The age-herald., 1901-11-20
THE SCHEME UNMASKED

The real purpose of the fight against ratification has been made clear It has been suspected from the beginning, but now 1t Is avowed.
 General Shelley, the chairman of the standardization committee, has boldly admitted the whole scheme In an inter- esting view with him printed in this paper yesterday occur this question and answer:
 "Is there any probability, general, that the anti-ratitcationists will have can didate for Governor? General Shelley was asked.
 Probability? There Is not the slightest doubt of it. Emphatiealy yes. We will have candidates for every office in Ala bama from Governor down to consta- bles."
 The determination to bolt the Demo- cratic party and to organize one of their own was made distinct enough in those words. but that is not all the light on the subject. In yesterday Atlanta Constitu- ton was similar interview In that Gen eral Shelley was more specirc as to ways and means. He is reported us saying:
 4ne large majority of white men who have just had an odious constitution counted in on them will not longer sub init to the old organization. We will re- tain the name of Democrat and have real Democratic party on platform of honest election. white supremacy and fair constitution. My associates in the campaign are in sympathy with the movement
 "The next step will be the calling of | state convention early next year, ana we will put our candidates for Governor and other state officers, and for Con l gressmen in all the districts. We VIII not fight inside the ola organization. be- cause we would be counted out In the primaries and convention, just as we l have been in the recent election" | It is further understood that there is to l be preliminary conference at Birming- 1 ham next week of General Shelley and his "associates in the campaign" as the next step towards calling the convention to nominate candidates for every office from Governor down to constable"
 So there stands revealed the true in- wardness of the whole standardization campaign. It was for the purpose of organizing a bolt from the Democratic party, for creating new organization, | to get the offices now out of the reach of General Shelley and his associates. | So it is plain that the plan in the anti ratification campaign has been to make a mask of 1t behind which to stalk the skeleton of an independent movement The programme has been to stir up all the bad blood possible among the white people of the State, to appeal to passion and prejudice. and to heat as large q section of white voters as possible to the | fusing point. The leaders of the anti ratification movement have never had any serious idea of defeating the new constitution, nor have they any such hope now, as General Shelley has admit ted. Their whole thought has been to bring about a political condition which they could use for their selfish purposes They are after the offices from Governor down to constable.
 General Shelley and his associates therefore, are trying to play Kolb's game in 1892. They call themselves Democrats and propose to reorganize the Democratic party. They expect to infiame the mi- nority of Democrats who voted against | ratification with the cry of fraud, just as Kolb did, and to split them off from the Dem mocratio organization. And they will go the same way the Jefferson Demo- crats' did in 1s92-soon land in direct op- position to the real Democratic party. The real purpose of General Shelley and his associates is to reorganize the Republican party of this state They are glad the new constitution is ratified and they wouldn't upset 1t for the world. They will make great hue and cry about fraud, but that Is only pretense. They regard the new constitution as a means to their end of the building LID formidable, permanent white opposition to the Democratic organization. They are after the offices they have failed to get-from Governor down to constable They are too smart to come out now and say that they are re-organizing the Republican party. They would not then be able to carry so many white men with them. But that is just what they are up to. They will land bodily in the Re- | publican party in two years and dunn all | their followers into it. if they can, just | as the Jeffersonian Democrats went over into the Populite party in the course of | events.
 It Is not to be expected that General | Shelley and his associates will be able | to work their game on any considerable portion of the standardization voters. The latter were informed that the new con- stitution was not a party matter, and they had right to vote against it, if they saw fit. But they are bound to know that General Shelley has no right to lead them into another organization. He | has no authority to reorganize the Demo- cratic party. and he can't do it. Thou sands of the Jeffersonian Democrats who were led off by Kolb in '92, long ago saw their blunder. and returned to the true Democratic fold. They can't be led off again in another so-called reform move | ment.
 In the meantime the Republican organ izstion uf this state had best be on its guard. or 1t will find itself pushed eff the log by General Shelley and his associates
 THE ALABAMA CONSTITUTION.