The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-14
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FAVOR POLICY OF
THE AGE-HERAUD.


The following additional replies have
been received from State Democratic Elk
ecutive Committeeman on the primary
plan:
To the Editor of the Age-Herald:
AS a comparatively new conner to Ala
bama l would not set myself up as
dogmatist on any public question; but
wish to say that l, like many other new
settlers in the State, am in full accord
with your contention for State primary
by which the people may make known
their preference for all officials, from
Governor to Constable.
| have noticed with good deal of sat
isfaction that Senator Morgan and other
public men, and nearly all the newspapers
in the State have come out frankly in
favor of the plan, and that it Is opposed
only by the professional politicians as
er on In Denmark, and | am sure that
those who know me will vouch for my as
sertion that 1 nave the interests of Ala
BAN deeply at heart. In fact | feel the
same love for the State as if l had been
born here instead of In the Rocky Noun
tains. For l hold to the view expressed
by President Roosevelt at Charleston
that every good American has the right
to claim each State of the Union as his
home. An American moving from one
State to another does not come as an
alien. If he is an honest man and a
good citizen he has a right to expect
to enjoy precisely the same political
rights in one State as in another-in the
State of his adoption as in that of his
birth
Ring-rule in any of its forms has a ten
dency to render this impossible, and ring
rule is practically out of the question
where proper system of primaries Is in
vogue. That system brings out the bet
ter elements of the citizenship, and leads
to the participation in politics of all those
quiet and unobtrusive men who cannot
ordinarily be induced to take any part
In public affairs where gangs of strikers
control party deliberations, and brazen
fraud and corruption are rampant.
If this republic is to be preserved the
average sturdy citizen must become more
of a factor in It's affairs Each State that
adopts the primary, in its true and I'M
adulterated sense, will assist materially
in bringing about that condition. 1t Is
not material that any particular party
should continue forever in power In any
State; but 1t is essentially so that the
honest men of a State should be in charge
rather than selfish and unprincipled ma
chine. Only by making the States more
honest can the nation become So
have many quotations from The Age
Herald, and from other newspapers of
this State, which plainly assert that the
common practice of stuffing ballot boxes
in certain sections has had such a demon
alizing effect upon young men that they
regard any kind of crooked work as en-
tirely legitimate in order to secure their
ends. One kind of fraud, winked at nat
urally leads to others. The primary, once
fully established, might prove the saliva
ton of hundreds of the men who have
been thus debauched.
AS some of your correspondents sug
gest, there might be Justification of re-
turns in some of the counties even with
all the safeguards of the primary: but it
is a pretty safe proposition that when the
people are once fully aroused to their in
terests they will find means to secure
honest returns. With the primary those
means will be easily within their reach.
Under the present system, it Is generally
admitted, they are not.
If the people are to rule the country
they should insist ON the primary cleo
ton, and keep 1t free from machine in
fuences. If they prefer machine rule
let them contiue to bow their necks under
the wheels of that memorable juggernaut
Yours for free election and an hon
est count J.. A MACKNIGHT
South Calera, April 13.