The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-02
THE GREAT REsToRER.


an honorable man." who wouldn't deceive
a baby-unless he wanted something the
baby had. But hasn't he grown great
How true IL is, as Sir Henry Taylor
wrote: 'sThe world knows nothing of
its greatest men," What Lucan calls
maeni nominis umbra-"the shadow of
a mighty name" has been lowering over
and around us and we were too blind to
see It. 1t Is very sad.
And that isn't all. We really thought
In our unsophisticated ignorance that the
people were already in possession of the
right to govern themselves. In days hap
PLY past and gone, when the john
stonian system of politics was in vogue,
there was occasionally a suspician that
the people were not having a fair show
1t was even said that he and his fol-
lowers were running elections and other
things pretty much to suit themselves
and that the people were not In 1t to
any alarming extent. 1t was intimated
that Joseph had a way of sending word
around among the faithful and getting
innings uOue just DC tlc WohSOo'
But happily that time has passed. The
Johnston ring has been smashed and
the Johnston method of runnigs things
has played out. That is why we
thought the people were now in condi-
ton to govern themselves. They have
arranged for a primary and are going
to vote at 1t in their own way. without
any bossng. That is what we call the
people governing themselves. but possibly
we were mistaken some more. 1t is still
very sad.
But we now learn, by inference, that
the people of Alabama are not in posses
sion OF the right to govern themselves.
and that the paramount object the ex-
Governor has in becoming a candidate
Is to restore" that right. And here
comes In another large assortment of
our ignorance. We had been under
the impression that Legislatures and
courts had something to do with grant
ing, confirming and restoring civil and
political rights. When the people select
their own candidates. elect them and
| have them indicted into Office we call 1t
self-government. They can only exer-
else those rights and privileges through
the laws and those whose duty 1t is to
"see that the laws are faithfully execu-
ted" II their rights in these respects
have been taken and withheld from them
| we were not aware that any one man
could restore them, but here again we
were ignorant. 1t really gets sadder.
Evidently a mighty statesman has been
rusticating in Birmingham. waiting a
favorable time to come forth and proceed
to do things He didn't want the job
| not he, but the pressure-from some poll
ticians-was too great to be withstood.
He must needs come forth and get into
the restoring business. Not Ajax defy
ing the lightning, not David rending the
lion, not Don ouixotte squirting against
the windmills afforded such a spectacle
as Joe Johnston bursting from his
| retiracy and offering himself as the only
man left who can act the part OF a
restorer. And to think we didn't know
his mightiness! 1t keeps on getting sad
der.
The Chattanooga Times keeps one eye
on Alabama politics and thus sizes up the
efforts of Johnston to work himself into
the Senate:
Both the present Alabama Senators are
very old men, but both Will be returned
to their places as long as they nve; INC
ex-Governor's only hope. therefore, Is TOT
a man of his own selection In the GOV
| ernor's ONCE. A very pretty little poll
| teal game the Ex-Governor Is playing,
but we apprehend 1t will not WORK tne
people seemt to be on to 1t, ana that APP
| pears to be quite guarantee mat ne
will be out Of the running.
When Johnston virtually asserts that
he has no eye on the Senatorship he is
wasting time and breath which might be
better used in explaining some OF his
other shortcomings. No one who knows
him believes any such denial to be
sincere He we'll knows the hold thai
Senator Pettus has on the people OF Ala
bama, and knows that IL they had a sus-
picion that he was working for the Sena-
tors seat he would lose much of his
already weak following. Hence MS
hvpocrtticaI denials of design on the
Senate. They are worth nothing and
the people of Alabama know 1t.
|
The following, from The Marshall Ban
ner, is a fair specimen Of what the
Johnston organs are feeding their read
ers on:
A we'll posted gentleman from Mont
| Johnston or Jelks In this campaign, said
| to us the other day. that with fair race
/ between the two men Johnston will win
| by a large majority. He further re-
marked that the Jelks people were badly
| scared already, and would put every
| man available on the stump for their can
| didate.
The Banners informant may be wei
posted on duck eggs or gopher holes. blu