The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-27
THE JoHNsToN pLArFoRM.

| grounds. These are as follows:
First-That Johnston brought about tins
primary plan Of nominations and stand,
as the embodiment of the idea of equa'
power to white Democrats and Of white
supremacy in Alabama.
second--That he is entitled under Party
usage to an endorsement Of his admin.
istration as Governor.
Third-That Governor Jelks IL violating
the letter and spirit Of the new Constitu.
ton In asking for nomination and cleo.
| ton at the hands Of the people.
II seems very clear TO The Advertiser
that no one Of these grounds is tenable
that. on the contrary, all three are un'
reasonable. contrary to facts. and mere
pretenses.
Take the first ground, pressed so labor.
iously by Mr.. Waller especially, in de-
Tense OF the strange political company he
Ands himself in at this late day. 1t ID
utterly foreign to the facts for Johnston
and his advocates to claim the credit OF
the primary or to set him up as the
author Of white supremacy in Alabama.
No sort Of general primary would ever
have been possible until the negro vote
had been eliminated. This was practical
BILE only through the new Constitution.
The movement for that instrument was
throttied by him in 1899 and was bitterly
fought by him up to the last minute last
year. In his speeches against Its anal
adoption he declared that the old
Constitution was good enough for
him. In other words. he was
willing to let the negro remain
as a voter. These facts are incontrovert-
ibie. johnston is in no wise entitled to
any credit for the only foundation on
which the equality of all white Demo-
Gratis in Party councils could rest.
The allegation that he is any way en-
titled to credit for the adoption of the pri-
mary plan. even after the Constitution
was adopted. is equally unsupported by
facts. His agitation was not for a Demo-
cratic primary. but for wholesale white
primary. Even now he is kicking at the
action Of the State Committee and his
leaders in various counties are work
ing to set aside the wise restrictions Of
that body. Let that pass for the sake of
argument. however. and 80 to the main
question. The agittion for a pri-
mary never amounted to anything un-
til the Democratic press of the State took
hold of It, The rank and file of the party
paid no attention to Johnston and his
Birmingham Albanian, with their rec
ord of opposition to the Constitution, and
OF attempts to alarm and create discord
among the people. Instead OF Johnston's
bringing about the primary, his advocacy
was the most formidable obstruction in
the way of bringing 1t about. The DEM
ocratic press was constantly hampered in
its efforts against the Convention sys-
tenn by the well founded fear of the DEM
ocFatic leaders that, Johnston was engi-
neering Greek horse. that he would take
advantage of the primary to slip into the
DShocratie citadel all the Populists and
Republicans in the State. 1t can be
truthfully said that the primary plan
was finally put through in spite Of John
ston's advocacy OF It. The Democratic
state Committee did 1t in Difference to
Party opinion brought about by>the Party
press, Notwithstanding the handicap OF
Johnston,s apparent support. For our part
we have never believed that he wanted
primary. and we believe the action of the
Committee waa a bitter disappointment
to him. 1t was several days after its ac~
ton before he pulled himself together
and yielded the quasi approval he Is to-
day pretending. ! n
The second Johnston claim, that he is
entitled to an endorsement of his adj
ADMINISTRATION. because the last Democrats
Convention did not give it to him, is post
lively ridiculous. He received the GUS
tomary Party endorsement In 1855, when
he was renominated and reelected. That
is all any Democratic Governor. has ever
expected, or could reasonably ask for. 1t
is true that he went further and In his
canvass for the Senate Wanted his great"
ness as Governor and asked the people
for an endorsement by giving him Nor
gan's seat. The people refused that sort
of an endorsement. That they had a
right to do, and he has no just cause OF
The last plank in the Johnston plat
form is that Governor Jelks Is violating
the letter and spirit of the new Consti-
tuition in asking for an endorsement Of
his administration. This is absolutely RI
diculous. Section 116 OF that instrument
distinctly says AFTER THE FIRST
ELECTION under this Constitution. no
one of said officers Governor, Lieutenant
Governor. etc.,) shall be eligible as his
own successor How could 1t be made
any clearer that this restriction was not
intended to go into effect until 1905, when
the first term of tenure under the new
Constitution will expire? The Johnston
argument is preposterous and will be
by any clear-headed lawyer
in the State, by every fair-minded, COM
nonsense citizen.
ston platform. They are so palpably thin
as to make 1t clear that they are mere
pretenses. The real Johnston platform
is desire for the United States Sen
ate. that only and nothing else. He
has taken a roundabout road to get there.
Falling to get anybody else to run for
Governor in his interest he has entered
on a daring speculation. He has appar-