The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-05
JOHNSON CROWD
 Is FULL OF HOPE Speakers Will Stump State for
 Candidate SUMTER POLITICIAN TALKS Thomas F. Scale Is a Great Admirer of Bryan, But Maintains Great Party Leaders Have Never
 Been Presidents.
SUMTER POLITICIAN TALKS

iHere was great deal Of activity and push around the headquarters of the John A. Johnson campaign committee yester- day. Visitors from all quarters of the state were in the city and a spirit of con- fident enthusiasm came with them all
 The Johnson campaign during the next two weeks will include a storm of public meetings and speeches. It will open Thursday at Montgomery with speeches by F. o. Stromme of Minnesota, a dem- ocrat of honor in his state Sidney B. Bowie of Birmingham, Jesse T. Stallings and former State Senator J. D. Norman.
 Wednesday a meeting will probably be held at Bessemer al 12:3O D. m., when Mr. Stromme will speak and that night at Ensley Dr. R. M. Cunningham will speak. Friday the first guns will be fired in Bir- mingham.
 Thomas F. Scale, one of the prominent democrats in West Alabama, chairman of the Sumter county democratic executive committee, and a member of the Sixth district congressional committee. Is A Johnson man and a visitor in Birming- ham.
 T am for Johnson because I think he is winner,'' he said. 'In Sumter coun- ty the real democrats are doing a great deal of thinking right now There is con- siderable dissatisfaction with the Bryan candidacy, and in Livingston especially know of numerous prominent Johnson men. In my opinion, I never saw such spontaneous uprising of men to join campaign even before it was launched
 T am a personal admirer of Johnson, having followed him through his cam paign for governor of Minnesota when he won by a plurality of 7SO0 despite the tremendous plurality of 1610OO with which Roosevelt carried the state. I saw him elected again by 72OO0 majority while re- spublicans went into every other state of- flee.
 ''He is a Scandinavian by descent, al- though native American, and upon this sentiment alone it is positively conceded that the foreign vote would carry Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and both Dakotas. The German vote would be solid for him.
 'I1ere is a man who can carry New York New Jersey, and possibly Con necticut His conservative campaign for reform makes him popular everywhere. In speeches recently delivered in the east, at the University of Pennsylvania and at Vicksburg, he has proven his high in- tesrity and bis position on the question of states rights. which is now upper most in the minds of the democratic peo- pie. Gove,ror Johnson is a winner, and the people of Alabama are going to make the wise choice.
 ''I do not censure Bryan. I consider him an ideal leader, but unfortunately there are numbers of good democrats all over the country who will not support him. He enters the race a twice de- feated candidate, the party without hope, spiritless, and nothing left but a remnant of the south.
 Why, recently Kentucky elected a re- publican governor by the biggest major ity given to any candidate after Bryan had canvassed the state. Missouri demo- crats, under the leadership of Bryan were only able to push in Governor F ok while republican senator and numerous other re- publican officers were elected This, in state that holds a majority of real demo- crats
 '"There is no hope for success under Bryan leadership. Not even his strongest friend would claim that he could even carry his own state, county or the city where he lives Still, he is one of the greatest man of his age.
 Tt has been the history of parties that TO great leader can succeed in beeom- ing President. Notably Henry Clay nomi- nateJ and defeated three times serves as example. Webster and Calhoun could never even attain the nomination. In re- cent ytnls Blaine, the ideal of the re- publicans went down in defeat before Grover Cleveland, then practically un- known, but when Cleveland displayed his policies he was defeated by Benjamin Harrison, a card brought out of the dust of obscurity. With the exception of Grant none of the great characters have been able to get the presidency and that was due to the war record, and peculiar con ditions of the times.
 Against such leader l stand for the man of the people, the boy who worked himself from poverty, became the main stay of a family, and has risen to the higest place in the gift of his state. Education is all that is necessary to se- cure his nomination and certain election Ito the presidency.
 pr. Garrison Improving.
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