The age-herald., 1900-10-17
THE CAMPAIGN IN
 FIFTH DISTRICT Col IhOmpson's Orators Made Speeches in DadeWIIe CAPT. F. s. WHITE SPOKE He Argued That Chairman Should Not Make Up a Convention, But
 the Convention Should
 Make Chairman
CAPT. F. s. WHITE SPOKE


 Thompson campaign. Tallapoosa is the home county of Colonel Bulger, who was a candidate before the last primaries, and thts is the first time the orators have been in the county. Consequently there has been no general lineup for the candidates now in the field and from interviews with number of Democrats it is predicted that not more than 50 per cent. of the Demo- crats wild vote in the primaries next Sat Urday.
 With this condition existing the success of either candidate in Tallapoosa largely depends upon the activity of their friends at the polls on the primary day. Colonel Thompson's friends say that they are go- ing to give him a nice majority in the county, and the chances seem equal that they will do it.
 The speaking here today took place in the court house, MT. Sorrell presiding and irstrotucing the speak.rs. Mir. Thompson's speech was very much the same as those delivered at Lafayette and Roanoke yes- terday. He said that the issued in the Fifth was important because the interest and success of the Democracy of the dis tlict was at stake. Further, he said, the welfare of the county was att stake in selecting a candidate to represent them in Congress He thought 1t hardship for the voters to have again to come out to express their choice for the nominee.
 Argned Ills Claims
 Colonel Thompson then went into an ar gument in behalf of his claims to the nomination. He had in the first primary received large majority of the votes and had been declared the nominee of the party, but partisan committee had at tempted to overthrow his claims. He said that Colonel Brewer had never met the people of the Fifth District until during the last campaign, when he had been forced to appeal to the people, even though he had control of the committees It had been the custom of MT. Brewer to go to a few leaders and fix them for the nomination
 In reply to an interruption Colonel Thompson said that he was asking tne nomination from a majority of the Demo- cratic voters, and that if they were cast against him, that he stood ready to accept the result and go upon the stand. He re- viewed at some length the campaign in Clay and Coosa, and the methods of the Brewer element to wrest them from him. The speaker said that he had no doubt but that he" was the regular Democratic nominee, but that he was also certain that If both he and Colonel Brewer had through till the November election that 1t would have built up two factions in the party in the Fifth District, and thus en- danger Democratic success. Consequently he had made an appeal to the State Com- mittee to pass upon the relative claims of the two candidates for the sake of har- mony.
 Colonel Thompson closed with an appeal to the voters to go to the polls next Sat- urday and help rid the district of commit tee and convention domination.
 Captain Whit, Spoke
 Captain White was again eloquent and powerful in his defense of Colonel Thomp- sons claims to the nomination. He began his speech by impressing upon the voters the importance of an honest, untrammelled vote to the welfare of government. He re- ferred to the struggle always between the people on one side and despots and tyrants on the other for control, reciting the rise and fall of political parties@ He expected to see the Democratic party eventually trample under foot and destroy the giant Republican party. The Democratic party could never die, 1t is our hope, our life. The speaker said he was here to represent the pure Democracy. There may be tyrants within tn ranks of the Democratic party He was not representing Colonel Thompson but Democracy. Thompson personally was not to be considered, but he represented a principle-the true Democracy.
 Discussing the arbitrary action of the Fifth District in deciding Clay and Coosa against Thompson, Captain White said
 They came to Clay and Coosa, where he had carried the counties overwhelmingly. What did they do? By their partisanship any tyranny they took from him the dele gates the people had chosen in those coun- ties, they set aside two and a half, and in- jected two and a half creatures of the committee. In other words in order to con- trol that convention, this committee usurped the power of the people and de- cared that Colonel Brewer should have two and half votes from Coosa and two and half votes from Clay. which was enough to give him control of the convention. Col onel Thompson at once appealed the case to the State Executive Committed that committee heard that contest and reversed and annulled the action of the district com mittee and reinstated the delegates. After that was done the convention at Goodwater met and Colonel Thompson had B 16-166 del- egates the others had 27 and fraction. Sixty-one composed the convention. When the convention was called to or- der the chairman of the Congressional Ex- ecutive Committee declared that Lamar Smith should be the chairman of that con- vention. The delegates on the floor of that convention asked the privilege of selecting chairman of their own. They were denied that privilege How was it in the great National Convention in 1896 when MT. Har- rity, the Chairman of the National Com- mittee introduced David B. Hill as chair man of the National Convention, MT. Clay ton of Alabama moved to substitute the name of Senator Daniel of Virginia. MT. ftarrlty ndQ the ueCenCy ana the man. 1 hood and fairness to put the question and 1 the nominee of the committee for tenn porary chairman, MT. Hill, was voted down | and Daniel of Virginia was chosen chair | man. Is not that good precedent" l A voice: Allow me to ask question. | Was that after before the roll was | called?"
 1 Captain white-"Before any roll was ever ] made up except that made up by the com- 1 mittee. and will show you why.
 | Suppose you had allowed Lamar Smith | to have remained chairman of that con l vention at Goodwater, the man forced or | that convention against the will of the con | vetion, who would have made the roll l Who would have decided who was entitled | to seats? Why, Lamar Smith," l '"Then it would have been the chairman l determining who should compose the con- l vention rather than the conventio deter l mining who should be its chairman. That l is the question for you to solve Is the | chairman of a convention to determine who l shall be the delegates, or is the conven- l vho hal he