The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-04

 FIGHT COMES
 AT THE END Sudden Hot Interest in the Campaign. JOHNSON AGAINST BRYAN Seven Candidates for Four
 Places. Bryan Men First in the Field and First to organise--The Johnson Fight Comes as a Complete
 Surprise.
JOHNSON AGAINST BRYAN


 The party campaign which closes May IS. opened as mild and as peace fui as any campaign the State ever saw. but as the flag fell for the entry of all the candidates. the campaign as- sumed sudden. hot interest. The coming two weeks of the campaign. as a consequence bids fair to arouse in- terest from one end of the State to the other. ,sxf' The greatest amount of ginger ia- jected into the campaign was put into it on the last two days, when the Johnson Campaign Committee an- nounced its purpose of challenging the frienda of William Jennings Bryan for a fight over the Alabama delegation This was a distinct surpriSe In Mont gomery. The committee VIII unuoupt- edly have some sort of an organiza- ton in Montgomery, but who will rep resent the Johnson organization in this city can at this juncture be only guess ed at. In the meanwhile, the John son followers say that they are going up the hills and down the valleys, rounding up support for Governor Johnson. The Bryan forces. however. have the advantage of having been in fhe field earlier John W. Tomlinson has already toured the State organiz- ing Bryan clubs in every section Of Alabama. eral weks that the Alabama delegation would go to Bryan without any sort of a contest. So general was this pe- lief that the State Executive Commit tee let the friends of Mir. Bryan dic- taee whatever plans they wanleu TOT the election of delegates to Denver. The Bryan people decided for straightout primary. for all edeigate and all aiternates
 They introduced several new features in the primary. the princiap of which was that on petition signed py club composed of 200 qualified voters $ any candidate for the Presidency could have his name placed upon the oftictai ballot A majority of the votes cast would endorse any presidential candi- date At this time there was in Ala banna. live and active Bryan club. and the friennds of no other Presiden- tial possibility had. organized It was naturally supposed that the Bryan Club would qualify MT. Bryan's name and that the friends of no other can didate would feel like entering the lists against him. 1t was believed, too, at that time that there was an over whelming sentiment in Alabama in fa vor of Mir. Bryan and that no politi- cal leaders would challenge this sentt- ment.
 But the Johnson boom seemed to J And while Mir. Bryan is unquestionabIy stronger among the Democratic voters of the State. the sentiment Is not abso- lutely unanimous that he should re- ceive the unopposed nomination from the party in this Presidential year The Johnson organizations undoubtedly reached out in Alabama and found some of this sentiment and as result the fight is on to the finish. Mfr Bryan's friends are quite confident however, that no man in the United States could successfully oppose MT Bryan in a primary participated in by the Democratic voters of the State. But 1t will beSa pretty fight no matter how tt turns out.
 While the fight for the Presidential instruction Is the most interesting fea- ! ture of the campaign, the contest that will be fought out by seven prominent Democrats for the four places from the State at large will arouse it's own in- terest. It was believed for long time that there would be only four candidates for the four places the first four Democrats who announced, They were John W Tomlinson. Captain D. W. Booker. Congressman J. Thomas Hehin and Congressman H. D. Clay ton. They had the field to themselves for several weeks. When the Bryan clubs were meeting throughout the State. the usual procedure was to en- dorse for delegates these four gentle men.
 All at once the scene changes. Peace gives way to a political scrap, and it Is every man for himself. This was caused by the sudden entry into the race of Dr. R. M Cunningham, Sem ator Frank s. Moody and Judge osee- ola Kyle. The names are we'll known to the Alabama voters. They are no less known than are the names of the gentlemen who had the fields so long
 -f @. corners have been prominent in political aaffirs of the State All have yet weiThty influence and all know the political condition of the State. The seven will put up beautiful race for the four places.
 There Is no prophesytng about the outcome of the contest. In the first nlace there never was before in the his- tory of the State just such another pri- mary And a primary is supposed to be as uncertain as the verdict Of petit jury.
 1t Is hardly probable that the per- sonal preferences of the candidates for delerates for Presidential candidates can be made an issue in the campaign. For the primary will settle definitely who shall get the Alabama delegation. The primary will instruct the Ala hama delegation at Denver. On be- coming a candidate each man must
 
 structions of the primary So far as inc candidates for delegates are con- cerned. their personal preference amounts to nothing. When they go to Denver the only thing they can do IS to register in the convention the VIII of the Alabama primary.
 Tt ia nossible that the question or a personal preference may cut some figure in the Ninth Congressional DIS trict where Walker Percy is candi- date for delegate from the distrlct' Mr. Percy sometime ago called TOT a,oit eSatnst Bryan. He started a novement against giving him the Ala hama delegation. Now that he IS him, I,, ssIs candidate for delegate. he VIII perhaps be fought by the Bryan men men q tbe birmingham district. The race ~ ~ tbs Ninth is the liveiiest in the State, one of the candidates is Hon. sam will John who was the floor leader in the JHoHse for Governor