Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-12
OUR LETTER BOX.
Geneva, Aug. 7, 1896.


Dear Sir: I am not man to be airing
| my opinions in print, but think few ex-
| presSions from the people at this time
| may be desirable as more accurately to
show the drift of public sentiment Now,
| Mr.. Editor, live in far off corner of
| the great state of Alabama, and cannot
| know what the people in other sections
| think. l can only judge by what / see
| in the papers, but think do know what
| the sentiment in this section is and 1t is
| my opinion that very few democrats. will
/ bolt the Chicago platform and ticket [
/ DO not believe that "a sound money" tick
| ct in this county against Bryan would
poll forty votes The sentiment in this
| part of the state Is overwhelmingly for
| free silver. AS for me, will say that
/ do not know whether free silver would be
| curse or blessing. but am sure that
| 1 am no worse off than anyone else in
| that particular. No one knows. But
| there can be no doubt but that sooner or
| later we must make the experiment, so
| why not try it and be done with it? If
| it be curse we surely can make another
| change.
| l am a democrat without any ifs or
| ands or butts or isms, and as / am dems
| ocrat 1 believe that the people should,
| can and have "a right to govern this coun-
| try; that they are the source of all legis-
| lative power, and that they can be trust
| ed to legislate wisely and we'll. l was
| Clarke man, and have always been "a
1 working democrat without desire or
/ thought of reward, and shall stick to my
/ party az the only one which believes in
/ the rule of the masses. If l have beliefs
| not in accord with the party shall work
| inside the ranks as Captain Johnston has
| done.
| The Montgomery Advertiser has been
great hndrance to us in this campaign,
/ and some of the best men in this part OF
4 the state are thoroughly Disguised with
| it. 1t has always contended that a bolter
| is little better than traitor to his party,
To- to- half orr inst
the nominees of the party. For many
| years its word was law to me and thou
| sands of other democrats in this part
| of the state. 1t has done more than any
thing else to bring about the division
| among the people, and because II could
not rule it is trying to get up sound
| money ticket" in the interest of Mckinley
| and trusts That little gathering in Mont
| gomery may be the beginning of great
| movement, but certainly doubt it. And
| the idea of a few bankers and politicians
| getting together and starting new par
| tyi Why, Mr.. Editor, l thought of the
| time when I saw the account in the Ad-
| vertiser Of how we had worked to put
some of those very men in office-and
| just because they were the nominees
| too. And now they are going to bolt the
| party because they don't agree with the
| party in finance. That very meeting
| will bring Bryan many votes Those
| men would find themselves in woeful
| minority if they should go out and dis
| cuss the matter of boiling the ticket with
| the old working democrats. If those men
| want to vote for Mckinley they can do
| so, and it seems to me that that would
| be the honest way to do. They know the
| sound money ticket is to be put out in
| the interest and for the purpose of elect
| ing the St. Louis nominees, then why
| not vote, a straight republican ticket and
| be done with it? l am sure that | am
| vocing the sentiments of thousands of
| working democrats when l say this We
| feel as If our leaders are deserving us
| when we see them doing this thing. AS
| for the populites in this part of the state
| will say that many of them will go in
| the republican party, but large portion
| are apt to return to the party and vote
for Bryan. If we had had the State
| Herald to circulate in this part OF the
state during the last campaign Johnston
would have Jared better, but the Banner
| Advertiser and Montgomery Advertiser
neutralized all our efforts. Yours truly,
| etc, E. +. ELLSBERRf
Birmingham, Ala. Aug. 10, 1896
| To the State Herald
The within notice (sound money demo-
| Gratis will meet at Lakeview to organize)
was handed me this morning by negro
| who had an abundance of them and was
| dropping one or more in the front yards
| in the residence portion of the city. ann
at loss to understand what it means.
| | think every sane man desires sound
/ money" ] know | do, and heap of it.
| There may be differences of opinion as to
| what constitutes sound money among
| men of different political parties, but it Is
| a great mystery to my mind as to who
and what are Sound money" democrats
| who wish to Organize" 1 have been for
| some time hboring under the impression
that the democrats in Alabama are very
much organized. / believe Captain Good
| wyn thinks so since the Sd day of this
present month. If they are not organized
| they have a peculiar way of acting in
| concert. Somehow or some other way
they are mighty host, more terrible than
| an army with banners believe the peo-
| pie. who are the rulers in this state, have.
| as one man, enunciated the proposition
that gold and silver are the coins OF this
| country; that both are sound money
at any rate, sound enough for them ana
| their children; and, being one of the peo-
| pie propose to stay with them and help
to keep up the procession. l have always
been taught that democracy means gov
eminent by the people; form OF govern
| ment in which the supreme power is In
the hands of the people and directly exer-
| eised by them, and that a democrat is
| one who is an adherent or promoter of
| democracy or government by the people.
(See Webster dictionary, page S523 1
| have also been taught that In a demo-
| cratic government majorities rule, ana
that Ininorities who act with majorities
| in conventions and otherwise, and VINO re-
fuse to abide the action or the maJor1tles,
| can bolt and organize as democrats. when
and where will the boiling cease? For no
| large body of men can agree as unit
on any proposition. Suppose that these
| "sound money" democrats had been in
the majority in our late state convention
and had adopted gold standard plat
form. and the bimetallists had done as
they are doing, don't you forget 1t, there
would have been such a howl raised all
over our state as would shame CO.
| manche Indian. The silver men would
have been cussed and discussed at such
a rate that the devil himself would have
been made to blush. And l am afraid
that some of these Sound money" fell
lows were members of our state conven-
ton and voted on The money plank of the
| platform. If this is true how can such
one ask and expect the people to trust
him, because If he does not get just what
he wishes at this Lakeview convention
he may bolt again? This boiling business
is progressive; once begun 1t is hard to