The age-herald., 1898-02-17
THE POLITICAL SITUATION
Is Beginning to Wax Exceed
 IyWarm.
 an s. ALL EYES ARE NOW TURNED 'a=s fsi eesE 75-t On the Meeting of the County Executive Com mittee Next Saturdsy-The Populist
 Conference Being Watched.

The political situation is getting hot. The meeting of the state executive com mittee in Montgomery on Tuesday was, of course, of a great deal of interest throughout the state, and the meeting of the county executive committee on next Saturday will serve to keep the pot boiling locally.
 The called meeting of the populists of Jefferson county to be he'd is also attract ing a great deal of attention, even from other states. What plan of action the pops will adopt will be very interesting news to all other southern states as well as Alabama. and foreign newspapers have been notifying their correspondents to watch it carefully
 In the meantime the same question of "convention or no convention" is being discussed and with as much variety of opinion as ever. Below are given two views the subject, one of a silverite and the other of gold bug.
 ''The county executive committee of the democratic .paI'ty " said Peyton e. Bow man to an Age-Herald reporter yesterday, should undoubtedly give us a half-and- half mixture of primary and convention at its meeting next Saturday. That is, pri- mary for county officers and a convention for legislators and delegates to the state convention.
 '"The state executive committee at its meeting yesterday did perfectly right in throwing down the bars and inviting all who would agree to support the democratic nominees to enter regardless of past po- lftical differences. But this does not mean that we are to give up our fight for silver. We should send six silver men to the leg1s- lature and the only sure way to do it is to nominate them by a convention. There may be no instance in the next legisia- ture where the money question will come up but we want to be prepared If by any accident an opportunity should arise. The fight. for silver must be emphasized in every democratic primary and election from now until 1900"
 1T am heartily in favor of straight prl- mary for the nomination of all county Of ficers, including the legislators, said MT. We'll "A primary Is the only fair way for the people to vote and a convention is seldom satisfactory. If the silver men desire that only silver men go to the leg islature, why don't they have little eau GUS, so to speak, and agree on six good men? This would be practically the same as a convention, and yet leave the peo- ple to vote for whom they chose
 "There is a great deal of talk now being indulged in about the gold men in the democratic party putting out candidates for the legislature. and by a solid vote electing them. So far as I am concerned and so far as have heard from other gold men, there will positively be no such at tempt as this made. None of us expect any office and we will do nothing more than vote in the primaries for the silver candidates of our choice.
 From my point of view it makes very little difference whether the officers elect ed this summer are silver or gold men, anyhow. The only. manner in which the currency question could come up in the legislature wiuld be in the election of United States senator, which will not be the case next winter. Personally, snail most certainly participate in the primaries and I have already determined on several silver candidates whom I wish for the different offices. A strong candidate al- ways wants primary; a weak one, con- venton."