Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-07-23
OUR LETTER BOX.
No communications will. be published I'M
der this head unless signed by the author
Editor.
THE STRENGTH OF FACTIONS.

To the State Herald
l venture to call your attention to the
following extract from a recent number
OF Hon. Thomas Z. Watson's paper, the
people party paper or Atlanta:
IN the breaking up of the pscp.e's
parry, which Mr.. Butlar has done 50 much
TO brlng about, many other olo-time re-
pulLicans Will be found doing just what
Cunning did. If we cannot arrest the
falling 10 pieces of our party, those who
were once democrats Will be democrats
again, and those who were republicans
VIII be republicans again. Fusion is dis
solving populism back into its original
clements.
The democratic convention of Alabama
OF 1890 contained a very large majority
of delegates utterly opposed to the course
of the Montgomery Advertiser and OPP
posed to the nomination of the Adver-
Users candidate for givernor, Hon.
Thomas G.. Jones. The extent of this
opposition may be inferred from the fact
that Jones had less than fifty votes en-
the first ballot, whereas Koib, who rep
resented directly the anti-Advertiser eie-
ment, received 236 votes on the first ba'-
lot Besides this evidence it is we'll
known and never deried that Johnston,
Crook and Richardson were supported in
the convention by the agricultural peop'e
mostly and that there wsre perhaps 100
delegates who voted for them with Kolb
in mind as second choice.
What is the situation now? The Adj
vertiser element is for the single gold
standard and for bank monopoly of cur
rency; the BaltzeCl-Crowe populists have
dropped the silver issue and thus these
two factors that entered the democra tic
convention of $780, the one support .ng
Jones and the other Kolb, are to all
political ends now united in supporting
the republicans.
1t is manifest that the opposition to
Johnston will consist of the Jones con-
tingent of 1890, of the populists who went
to Nashville early in this month and of
the republicans. 1t is thus made plain
that the bulk of the supporters of Kolb
in the convention of 1890 and tbs bulk of
the supporters Of Johnston. Crook and
Richardson in that convention have at
last come together on democratic ancient
doctrines to the support and reelection
of Johnston. Johnston is fulfilling the
sanguine expectations of his friends of
1890 His administration is not sur
passed in firmness and wisdom.
Under these circumstances the cpposi-
ton is out upon the field to the full length
of its tether. Why not unite the white
men? it exclaims through the columns Of
its press, the Huntsville Mercury, the
Advertiser, the Monitor etc. How shall
the present discord be sileneed? Easily
enough" they say, all at once. Let
the primary be suspended; let the beats
send delegates after the old slip-shod
fs shion to tbs county convention. The
wires will be laid and worked by ex-
perts, controlling the whole process Of
dscapitating Johnston.
Now there is only one gold ard silver
party in this state. There is only one
metallic money party here. The repub-
leans are stacking all the gold, silver
and greenbacks in the treasury. They
have now s13O.000,000 gold, $4,000, 600
greenbacks and about $4,000, 900 silver
and silver bullion stored there This
makes. say, 1870. 100000 legal tender kept
cut of the way of the bank currency to
come just as soon as the republicans and
the Clevelandites get control. The Nash
vile populists are for greenbacks alone.