The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-19
A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY NOT
 IMpOSSIBIE,

pressed with Hon. John V. Smiths dis cussion of the State primary proposition which appeared last week in The Birm ingham Age-Herald and has since beer
 reprinted in The Advertiser and Tn Register. Here is the conclusion of thu
 whole matter according to The Register Mir Smith Is sound in his ststemen
 of reasons why white Democratic pri
 mary would be difficult If not impossible
 to satisfactorily conduct. How shai
 white Democrats be defined? He an swers that definition Is impossible. say
 ing:
 If the Committee should say that. nc
 one should vote who had ever bolted oi voted against Democratic nominees this
 would bar out all former Populists and
 gold men who voted for Palmer and
 Buckner. large numbers of whom, for
 several elections past, have voted for
 and stood loyally by the Democratic
 Party; this could not even be thought of
 much less done. On the other hand if, the committee say that only those shall vote who have supported the platforms and nominees of the Party for the past two years. then comes the question as to what shall be done with those Demo- crats who have fought the Constitutional Convention from beginning to end"
 This disposes of the idea that a white
 Democratic primary can be held, and leaves open only the question whether there shall be general white primary or a continuance of the much condemned convention system. For our part we are willing to take our chances in the white primary. It will satisfy the kickers, it will prevent further division nAV rfo nA ufI integrity of the Party organizat tion-"s consummation devoutly to be wished"
 With due difference to both MT. Smith and The Register. we do not think that the possibility of a DemOcratic primary has thus been disposed of. The dif- faculties that loom up so large in the eyes of those esteemed Democratic au- thorities are not mountains by any means. They have been gotten over before, and are less forbidding now
 On June sth. 1900, the Democratic State Committee and the Campaign Commit tee met in Birmingham to start of the campaign in favor of the State ticket headed by Hon. W. J. Sanford. The Campaign Committee proposed the resolu- tions below, and the State Committee after considerable discussion unanimously adopted them. Here are the resolutions:
 Whereas, all issues which have here tofore divided the Democratic Party in have been settled.
 Whereas. the Democratic voters are now united on all the principal policies of the Party, and none but disorganizers and disruptionists can now refuse to sup port the principles and candidates of the Party, and
 Whereas, this Committee has many times extended to all white voters who believe in the principles and will support the nominees of the Democratic Party an invitation to participate in our pri- maries, and
 Whereas, this invitation has been many times abused by persons who have par Iieipated in car primaries and afterwards voted against and opposed the nominees, therefore be 1t
 Resolved, That no person who fails to support each and all nominees of the Party, both State and County. in the coming August election, shall be allowed to vote or participate in the of Congressmen in any Dis trict in the State, and
 Resolved second. That only those white voters who support all and each of the nominees, having an opportunity to do so, for State. County and Federal officers shall be allowed to participate in the primaries held by the Democratic Party.
 It is interesting to note that Hon. John V. Smith was Chairman of the Campaign Committee at that time, and also a mem- aft |. ,rise The Register to be informed that dr. Smith advocated the passage of those esolutons by the State Committee. and hat this action was taken largely at the instance of the Campaign Committee.
 By those resolutions the bars, which lad been let down in 1892. were put up, ,nce and for all Their declarations are lear and ringing. They recognize the lbuses that had resulted from letting Town the bars. and they maintained that 10 further good could be secured by a | of the lack of Party disci- | ,line. On the contrary, the Committee l aw only evil as a probable outcome | The bars were put up then and there | lnu not OIly lOT tHe otdte eleCtioH III ] August and for the following Congress | ional election. but for the future pri- 1 naries of the Party Now for the fife of us, we cannot see ghy the bars which had to be put up | n 1900, because of the evils manifestly | esulting from the blunder. must be put | own again now. Why should ''disor- and dsruptionists be let in | ow? Why should the invitation many ines abused" then be renewed now? Why should those who failed to support | he State. County and Congressional | ickets in 1900 be accounted good Demo- rats in 1902? To ask these questions is O answer them.
 It is very plan from a consideration of his action of the Party then that Mir. | mith and The Register are wrong. It not impossible to define Democrats: hey are already defined. The idea of a primary is not disposed of. he fact is that no other sort of primary an be held. unless the Committee now averses it's action of June Sth, IsOO In- as it is the same body this can ot be expected.
 -S-o~S
 The Huntsville Tribune asserts that an nliterate negro in the Republican arty was as much out of place as a hbit -neadcd mort 2 2 Ued InuIe in a ruh- l