The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-06

CTT,*,NINGHAM
S. q at Opelika For
JelkS.
DEMOCRATS HOLD RALLY
Eloquent Addresses Heard by
Large Audience.
The Claims of Johnston are Contro-
verted and the Cause Of Jelks
and the New Constitution
is Upheld.

! Opelika, Aug. 5.-(Special.)-A great
rally of Democrats was held here tonight
! at the courthouse at which a large audi
ence, among whom were a hundred or
| more ladies, listened attentiyely to two
brilliant addresses. The orators were
| Hon. r. M. Cunningham, candidate for
Observation-Disclosures. and William H.
Sanford. the silver-tongued orator from
Pike County, and son of Governor Will
| liam ]. Sanford.
They were introduced by Hon. John B.
Lyons, President of the Lee County Jelks
Club and chairman of the campaign
| committee, in a few appropriate remarks
From start to finish they received the
rapt attention of the audience and were
frequently interrupted by deafening ap-
plause.
Mr.. Sanford spoke first. He literally
| ridded Joe Johnston's record, showed the
fallacy of his claims, held to ridicule his
boasts of being the great Am, and show
ed his desperate fight on the new Consti-
tuition from start to finish. Among other
things he said that Johnston was opposed
to the Constitution; he now claims he is
willing to take it as a law and says he
hopes 1t will do what it's friends claim
for it, showing that at heart he is against
1t.
Meaning of Constitution.
The new Constitution means a new or
der Of things in this State. In the first
place, it strikes the shackles of negro
domination from the limbs of the white
people of the State 1t makes possible
the elimination of fraud and questionable
methods, and secures forever the suprem-
acy of the white race by law. 1t reduces
the power of the Governor by official ap-
pointments to build up a machine for his
own personal advancement; it does away
with the expensive and ruinous practices
that have grown up by reason of local
legislation. 1t curtails the power of mu-
inequalities to issue bonds to the extent
of bankrupting the towns and cities
throughout the State and many othei
things, all of which Johnston opposed and
by his actions deferred for two long
years.
1t is claimed now by some of his public
speakers that Johnston ought to be re-
warded for his opposition to these things
because his opposition brought about the
pledges that no white man should be dis
franchised. They forget that before his
opposition the Democratic Convention
had, by resolution declared that no white
man should be disfrarchised except for
the commission of infamous crime. Dur
ing his opposition to the call OF the Con-
stitutional convention, he told us it was
the purpose of that convention to dis
franchise the white men in the hill coun-
ties and to fix forever a system of fraud
in the black belt by registering the ne
groes. These claims he made after the
suffrage clause was adopted and contin-
ued until the Constitution was adopted by
the people. The registrars have been APP
pointed; every white citizen of Alabama
who cared to do so has received his reg
istration certificate and the Democrats
in mol imhnp0
motives that inspired George Washington
and the revolutionary heroes and the
gallant warriors of our beloved southland,
have again come to the rescue of our be-
loved State and, with patriotic devotion.
laid their tremendous political power up
on the alter of right and justice.
Johnston and Primary.
The new Constitution made possible |
the holding of a primary election which
the Ex-Governor claims the credit for
and to which he is not entitled. but the |
friends of Governor Jelks aided by The
Advertiser and the other influential dali
les and weeklies of the State, are entitled |
to the full credit of the primary. and |
Johnston's claim is ridiculous in view of |
the fact that he had only one supporter |
on the committee and in the debate be- |
fore the committee that friend never |
said a word in favor of a primary. And |
everybody knows that if Johnston had |
had his way the Constitution would have |
been defeated. a white primary would |
have been impossible and the negro would |
have been upon the white people of Alaba- |
ma today.
As to Ex-Governor Johnston's egotistical |
claim of being the only financier during |
this generation who has occupied the Of |
flee of Governor and his right to Vindica- |
ton on that ground, it would be well for |
the people of Alabama to be cited 10
lust one instance of his financiering abil-
ity If he is entitled to all the credit for
everything good that was done during
his administration, ne cannot escape the
burdens that go with 1t. The Auditor s
report shows that in four years of his
financial business administration the con-
vict department turned into the State
Treasury a net amount of 900 His
Immediate successor in office appointed
three competent and efficient Democrats
who have been retained by Govrnor
Jelks, and in about twenty months of
Governor Jelks's administration the con-
Wet department turned into the State
Treasury a net amount Of $l65,OO. At
that ratio in four years time ,.4e convict
department will have put into the State
Treasury nearly four times as much as
under the Johnston regime.
His Vindication.
1.-The Ex-Governor claims vindication."
said Mr.. Sanford, 'and in doing so seeks
a third term as Governor. although no
former Governor of this State has ever
asked it, and notwithstanding the fact
that it is contrary to the unwriten law
of the Democratic Party and contrary
to the spirit and genius of our institu-
tions l am not surprised at this as the
Ex-Governor seems willing to override all
principles in his thirst for power This
leaves him in the position of exhibiting to
the people of Alabama his unbOunded
ambition as the only reason for
his election. He is denying to Governor
Jelks, with absolutely no charges against
the latter. either morally. politically, So
cially or otherwise, the endorsement that
has been uniformly accorded to all faith
full officials in this State
IT urge all Democrats with all the