Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-27
.EX-COV THOMAS G JONES Letter Replying to Criticisms of
 His Recent Speech. HOW HE SUPPORTED MORGAN Gives Some Inside History of Past Campaigns From His Own Pure and Lofty
 Standpoint.
Montgomery. Ala, Feb. 24, 1896.


 Your correspondent from Union Springs, after adjusting the size of my audience there to suit his views, at tempts a quotation as follows:
 Tt was amusing to the friends of Sen ator Morgan to hear Governor Jones say we did not oppose Senator Morgan be- cause we were not so intolerant against one who was for free silver, and let him go back to the senate without opposition. Yet he was the one to stump the state for free silver as our reward So strange did this sound, when it was well known that we did all we could to defeat Mor- gan."
 With high-bred courtesy you say, edi- torialy l was guilty of "cheek," and inn pledly indorse the statement of your cor respondent in the following sentences:
 The statement made at Union Springs recently by a distinguished Alabamian that we permitted Senator Morgan to return to the senate and in return for our kindness he stumps the state in the inter- est of free coinage is cheek for you. Just think of it."
 My language was: Thousands or democrats who like myself, oppose the free and unlimited coinage of silver and warmly support the administration, diff fered widely from Senator Morgan upon both of these important issues, yet the bulk of us who held such opposite views to his were not so intolerant as to oppose Morgan's reelection to the senate, al though that matter was unnecessarily and constantly injected as an issue into our late state campaign to make weight in favor of one of the gubernatorial can didates. We allowed his return unop- posed. These efforts of ours to promote party harmony by ignoring the silver question and keeping 1t out of state is- sues were lately rewarded by the sena- tors stumping the state and thrusting the silver question forward as domi- nant issue to disturb party harmony on the eve of a state campaign No matter what the supporters of the adminiStra- tion and the opponents of free silver do, they cannot get those issues out of the state campaign. If we refrain from dis cussng these questions altogether and support candidates without reference to them, even then we do not get these is- sues out. Our free silver brethren while they urge that free silver has noth- ing to do with the selection of governor yet make the views of one of the cand1- dates, in favor of free silver, controlling reacon for defeating the other candidate, who opposes it. They keep the issue in state politics, whether we discuss it or not, and whether we allow our views on those questions to influence us in voting for party nominees It Is far better, then to have these issues fairly and tem-' perately fought out inside the party In this state primary campaign than to try to Ignore them, and have them crop out after the nomination. After open and fair discussion every good democrat Will abide the will of the majority, and the party will be strengthened instead Of weakened by the discussion. It Is wiser to discuss these issues, under the circum- stances, than it is to try to ignore them The result will be harmony in support of the nominee, though the discussion may not bring harmony regarding s1l- yer"
 Your correspondent well knew to whom the pronoun i've" referred. and if you did not I take pleasure in enlightening YOU by giving the context. No intelll- gent man can doubt that "we' meant the thousands of democrats who differed from Senator Morgan.
 Many months before the election, in an authorized interview in the Atlanta Constitution expressed myself strongly in favor of Senator Morgans return to the senate. notwithstanding his wide di- vergence of views from great portion of the party if he would come to the state and take the stump in support Of the nominees of the democratic state convention. I thought then it would be promotive of party harmony. l was not unmindful of the senator's service in the past, or the great work we expected him to accomplish in the future; and hoped, after reelection, if he tok part in our state campaign, his efforts would be devoted to harmony and the smooth ing of differences. This was my attitude throughout his entire candidacy, and It was well known to him and to his friends.
 It was a fact that there were some members of the legislature who were par tial enough to desire to vote for me for that office, and there was larger num- Der who wished to use the names of Gov ernor Oates, Hon. H. c. Tompkins and Hon. Richard H. Clarke to defeat Sen ator Morgan. All of these gentlemen, as well as myself, consistently refused to become candidates or to allow our names to be used against General Morgan. It was, therefore, strictly and literally true, as said in my speech that we, referring to the democrats who held opposite views "alloWed his return unopposed." He was unopposed in the sense that there was no candidate against him.
 When the legislature met many mem- bers were so persistent in their opposi- ton to Senator Morgan that they again sought a candidate with whom to oppose him, and some of them expressed a pur- pose to vote for me. I declined to per init such use of my name. Being com pelled to go to Mobile on account of the ceremonies in connection with the cruiser Montgomery and hence to be absent from the city when the caucus voted I handed to Hon. s. w. John. one of Sen ator Morgans leaders, letter, which he was requested to read in the caucus, stat ing my attitude and that, under no cir cumstances would 1 consent to the use of my name. The five votes given me in that caucus were cast against my pro- test and without my knowledge or desire. It Is rather poor return from Senator Morgans friends after all this to insinu- ate, as your correspondent does, which you seemingly indorse, that I did what I could to defeat him and had nothing to do with his being returned "unop- posed" If the names of any one of the gentlemen mentioned had been presented with their consent he would ~have had formidable, if not successful, opposition
 However grave in your eyes may be my cffense in temperately discussing before my fellow democrats the issues which di- vide us, and the convictions which impel me to support one of the distinguished candidates in preference to the other, 1t furnishes no justification for misrepre- senting my past political record towards Senator Morgan or imputing insincerity to my utterances regarding it.
 Whe@Aer or not was ever the choice