The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-01
THE NIo0ER Is IT yoHNsToN's
 WOoD-pIIK

THE NIooER Is IT yoHNsToN's
 wooD-P1LE.
 There are some people 70 constituted that they are always looking for hidden explanation of that which is perfectly patent. They do not accept straightfor- ward declarations as sincere, but suspect them to be merely from the teeth out ward. They prefer to imagine vain things
 It Is not surprising that there are news- papers just like those people. Newspa- pers are but reflections of the human mind, sometimes of one mind, frequently of many minds. Necessarily. there are newspapers that are constantly craning find because 1t does not exist. They en- joy looking for the ''nigger in the wood- pile" whether there is any such hidden eenegambian or not. Either they are constituted that way, or live in a peculiar atmosphere which may be misty. or else their greatest pleasure comes from that sort of intellectual acrobatics.
 Ever since Tho Advertiser declared for Democratic State primary. lot of peo- pie have been craning their necks to find the suspected "nigger in the woodpile." They have not been able to understand why The Advertiser advocated anything political which cx-Governor Johnston ap- proved. As result, they have put them- selves into all sorts of ridiculous pastures trying to discover hidden cause. Some of the papers are actually standing on their heads trying to find the deep, dark, awful reason.
 Curiously enough, there are Democratic and Republican papsrs alike engaged in making spectacles of themselves. For in- stance, here arc The Selma Times. print edin one of the stronshoids of unterrified l Black Belt Democracy. and The Hunts vile Tribune. the solitary watchman over the scattered Republicans In the noun tains of North Alabama.
 Just see how grotesque an attitude The Selma Times occupies. q 1t proceeds to stand on it's head:
 While The Times is a firm believer in l primary elections as being the true way of getting ct the wishes of the people in | selecting candidates for office. and in a rather hesitating way has in the last | few weeks expressed It's appreciation of the demand for State primary this year | yet in view of certain sensational devel- opments which have been made manifest within a very short time, We don't know but what it is best to stop . little and think whether 1t would not be unwise to rush the matter until "the nigger in the woodpile," (there being a general. fast l growing belief that there is one) can be located and accounted for.
 | The ''nigger in the wood pile" as The Times sees it, is the politicians" It is confident that they are playing some deep, dark game. The course of The Ad' vertiser and The Mobile Register is al
 the proof it wants. That Is what 1t am
 plifies as certain sensational develop
 ments."
 The Huntsville Tribunes eyes see tho dark figure outlined in another way. |
 finds opposition to the new Constitution as the cause of The Advertisers decla
 ration. It says:
 We cannot regard a State Democrati'
 primary otherwise than us a movemen
 unfriendly to the new Constitution. Whil
 we are friendly to Governor Jelks as al
 incident to the Constitution, still his i not our fight. at the same time we dis like to see the new Constitution kep eternally in uncertainty. The State pri mary movement emanated from the braiI of The Aiabamian, journal unfriendl. to the Constitution. It is the exponent O Governor Johnston's views. For the frs
 time fin its history. The Montgomery Ad AEm.A -s.A-
 by Governor Johnston. Throughout Tn,
 Advertiser has been tearfully weak as
 supporter of the Constitution: it did no
 chirp until the fight was practically over
 Now when it comes up and practicall,
 accepts an invitation of Governor John
 ston to resubmit the Constitution of Ala
 bama to the people. we do not knov
 whether to credit 1t to lack of friendli
 ness to the instrument or fear that Gov
 ernor Johnston's will is law.
 In order to relieve the minds of thes suspicious papers, and to extricate then
 from their Imaginable positions. The Ad vertiser will try to make its reasons plail for advocating Democratic primary. I is astonishing that any such absur views as those of our widely -sepa ate, , contemporaries should be advanced. Tn Advertiser has always been independent
 sincere, straightforward. It Is not voicin
 the views of any set of politicians, nor
 it fighting the new Constitution. It ha
 never been a mouthpiece for any clique 0 men, and it has done all in its power t secure the new Constitution, and will d all it can to maintain it now that it ha been adopted.
 d The Advertiser, of its own motion, with a out suggestion or influence from any ma y or set of men, in Montgomery or out of il r came to the conclusion that Democrat T State primary was the best policy for tn y whole Democratic Party in Alabama d and. having reached that conclusion, announced it without conference wit . anybody. It has always considered th e interests of pure Democracy as para Il mount, and 1t has never lacked the coul t age to declare it's convictions !. Why does it believe this policy the be: 0 at this particular time? The reasons ar several.
 n First. it is the logical sequence ( the elimination of the negro as a mas n from the electorate There IS no longe
 any reason why the Democrats of an
 one county should have greater prepor
 derance in Party counsels than an eau, | nutnher of Democrats in anv ntbn,. cou,