The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-07-11

Continuing Mr.. o'Neai said the party
was facing a crisis. There was no Dues
ton here he said of lack of jurisdiction.
The Committee was merely called upon
to obey it's masters and its sovereigns
and IL 1t declined to listen to this demand
of the people he said the Committee WI uld
be guilty of usurpation of authority.
He declared there was no longer r.eces-
sity for black belt counties to be allow
ed representation on a population basis
and IL the Committee refused to yield to
the voice of the Democrats Of Alabama 1t
would be to invite revolt and PROBABLY
party disaster.
Mr.. ONneals peroration was delivered
in fine voice and with great emphasis.
When he sat down he was literally APP
plauded.
Judge A. p. Smith of Eutaw, Probate
Judge Of Greene County made brief
argument in opposition to the primary
plan. He said he did not believe the
Committee was authorized to overthrow
the established custom of the party.
convention he said should be ordered Lot-
withstanding the cry for primary. If
the Democratic convention desired to
order q primary it could do so.
Mr.. Whitson followed Judge Smith The
Talladega Committeeman said he wanted
briefly to reply to some of the statements
of Mr.. Stevens. He admitted that he
had favored proposition to frame reso-
lutions embodying party law and said
he was still In favor of that proposition.
He called attention to the Tompkins
resolution which he said made 1t the
duty of the State Committee to preserve
the integrity of the party. He said the
proof was conclusive that the party was
in danger and from his view point, the
Tor ,lxi do ho dutU of
the State Committee to declare for a
primary.
Reading the Tompkins resolution MIR.
Whitson argued each section of this more
or less famous document from which he
deduced the conclusion that the Commit
tee was authorized to decide for a pri-
mary.
In the olden Days.
In the olden days Mr.. Whitson said
each Democrat of Dallas County, the
home of his friend Mr.. Mallory, was
given threefold representation in a SON
| vention against the white voters of Tai
| ladega County because of the very neces-
stiles of the case The negro had been
| eliminated and it was fair and honest
| that the white counties should not now
| be asked to yield their political influence
| for the safety of the black belt counties.
He declared with emphasis that ne was
| not representing any candidate. He was
speaking he said for the Democratic PARTY
of Alabama. The Democratic party he
said had nothing to lose If good men
| were nominated.
But" cried Mr.. Whitson. you can
never convince the Democrats of ITALIA
dega County of Tal1apoosa County OF
Lauderdale County and of other counties
| which have three or four times as many
| votes certain other counties in the
| State that these certain other counties
should have four and five times as much
representation in a convention as the
counties l have mention. The logic is
| unanswerable."
In regard to the statement of Mr. Stew
! ems, concerning the newspapers of Ala
bama, Mr.. Whitson said the newspapers
| have done valiant service for the Demo-
cratic party. 1t might be true, he said,
that Democratic newspapers had done
much to build up a sentiment for a pri-
mary, but newspapers do not fly in the
| face of public opinion. He said 1t would
| put the Democratic newspapers of Ala
| bama in a plight If the Committee failed
to declare for primary and that the
| Democratic newspapers, which stand by
the action of the Committee would have
a hard time convincing the people that
they had made a mistake in advocating
| a primary.
| In closing Mr.. Whitson warned the
Committee that unless a primary was
ordered the Democratic party would have
| a bitter fight on its hands this winter.
Failed to End It.
| Mr.. Mallory of Selma, author of the
| Convention resolution announced that he
| would close the argument but did not.
| He said he was not here to contend for
| a Convention forever, so much as he was
to dwell upon the lack of authority of
the Committee to call a primary.
Mr.. Mallory had the Tompkins resolu-
ton in his hand and read extracts from
| it. He undertook to show that no au-
thority was vested in the Committee to
abrogate established customs of the par
| ty The apparent demand for a primary
| as shown by the newspapers, he said,
| was really not a question to be consid-
| cred until the matter of jurisdiction of
the State Committee was determined.
| The Dallas county committeeman con-
| tended that the members of the Commit
tee did not know what was the sentiment
| of a majority of the people. He said If
| the committee knew the sentiment of the
people 1t was the duty of the committee
| to bow to the will of the people but the
Committee did not know this sentiment.
Mr.. Mallory went into an elaborate ar
| gument of the jurisdiction OF the Com
mittee. He compared the State Demo-
cratic Committee to the General Assem-
| bly, and said the State Committee had
just as much power to abolish the Cen
eral Assembly as 1t had to abolish the
| State Convention.
| His attention was called by Mr.. Whit
son to the fact that when the General
Assembly adjourned it could be recon-
vened by the Governor; when the State
| Convention adjourned, Mr.. Whitson said,
| no power on earth could recall it and its
| power was transmitted to the State Com
mittee.
Mr.. Mallory admitted this was true,
| saying at is so writ in the law
| In the course Of his argument Mr.. NAL
| lory said he was not here with a political
| bee in his bonnet and added that no mat
| ter what was the action of the State
| Committee Dallas county would stand
| by it.
This sentiment was greeted with ap-
| plause.
Ridiculing the idea of the Committee
| abolishing the convention system. Mr..
| Mallory said there were twentyeight
members of the Committee present and
that this old established custom might be
| broken by vote of fifteen men.
Mr.. Mallory spoke forty minutes and
upon concluding his argument he was
| applaudcd.
Mr.. Stevens of Mobile undertook to fix
the hour of adjournment upon the I'M
Outstanding that the debate had closed.
Chairman Lowe Arises.
Secretary Pugh read the Sanford reso-
luton and the Whitson and Mallory sub
| stitutes and then Chairman Lowe yield