Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-02

l
 | Jasper and MT. Morris of Geneva. res | olution was passed making gible to | participate in the primaries all citizens | who agree to support the nominees ana | indorse the principles of the democratic | party, regardless of past party affil a.
 tions. The Fist day of January, 1S96 was l a red letter day for the democracy of this
 state. A day long to be reme mbered in 1 it's annals as sacred because of the eSten- | sion of the olive branch to brothers who l had become estranged. This is a great
 and solemn truth that cannot be refu.ed. | We rejoice. not because of the well-de-
 served defeat of the cuckoos and blue
 eyed destiny Dick" the unsuitable and
 voracious officeseeker but because of our
 enfranchisement from the accursed
 shackles with which the Ran | dolph wing of the party had | fettered us. We are again free,
 in body and mind, ready to sing a | re Deum and shout to our wandering
 brethren; Come home, brothers, come
 homer-Blount County News-Dispatch.
 The state committee sought, in it's wis | dom, tosbring back to the party men who | had been driven from it by the commit l tee by proscriptive methods in former years. It hoped, and had r.ght to hope, | that it's conservatism would enable the l nominees of the democratic state con- i vention to come down to the black coun-
 ties with majority of white voters in | the white counties and that the black l belt would not have to be such great | factor in preserving white supremacy in | this state. The effort made by certain 1 indiScreet or malignant newspapers, With malice aforethought, to neutraliZe the ef- | feet of the committees action is crime | against the party, crime against good | government and an outrage made only l tolerable by the exigencies of the occa- l sion. For newspaper under the pre- | tense of serving the party to appeal to | county committees in the very face of | the action of the state committee, to have
 printed affidavits to which voters must | subscribe before they can vote In the pri- | maries, in the presence of witnesses, is
 disloyalty that invites defeat in Au- l gust. There is method in the madness | of such a proposition. It is to rule or | ruin. While no committee true to the party and loyal to its purposes would
 follow such ruinous advice, yet the prop | osition will be read to the people every | where by the opposition to democracy
 in this state, the most dangerous of op- position, and will not only neutraliZe
 good effects tended by the state commit
 tee, but destroy it, and cause the loss of
 thousands of voters unless repudiated | by the state eommittee.-Montgom
 Journal.
 In supporting Captain Johnston's
 claims for the office of governor the Ga- zette does not mean war upon MT. Clarke | or the principles he represents. Two | years ago. we supported Governor oates,
 but had no abuse for Captain Johnston. l This is a contest within party lines, and | should be so conducted. Governor Oates
 in his campaign said he would not be a | candidate for second term, but would
 be an aspirant to the senate. Governor
 Oates has adhered to his declared pur- | pose, notwithstanding the pressure
 brought upon him by the so-called sound
 money wing of the party to relinquish
 that purpose. Since adhering to his
 avowed purpose, the people-the demo-
 cratic people-have turned their eyes to
 Captain Johnston as his successor. Dem-
 ocrats have right to differ upon ques- | tion that cuts no figure in state cam | paign. MT. Clarke is indorsed by the
 single gold standard men in part. and
 Captain Johnston is bimetallist-for | both metals-silver equal to gold. But
 this is question to be settled by federal
 and not by state, legislation. It should | cut no figure in the state campaign. The | question can only be effected by the leg | slature through the election of senator | to succeed MT. Pugh. Then what diff ference does 1t make whether MT. Clarke | is for gold, or Captain Johnston for gold l and silver? This cry about opposition | to a democratic president and demo-
 cratic administration is all bosh. Cap | tain Johnston disagreed with MT. Cleve-
 land as to his financial policy, and so ex-
 pressed himself, as he had perfect right | to do; but this does not signify that ne | has relinuuiShed one jot or little of his | democracy or fealty to the party. He IS | the same unterrified democrat that he | was when leading it's forces in the cam-
 paigns of the past, when Captain Kolb | was manipulating the ballot boxes ana
 the party was rolling up its hundred | thousand and over. The people want Captain Johnston for governor, ana are | going to have him.-Mountain City Ga- l zette.
 To one who knows anything about the | situation in Jefferson county the parade
 that is made about MT. Clarke flinging l down the gauntlet to Captain Johnston | in Jefferson looks like mere buster. Neil | ther MT. Clarke nor his friends in Jeffer-
 son have any idea of carrying Jefferson | county for their candidate. They put on
 a bold front, and hope in that way to dis | courage Captain Johnston's friends in
 other portions of the state; but this orag- | gadocio business won't win. After three ] days work they got 120 men to sign | Clarke club list. There are over 5000 | white democrats in Birmingham. Many | of the strongest administration men in l Jefferson county are for Captain John | ston straight out. He Is warmly support
 ed by such prominent administration | men as Hon. A. G. Smith, Hon. James
 E. Webb. Hon. E. K. Campbell. Hon: r. Tillman, Esq, Hon. S. D. Weakley, Hon.
 son. Esq, William A. Walker, Esq. Hon. Charles c. Brown, Hon. H. l.. Under
 wood. Tn Dallas county Captain John | ston has the support of such leading ad- | ministration men as Hon. J. c. Compton | Ex-State Senator William P. Armstrong | president of the City National bank; | Gen. R. M. Nelson, president of the Com
 mercial bank. These gentlemen are l known all over the state. They believe that Captain Johnston is the man to har-
 monize on for the good of the party. and | they are right. He Is the man to carry | more votes for our party than any other l in the state. None of these prominent l men agree with Captain Johnston in his financial views, but they recognize in | him a good democrat, true man and | one who will make a wise. faithful and