The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-03
Eetters to tbe Gdftcr
MR. ELI s. SHORTER.
Tn Patriotic Letter Announces He VIII Not Be Candidats for
 Delegate at Large.

Eufaula.. Ala, April 2. i, Eqitor The Advertiser:
 An recent Issue Of the Advertiser' appeared a communieation from your Eu- tauia correspondent. stating that was being tmportuned to become candidate, as delegate from the State-at-larse. to ene e National Democratic Convention; since this publication. have received ano am daily receiving many letters, rom rom various portions of my native State, 1 vLsrIng me support, and asking what profoundly grateful for the cordial and compnmentary expressions or my friends wIsn reference to my supposed candidacy, ana reel that some public recognition is .imeiy and Appropriate, conveying my decision in the premises, and answering m general way most of the questions suomitted I try to have decided and positive opinions. as to men ana meas ceal my views So instead of acknowledg- Ing individual letters, I respectfully ask the privilege Of having this letter pub i'snea & in your valuable paper; - missioned as q delegate from Alabama to St. Louis. Other men could be select 4 ed who would adorn the position far more Il trsn who wam,S w1Sd but no man man cossS pc cnosen the honor conferred. The names of four gifted and distinguished A1abamaians have already been announced, and l am reliably informed that many others are
 
 so. This fact would indicate or fore ! shadow scramble. The office Is one wholly of trust and honor. would be I ble. My entering the field at this junct- ure. would have the tendency to invite this result. Therefore I have concluded not to become candidate. In deciding not to enter the field, to be one of the four delegates, at the same time return sincere and heartfelt thanks to my many friends, who have so willingly and cheerfully volunteered me their support.
 l hope the members of the Alabama delegation will not be rIanacled and shackled before they reach St. Louis. favor an uninstructed delegation, com posed. of men In whose ability, integrity and patriotisnf. resides the confidence of the whole people. When the convention meets in Montgomery. issues and policies will be fully discussed. The preferences of Alabama Democfats will be thorough ly understood. It is the honorable duty of every delegate. so far as in his power lies. to carry out the wishes of his con- l stituents I take 1t that instructions frequently hamper, as new conditions ! cannot always be anticipated. ..,
 believe a policy of conservatism is the only avenue to harmony and success. If I can read the signs of the hour, the consensus of opinion among our leaders. whether in Congress, upon the musings, or in the Journalistic world, agree that the St Louis Convention. should not be converted into a stage. upon which is to
 
 spectacular extravaganza. Delegates should hold the trust as sacred. and make party success paramount to indi- vidual preferences, either as to men to be platform. I am opposed to the. req afiirmal ton of the platforfpy of 1S9S and 1900. If they were ever useful, they are no 1ongerf needed. We want a simple Democratic taining q single plank upon which the party Is divided. The slogan of our cam paign should be a united Democracy, for the protection of the rights of all institutions. Exposing the corruption of Republicans in office. Their broken VOWS to the people. Their un-American foreign policy. Their ability to coquette with throne capital. Their obligations to gigantic trusts. The unrest resulting from RooseveItism, not knowing when. where or 9hor~. s. order to satisfy caprice. he may ; us with foreign powers. 1 Ths@ .andred subjects supply all tho ann. -.-.tion necessary for a successful
 As to the. ticket to be nomlnated at St. Louis, have this to say. have long been an ardent admirer and supporter of Mir Cleveland. and have twice voted for Mir. Bryan, being the nominee of my party. I believe it would be .unwise. iRl- President Mir. Cleveland. or Mir. Bryan or the satellite of either. This course would inaugurate factionalisnf and result in certain defeat. It would be suicidal policy to nominate a ticket.sthe personnel of which would prove, a red flag ip..the face of either wing of our party. We must have as our standard bearer, a broad high-minded statesman, with an unassailable and uninpeachabfe character A man acceptable to the Democracy of New York, with a fair prospect of con ciliating Tammany, popular an the pivotal States. and approved by the! solid ssoutK tol1 ,Iot fnrrs onA would eliminate factiona1ism, bury Inter nal dscord, and cause Democrats everywhere to fall into line, and present solid unbroken front to our 'commpn these conditions we would win out in November just as sure as the sun shines. As to the second place on the Presi- dential ticket, l favor clean strong South who tower among the highest peaks in the mountain range of Ameri- can statesman. I know the hobgoblin of sectionalism will whisper inexpedent For four long years the chiyalric South dis puted with the dauntless national flag. an honorable and constitutional question. That disputation has been forever ad- justed. Prior to 1860 the South. furnished most of the Presidents. It. has been nearly four decades since the final drama at Appomattox. When there we laid the Stars and Stripes. History furnishes no parallel of such good faith and loyal ty as that exhibited by the South. since 1865, for the national flag, and the feder- al constitution. If forty years of un- equaled devotion and unrivaled patriot ism, such as challenges the admiration of the world, is not time sufficient to restore the South into the full confidence of. the Union, in the name of common justice ask what length of time, and what ex- hibitions of patriotism, will be required. If any man in any section Of our com mon country doubts the loyalty of the South to the Stars and Stripes. would ask him to learn a lesson from the life of Bagby of North Carolina. TTo go to Ha- vana and consult Fitzhugh Lee of Vir- ginia. To board the Merrimac, and sub init the question to Hobson of Alabama. Or go to Santiago and tent with our own | General Joe Wheeler. Truth is, we are not step-sons in the nations family. We have an inherited right to the parental roof Sectlonalism is a dead issue. l | believe an able, pure Southern statesman | for Vice President would strengthen and | popularize the ticket.