The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-26
PARTY DISPUTES
AND RUpTURES

To the Editor of the Age-Herald:
Alabama is the native soil of democracy;
jealous uncaleulating democracy. Every
governor raised to office and every United
States senator chosen by unfettered civil
process has been a democrat.
But democracy in it's essence and not
party organization in its potency has ever
been the controlling spirit of the people of
Alabama. There never has been since the
day of William Bibb a great crisis passed
in the politics of the country which has
not been marked in its passage by the ami
mated disputes of the democrats Of Ala
bama among themselves and often by the
open rupture of the democratic party or
ganization for the time and the occasion.
The purity of Alabama politics, the gem
orally upright administration of public of
flee, must be accredited to the unpurchasa-
bic devotion of the masses to their own
opinions despite the allurements of organ
lied methods for controlling the voters
conscience and his ballot.
But to the history of Alabama democracy
in its jealousy of men in power Two
neighbors, cotton planters of the slave
regime, King, of Dallas, and Lewis, of
Lowndes, We're the central disputants of
two factions of Alabama democracy up to
about 1850. Their disputes were bitter and
they fed the currents of thought which
could not be reconcied until in the guber-
Material election of 1916 a democrat of long
and most distinguished service, inspired by
his love of truth, seeing his opportunity to
perform a great public service which the
party organization refused point blank,
Time and again to recognize-this gentle
man, Chancellor Joshua L. Martin of Tus-
ealoosa, came forward as an independent
democratic candidate for governor on a.
platform of specific reforms of a crying
public evil, the state bank, and he Won
lie won undying honor for Alabama and an
immortality of democratic craftsmanship for
himself. Three years later, in 184S, the old
dispute between William r. King and Dixon
H. Lewis came more directly into the
party councils. 1t split the party wide
open. About 5000 democrats, a very large
proportion then, refused to vote for Gem
eral Cass the party nominee for president.
ana thousands of others voted openly for
General Taylor, the whig candidate.
In 1851 in two of the districts the demo-
cratic party suspended life and democrats
union as each voter preferred
In 1852 the regular democratic presiden-
tial ticket, Pierce and King, was opposed
in Alabama by a Troup and Quitman ticket
supported alone by democrats.
In 1855 John Anthony Winston, just in
augurated governor for a second term. the
jackson of Alabama democracy" headed
movement to abolish the party machin-
cry. A popular convention for this purpose
met January 8, 1885, at the capitol, and sat
several days. 1t reorganzed the party ON
an advanced principle of democratic
dogma. 1t nominated candidates all of
whom were elected.
In 1859 William F. Sanford of Auburn.
one of the leading democrats of the state
and man of great ability, ran for gov
ernor against Andrew B. Moore, the nomi-
nee of the party.
In 1860 there We're two democratic state
conventions, representing two factions,
each of whom sent delegates to the ma
tional democratic convention of that year
in its meeting at Baltimore. Each state
democratic convention put out an electoral
ticket. Yancey and John II. Morgan lead
one faction; John Forsyth and John j.
Sebles lead the other
In 1882 and 1894 Captain Kolb carried the
white Counties the central force of democ-
racy, against Jones and Oates, respectfully.
In 1896 Governor Johnston recovered the
white counties to the party organization,
and in 1898 Governor Johnston restored the
state to a reunited party. j. w d.