Birmingham state herald., 1897-06-17
DEMocRArs AND PAIMERITEs.


 The State Herald and it's populte allies
 were very anxious 10 compromise and
 settle political differences so long as the
 outsiders CT bolters were fearing to-
 waris the nominationf and election of
 Joseph F. Johnston, but now, other q m-
 ccrats having bolted. these same c n-
 ciliators don't wart to see the soInd
 money democrats returned to the fold.
 So far as We are epncerEed If we are to
 take our choice between the gold deln-
 oorst bolters and the Kolb bolters, we
 win take the former, hide, hoof and hair. -ruscaioosa Gazette.
 The Gazette mhsinterprets the tSate
 Herald, for it's position has been perfect
 ly consistent on this question. We have often ssfd. and repeat, that any voter regardless of his past political affiliations
 who wishes to join the democratic party
 ard will pledge his honor to support the
 nominees of the paH'ty, should be. allow
 ed to participate in the party primaries,
 provided he oan pass muster by the dem
 oora ts a4 tha1tox which he wishes to vote
 as to whether or not he possesses that
 honor to pledge We have differed from
 the rulings of the state executive com
 mfttee in that party eligibility should be
 passed upon by the democrats of each
 voting precinct instead of by either the SldlG UT COuIl9 6ACNutiN1
 This is pure democracy boiled down and
 is fair, honorable ard right and is calcu- lated to create less friction than any
 other mode of procedure.
 The Gazette is correct in its statement
 that the State Herald was anxious to set
 tie political differences with the boilers
 last year but wrong when it says we favored a compromise of democratic pn1n-
 ciples or would countenance any move
 which would tend to party dislnt grafton.
 It is also right if we are to infer its mean ing to be that the State Herald Is opposed to any compromise with the latter day
 bolters in the presidential contest.
 There was vast difference in the causes leading up to what is known as | the Kolb sbolreand the Palmer bolt. Those democrats who bolted the regular ticket | and voted for Capt. Kolb did so believing | that they had been wrongfully swind-ed | out of their choice of candidates, and re- | fused to affiliate with the other wing or the party in convention assembled, but | held another convention and nominated their own ticket, while on the other hand the Palmerites participated in the con- vention that made the presidential nom nation and after the ticket was named held a counter convention ard put out another ticket. Koib and his followers fought for victory, claiming from every stump that they represented the true and the tried democratic party, while the Palmerites acknowledged they had no hopes of success and their purpose was to weaken the democratic party and thereby strengthen the republican party which embodied their so-called personal democratic principles. Again, the fol- lowers of Kolb, as evidenced by their re- turn to the partly when the invitation was extended, honestly believed they rep
 resented the true democratic principles
 of the fathers, and their action. while ir-
 regular, was brought about by force of circumstances. Therefore they could
 well afford to yield to a settlement of diff ferencess when no principe was involved over which they cared to contest. With the Palmerites principle is involved entirely at variance, With those accepted | by the entire. democratic party. and in
 strict keeping hsfepublicanism. The state democratic executive committee has already ruled that a voter to participate in the party primaries shall not only
 agree to support the nominees but in- dorse the principles enuhciated by the national democratic party, and under this rulingswe cannot see how Palmer ite can be consistent and take part. in these sprimaries. unless he is willing to yield bis petsol1al views to the action of the majority of the party of which he
 claims to be a member.
 Our honest opinion is that 1t is not the purpose or desire eff the Palmerites to take part in the democratic primaries, and they are only playing for time with l the hope. of increasing their forces l by playing on the cr;dulity of dem | ocratss who are willing to sacrifice | their spersonal views and abide the &C., l tion of the majority of their party. This l is clearly demonstrated by the fact that
 the leading Palmeiite paper of the state, I which is supposed to speak for the whole, | has already ysserved notice thatit win not support any ticket or party whose plat | form sustains that adopted at Chicago. Harmony among democrats and Pal merites, in our opinion is preposter- | ous and there is as little hopes of accom- plishing such a feat as to make demo- 1 craf out of Tom Reed.
 The defenders of Speaker Reed argue