The age-herald., 1899-04-23
CHAIRMAN LOWE
 ISSUES AN ADDRESS
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tOOOEO niN nOOilEOO Continued From Page One)
 
 majority will go for the call of the consti- tuiona1 convention. 1 believe, Mir Chair man and gentlemen of the convention, that the party demands that this thing be car- ried through. The legislature passed bill, 1t was approved by democratic governor,
 and a distinguished old gentleman of Selma today has a golden pen with which the governor signed it without question or hesitation-the old gentleman has it filed 1 away. He is proud of that great pen, the l pen that said to the white people of Ala ] bama we propose to put in your hands 1 the government or this great state. We propose to wipe out the negro from the l ballot and dispose with stealing ballots in l the future. IL seems to me, Mir. Chair man. to be a question very much like that submitted by Bill Sykes to Paul Helton, 1 when he says: "Pone are you married?"
 1 He says, "Yes"
 Pone asked: Are you?'
 He said: "I am."
 | Anybody living with you and your ole | ladyS
 | "Yes. my mother"
 l well which do you love the best, your l wife or your mother?'
 1 ''Thats 8 hard question to answer. Well, I'll put it this way: Suppose you | | in a little boat floating down the river l The boat runs against a snag and capsizes, l throwing you and all out. Which one | would you save, your wife or your l mother?" T would save my mother because some where in Gods providence I would find an- l other wife, but where could l find another | such loving and affectionate mother?" Anybody living with you and your old l lady?' asked Bill
 "Yes my mother-in-law."
 "Well, which do you love the best, your | wife or your mother-in-law?" 1 "Mighty hard to answer says Pone. "Wen, suppose you, your wife and your | mother-in-law were all in little boat 1 a-foating down the river, and the boat 1 runs against snag and throws you all I out Which one would you save, your Vile | or your mother-in-law? says Bill. | Pausing a moment, Pone said: 'I would | save the snag, for somewhere in God | good providence I would find another wife, l and would surely find with her another | mother-in-law. but where under heavens | would I ever find another such snag?' l Has Met Grlsis
 | I say to you, gentlemen. that the demo- l cratic party of Alabama has met crisis, l an important period in the history Of the | party in this state, and it behooves the i unterrifed the unconquerable democracy | of Alabama, to rise up when they run | l gods we will save the party and the white people of Alabama.
 l Did that convention, MT. Chairman, have l have the right to make a platform? Let us | see. In several counties they said, we, | the democrats of this county, oppose this | constitutional convention, but in the event | of constitutional convention, we favor | submitting said constitutional convention | to the people for ratification or rejection!
 Some counties said, we, the democrats, l favor the call for a constitutional conven- | tion and they said no more, and in great l number of counties they were silent upon | the subject. What was the purpose of that | convention? Was there ever in the history | of any man, or in the history of any party | assembled in convention of party in | this state, or any other state, for a purpose | like this without laying down declaration | of it's principles? What did these delegates | do, untrammeled, unfettered, uninstructed? | They said we favor the call of a constitu- tional convention-the supreme authority of | the state commissioned by the yeomanry | from every nook and corner of the state | Those opposed to making it party ques- 1 tion made their objection known. l What next? The question was raised l "Shall this be made measure? Those fa- | voring it will signify by saying aye" | Those favoring voted aye, and those oppos- | ing said no. Participating there as the | preme authority of the party the majority | said we make it a party issue. The minori- 1 ty went down in defeat, and l say, sir, that 1 as democrats, we are absolutely bound to | carry out that platform. My friend (Mr. l Brandon), warm personal political and | every other sort of friend, and I am the | same to him, the gentleman from Tusca- l loosa, 1 want to say this for his benefit, ] that he discharged his obligation to the
 voters of that county when he opposed this I measure in the caucus and in the house of | representatives. Why? Because they made | the fight upon him as a member of the | general assembly. They attacked him and | he voted against it in the caucus and house I and they had further claims on him,
 and when his party assembled in state con-
 vention-the highest the supreme power of
 his party-sad to him and he will remem-
 Der that convention in this language, as I
 remember it: "We, the democrats of Ala
 bama, in convention assembled, favor the
 call of a constitutional convention.
 'I don't want anybody to interpret that
 language for me. As plain, simple, hum-
 ble, straightforward Bryan, free silver
 democrat 16 to l. I say it is binding on
 every man in the state of Alabama that
 claims to be a democrat. That is my posi-
 tion on it, MT. Chairman. I take that po-
 sition openly and boldly and fearlessly in
 the presence of all democrats. I say, sir
 here now, when this party is assembled
 here in executive committee and we are
 called upon by various letters asking lis
 this party measure or is it not" this
 committee should deliver itself, saying that
 this is party measure, and we believe all
 democrats bound to support it.
 l believe, sir, perhaps, not just now, but l it will come after awhile. the democracy
 all over the state will endorse it. and the
 man who openly opposes it then, is boter
 fa,. frnrl I, rof,1y 1f tla0