The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-09-12

In the StaISs as lhdN WdSt uHu HtNtA has any convention In the State been more thoroughly dominated by one man than the convention Monday was dom- mated by Frank s. White as the per- sonal representative of B. B. Conner.
 So far us the temper of the conven- ton delegates was concerned, the un- doubted disposition of the majority was to be governed by the policy which Mir White represented. The determined minority. while opposed in almost every narticular to the measures passed throurh the convention, was outnun1- bered two to one.
 Robfuson's Fine Speech
 From The vote on the report of the Cornm!ttea on Permanent Organization, the first actual test, there was no ques- | tion as .o how the delegates stood, ani | thereafter, only once was there de- | detarnined effort made In resistance of ! fhs powerful machine which controlled | tba assn,nblnnc, This was the speech | of E NJ Robinson of Mobile in his renly to the impassioned outburst of F s. White, when the adoption of the new method Of electing State Execu- | tive Committee was Under considera- | tion. Then the young Mobillan made | an address to the convention which | stood out alone from all other speeches made du.ing the memorable meeting. Rising at a moment when the tempers and, imaginations of the dele gates. wrought up by the fercehess of op- | position and the fiery words of MT. 1 White, were at fever heat, the speaker l in A calm voice called upon the atten- 1 ton of tho. men on the floor. soothed I Into good temper and acquiescence, and I then, with polish. cleverness cool cyn- icism and rnyielding directhess, hayed MT. White before the entire conven' | tion.
 | It was sharp contrkS this speech l of the young orator from Mobile to the i fiery burst of passion and anger which came from t,ie lips of the Birming- I ham man a few minutes before. Hand ling the subject with apparently gloved I hands. he held up the words of the man who had preceded him, held them up naked before the eyes of his friends and foes alike. He went over the | speech of the convention dictator, sec- l ton by section, in careful, seemingly harmless phrase. An1 when he had | finished he had presented the attitude | of the dominant figure of the meeting in such a light that even the most ard | ent supporters of Mir. White could not | fail to admit that their champion had been overwhelmed. He had been shown | in the light of a dictator, of one who according to his own words. twas ready to drive the knif to the hilt into the Il hearts of his antagonists in order t' secure his ends.
 Speeches Cause Comment.
 | There has been much comment in Montgomery since Monday night over the proceedings of the convention. but nothing has attracted more universal attention than the speeches of Mir. White and MT. rsobir son. Men who have known Mir White for years ex- pressed the greatest surprise at the manner in which he had permitted his feelings to get away with him. For the speech he :nade fs not regarded in any other light by those who have known tho former railroad attorney and the rrcsent anti-railroad fighter His history as a lawyer in the courts has always shown him cool and col lected, ever ready, always keen to see the mistake of his opponent. and sell dom unwary enough to be caught in a trap from which he is unable to extri- cate himscf The smoothness with which the machine controlled the con vention was an evidence of the master full ability of the man. But the fiery unguardod and unwse words which he let slip In the moments of his passion were entirely unlike anything Frank White had ever done before. either in 4 the practice of law. or in the arena of politics. It was unwonted,, unlocked tor, and, in eny other convention than
 
 have resulted disastrously.
 Perhaps one of the things which has created most comment was the pas sage of the resolution, little in itself, yet which, owing to the application which was put upon 1t by the minority of the Convention, was brought forci- bly to the attention Of the people. This resolution was that which provided for the omIssion of the word "ConservA- tive'' from the name of the party in ] the State. The name of the party has long been unwieldy It has a roll which Is difficult to get of the end of the tongue. So far as any practical good 1t has done as part of the ap- , pellation of the party 1t might have been dropped years ago. or, for that matter. 1t might never have been add } ed to the name Democratic"
 The rise of the question in this par , ticular Convention, however, furnished material for the minority of the Con- vention to make play upon the mean ing of the words. When the resolu- tion was brought up in Committee il was passed without a dissenting vote This was just after the Committee on which was later adopted by a vote oi il to '. When the vote was am nounced one of the committeeman took occasion to express himself.
 well. now we aint going to sai under false colors, anyhow" he said and his remark was greeted with a , burst of laughter.
 Others. who were opposed to the temper of measures passed by the Con vent on commented with more or less humor upon the change. saying that 8 more appropriate time could not have been chosen in which to drop the worO Conservative than one on which every conservative holding of the party pol icy had been overrun and overthrown
 Government Ownership
 If there was one thing~for which the Convention received criticism more than another. however. 1t was. it's fail ure to pass the resolution which would have placed 1t on record as being op- posed to the idea of government own ership proposed by Mir. Bryan. This resolution would undoubtedly have passed the Convention if it had not been for a counter resolution Intro duced by Congressman J. Thomas lief lin In a minority report. disaGreeing from the recommendation of the Plat form Committee.
 The Committee had thought 1t wise 10 place Itself on record in the matter but the Congressman-s resolution brought about debate which delayed the meeting until late at night. It Ia
 probable the matter would finally have been settled according to the wishes of the Committee. If W. F. Fort of Jefferson. seeing that time was being lost. had not sought to bring the discussion to A close by moving to ta- hle both resolutions The delegates were tired with the long sessions and struggles of the day. When the mo-