The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-22
"THE HILL BILLIEs."
And What One Of Them Has to
Saw.


r.,. Kingston. Ala, July q, 1902
EDITOR The: Advertiser:
As " has been said by some of the
ups,,W,.spapers and orators that the Hill
cures are in the saddle, will YOU allow
one OF them space in your columns to
oner some suggestions to those of his
kino ana to ask some pertinent questions?
~ tne nrst place the people seem to be
a az h with the idea that we are going
70 nave primary and 1t Is such a good
lhing tnat Governor Johnstons friends
now want to clam its paternity when the
iact stands out too glaringly for any one
70 70 iaii 70 see that II we had had no
constitutional Convention we would have
nag no primary. and did not Governor
johnston fight the Convention from start
10 nnish, and even now. In his accept
ance o. the caucus nomination at Bir-
mingnam. he says we are compelled to
accept Y under the forms of law. Yet
ne mas the cheek to say II wound be bet
ter TO let him and his friends carry il out
tnan men who have been its friends all
] want, right at this point. to ask
question Of all men who have the interest
or the people really at heart If some
other man In that caucus had been
thought more available, would Johnston
nave been selected? They all had their
woes. sore toes, heads or whatever you
care TO tenn 1t and had they been Sc
iected would have had an inexhaustibe
supply to lay before the people. Examine
the list and notice how many. NV time
viii not allow, nor your space permit an
enumeration. But Us not the grievances
that the Governor complains of to great
extent only imaginary things. Did he not
have his second term as Governor and
DID any one find fault with him until his
nsht on the Constitutional question? That
ne was not successful In his Senatorial
aspirations is no cause for complaint. He
had an open field and a fair fight arc as
one of his devoted followers | can Only
see that there was but one thing lacking
mot enough of us.
But the main purpose I had in view
when l commenced this article, was to
appeal to the sober second thought of
the people In what Is known as the white
belt of Alabama without regard to wheth-
er they voted for or against tho Consti-
tuition. whether 1t was adopted or count
ed in. The fight Is being made on Gov
ernor Jelks because he, as they say, de-
ciared II was adopted when 1t was de-
feated. IL such was the case I can only
illustrate his position by relating an an
ecdote / heard when a boy. Back In the
times when men wore armor in battlesan
lrishman employed tailor to sew a
breast plate inN his uniform. The tailor
being somewhat OF wag sewed 1T In the
seat of his pants. In the first engage
ment 1t so happened that the Irishman' 8
troop was defeated in the retreat. being
hard pressed. one of the enemy made a
the breast plate and the bayonet passed
| harmlessly off. The Irishman, in con-
graduating himself on his escape swors
the taller knew better where his heart
If Governor jerks proclaimed that count
1t was the best count that was ever
counted on you. The negro has been
eliminated from politics. For the first
time lin the history of Alabama politics
you have the opportunity to express your
individual preference for officers without
the Intervention of caucuses or conven-
tons ana boil II down as you Will it was
| the adoption of the Constitution that
brought 1t about. If you want it to re-
| main so, then rally to the support of
| men who have been it's friends. I know
there were many good men who opposed
the Constitution thinking there was some
thing behind 1t. Up to- this time many
of them say It Is albright every pledge
that was made has been carried out and
its benefits and If you can't come up and
help us to sustain 1t don't turn 1t over
to its enemies to destroy. If it is our
| baby let us raise it to manhood and see
what it will be. 1t is promising young
| fellow so far. ,. o.
Hill Billie