retire@ ment But we cannot live under republi-
 can domination in Alabama, for that domination means negro rule with every thing 1t implies.
 To nominate MT. Clarke, we fear, is to | surrender Alabama to the enemy. To | nominate Mr. Johnston is to secure a certain victory, which cannot be snatch
 ed from us by presidential or congress
 sional interference after March 4, 1897. | WILL NOT INDORSE IT,
 Since 1893 1t has been we'll known in