The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-10
MR CLARK OPPOSES
THE PRIMARY PLAN

your editorials on the queSlioh "a
State primary have awakened a lively IN
terest in the question. Your catchy the-
cries may yet bring part of your 1olio"-
ers a wooden-horse in politics. see al
ready the erstwhile opponents OF Inc
| constitution mounted on Little Joe
nag" while the camp followers whoop 1t
up with battle and bag When the
| horse is opened and the boys begin TO
! sing won't there be sorrow in certain
newspaper offices that they didn't know
! the brute was loaded with men, opposed
to the poll tax clause, opposed to making
the Governor ineligible for election to the
United States Senate within one year
after the term for which he was elected,
and yet others opposed to their friends
having to give up easy jobs on the va
rious salary lists.
don't know which is the most to be
feared, a real good honest opponent OF
Democracy, or one of those disgruntled
democrats. so-called. who has lost out
or who has been up to the salary trough
and no longer feels any interest-a class
of cutters quite too common, I regret
to say.
1 have always been a party-platform
| Democrat, and unvaryingly have sup
ported its nominees and am not a can
didate for office. and 1 claim the right
| to voice the sentiments of a large num-
Der of regulars.
| The proposition to hold a general State
primary for the nomination of all State
officers is unwise at this time. The ques-
ton of who are and who are not entitled
to participate in such primaries will be-
come local one influenced by varying
standards.
The new constitution has just become
operative and legislature is needed to
perfect certain machinery for protecting
party primaries.
There is entirely too much uncertainty
at this stage Of our political life as to
what constitutes a Democrat in certain
counties. In my home county of Dallas
| Their is none, ii is true, but in Marshall
and Jackson and. others 1 know there is
much difficulty in keeping certain ny
phenated political goats and of Demo-
cratic sheep folds at primaries. Those
who go into primaries, and for reasons
| that bode no good, do not support the
nominees, have a double advantage over
the man who keeps always his place in
his party's ranks whether his choice is
nominated or not He either remains
| takes a sneaking second shot in a secret
! ballot for the opposition. 1t is no use
| to moralize on the subject tbs done and
will be done in the proposed primary.
The selection of delegates to conventions
| by prim aries. properly safeguarded, is
| desirable, as is the nomination of all
! county officers. For years the Dallas
county Democracy has used this plan
and it has Brought satisfactory results.
| 1t is acknowledged that we must in the
! natural course of varying opinions have
| two or more parties in this state. 1t is
| even declared that there will soon be
| Republican party in Alabama having in
/ its ranks many men of character and
| influence who believe in most of it's poll
! cies Shall the Democratic party hasten
! this and yield up many of its weak fol-
! lowers who cannot brook the invasion
| of their party councils through a gen.
eral primary of those whose main pur-
| pose is anything to overthrow them, ''our
! old time enemies" who have so long held
/ them in check, or have beaten them on
many fields.
l regret to say that the young men who
have come of age in the last eight years
have sen such condition. of easy party
obligation that they are MOTTO blame in
| thinking that after all it is merely a foot
ball game of politics, is one crowd agnst
the other for office.
Are we to keep up the splendidly dis
/ ciplined corps of Democracy; if we are,
/ who will write it's platform, shape its
/ policies, keep up It's esprit de corps after
the mad scramble for all the offices, in a
| free for all primary.
| If a convention can't select the best
nominees for governor and state officers
| wisely and well then in the name of a
| Republican form of popular expression of
the will of the people, how can it set up
! standard for all those who believe in
| certain theories to be put into operation
through certain chosen agents to-wit-
! the elected candidates?
Why all of this alarm about trades and
rings Didn't this manner of choosing a
| governor give us "the red headed best
| governor since the war" If one factions
! opinions are worth more than another's,
| opposing this innovation. Didn't Sam
! ford beat a gentleman of great adapta-
! bility, versatility who was able for
while to appear as the most plausible
but none the less, most dangerous of dem
agogues
If these party laws, customs and tradi-
| lions have brought us to the splendid
condition we find the state and the people
| in today why so much haste to change?
The "old Dobbins'' of Democracy is
| much preferable In my mind to the Zebra
] of the tribe of Joseph"
! Let us have convention with the del
| eSates elected by a strict Democratic
primary, put our house in order under
the new roof call up the sheep and pre-
| pare for n better condition of politics
| When those choosing to be Gold Standard,
| Protectionist, Republicans or Free Silver
Tariff for Revenue anti imperialist Demo-
| Gratis can ally themselves with respect
able associates without social or political
| reproach.
What man believes in he should stand
Tor vote for, all else being equal in the
social scale. PERCY CLARK
"GROVER" AND "DAN.u