The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-11
Vote IS committee Stood
$ IS to II.
<:iSi0n Was Registered AZ
ter Four Hours Debate.
Result Was Announced Shortly AT
ter Six O'Clock Yesterday
Afternoon and Was Received
With Great Applause.
BY BRUCE KENNEDY.

BY BRUCE KENNEDY.
| Primary!
| After four hours of fervid argumen
and skilfully conducted debate, the Dem
ocratic Executive Committee of Alabama
| yesterday flung away the party's anti
| quated custom of nominating candidate:
by convention, and, yielding to the de-
mand of those who compose the rank and
file of Alabama Democracy. adopted a
resolution providing for the selection oil
| candidates this winter by a primary plan
This decision was not reached until the
question had been discussed in its vari-
GUS phases. while Democrats who had
| gathered in Montgomery from all sections
of the State sat In the court room Of the
City Court of Montgomery and listened
with intensest interest to the coming OF
the momentous proposition by those law
| makers of the party.
The fight for primary was led by Hon
| Carson c. whitson of Talladega. He was
ably seconded by Hon. William II. Sam
ford of Troy, Hon. Emmett A O'Neai of
Florence and Hon. j. Tom Helm of La
| fayette.
Col H. S. D. Mallory of Selma led the
forces which gathered to champion "the
plan of the fathers"-the convention sys-
| tenn. He was aided by r. NJ. Stevens of
Mobile. Upton Mullins of Clanton. Judge
A. P Smith of Eutaw and Chairman Rob
- 1F Ma 1ratftee
A remarkable feature of the committee
meeting was an onslaught made upon the
newspapers of Alabama by Mr.. Stevens
of Mobile.
Great Crowd Present.
Realizing that the great crowd of
Democrats which had gathered in Mont
gomery to watch the work of the COM
mittee. would not find room In the Couu-
| ell Chamber at the city hall. Chairman
Lowe early yesterday morning arranged
to hold the meeting in the City Court
room at the county court house which
has a seating capacity of about 800 per-
sons.
The members of the committee were
slow in assembling and it was 1890 o'clock
when the meeting was called to order
The scene presented in the court room
prior to and after the committee began
its work was one of dramatic interest
Men were there representing every walk
of life. Men who In the years that have
gone had been political enemies now met
as political friends. Candidates there
were present and many of them, who
realized to the fullest extent the import
of the assembly. The great majority of
public men present, however, were I'M
doubtedly attracted here by their ear
nest interest in the welfare of the domi-
nant political party IN Alabama.
Those who were not of the committee
or had business associated with the COM
mittee's work sat in the seats reserved
for spectators. Men of all shades of
opinion were in the audience. Governor
Johnston was not there. Hon. Richard II.
Clarke of Mobile entered the room quiet
ly about II o'clock and took a seat well
up in front. AS soon as his presence
was made known he was surrounded by
friends whom he gave a pleasant greet
ing. Governor Jelks was absent from the
meeting but State Auditor Sowell and
State Treasurer Smith were there as was
Attorney General Brown.
Away back at the rear of the hall the
rotund figure of Congressman Thompson
of Tuskegee was surrounded by group
of political admirers who discussed with
him the various phases of the political
situation,
Candidates Jim Tanner Of Birmingham.
Tom Hefin of Lafayette and Frank Ju-
han of Tuscumbia, who desire to be the
next Secretary of state, mixed freely
among the public men and committeeman
shaking their hands and reporting upon
the political outlook. Massey Wilson of
Grove Hill, who is a candidate for At
torney General was also a conspicuous
figure, his tall frame and robust voice en-
phasized his presence and he told the
committeeman what he had learned of the
political aspect in his travel throughout
the State. Prof. /. W. HILL, Superintend-
ent of the Gadsden public schools, car
ried a cherub-like smile about with him
as he impressed upon his fellow Demo-
Gratis that he is a candidate for Superin-
tendent of Education. Chappell Cory,
second candidate for this place, was at
the press table in his capacity as a news
paper correspondent. Neither Maj John
G. Harris of Montgomery nor Col. Thorn
as L. Bulger of Dadeville were present.
Seriousness Prevailed.
The gathering was characterized by a
seriousness, an earnestness and an alb
sence of fiipbancy that usually goes with
the meeting together of men who are en-
gagged in the settlement of political diff
Culties There was a lack of enthusiasm
and buoyancy; there was no chatting, no
gay repartee no happy stories and peals
of laughter which in the erstwhle days
served as preudes to political assemblies.
A note OF sympathy ran throughout the
crowd of Democrats for Committeeman
John T. German of Opelika who had re-
ceived yesterday morning a telegram ad-
lising him that his brother. w. p. Cor
man of Atlanta, Ga. was dying and had
expressed wish to see his Alabama
brother before he passed into the Great
E ,vond. Mr. w P. German has been for
many years a train conductor of the
Western Railroad of Alabama and was
well known in the State.
Committeeman German. who is one of
the most popular Democrats in Eastern
Ala hama. was an ardent advocate of a
primary hut he left Montgomery for At
lanta at 80 O'Clock in the afternoon. He
did not do 50. however, until he had ar
ranged to pair his vote in the committee
meeting with Hon. John V. Smith, sup