The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-19
BELAr1nD CAMPAIGN MnrnoDs.

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 The editor of The Guntersvflls Dsm- ocrat is too good . newspaper man not to know the difference between news story and an editorial. ana we must conclude that his editorial. re- published on this page. under the title of 'Portentous Utterances." in which he says that The Advertiser has declared for the return of conventions is an evidence of the animosity. en- genered by the heat of the last cam paign which he has brought over into these piping times of peace.
 The GuntersyilIe Democrat can not point to any line or any sentence, in which The Advertiser argues for the return of the convention. The Adver- tiser has made no such declaration. The Guntersvine Democrat with two or three other papers of the State have tried. and 1t looks as though they tried with the purpose of keep ing alive old political animosities. to distort sentences of news story to put The Advertiser in false posi- ton.
 The Advertiser. to keep its readers informed of all political developments. published interviews with various leaders. some who were against the amendment. some who were for it. and these interviews expressed differ ent shades of opinion. One or two gentlemen of prominence in the cam paign declared for convention to nominate candidates and declare a platform; one or two gentlemen de- clared for a convention to enunciate a platform and for a primary to nomi- nate candidates. Several other gem tiemen in line with a number of edi- torial utterances which The Advertis- CT published declared straight out for a primary. Each interview. each edi- toriai utterance was published for the sole purpose of informing the readers of the political developments which followed the close of the campaign. The Advertiser from first to last made no sort of an edi- toriai endorsement of the return of a convention.
 But The Guntersvilie Democrat with two or three other amendment papers, which still show resentment. picked out the news story written around the interviews on the convention Idea and distorted it to present 1t as The Advertisers endorsement of a con- vention- The interviews and editorial clippings in favor of primary were passed unnoticed; no political capital could be made out of them. But readers of The Guntersvtlle Democrat who were not readers of The Adver- tiser could be made by the transposi- ton of sentence or two in a news story be. by unfair methods. persuad- cd that The Advertiser was trying to restore conventions. The Guntersville Democrat in the past has not been thus unfair. and 1t would appear that teel- Ing the sting of defeat The Democrat and several other papers who do not know the war Is over. are endeavoring with might ana main to Keep alive the. old enmity and the old animosi- ty.
 The Guntersviile Democrat, picking one sentence out of a news story, de- clares exictedly. as one who had dis covered brand new mare's nest. that The Advertiser had "shied this bolt in- to the political arena"
 ."rhe committee can if it sees fit, | call Democratic convention, Instead of a primary and at that convention either candidates be nominated for l State offices or platform of party principles be enunciated."
 This one sentence was part of an article which dealt with various courses, which might be followed in the present political situation in Ala bama. But as that was the only sem tenoe out of which political capital could be made 1t was picked out, held up excitediy and by inference as a positive editorial endorsement by The Advertiser of political conventions. It so happens that the sentence tells the exact truth. Even The Gunters- will Democrat says. 'to bo sure the committee can do so."
 The Democrat says. "some papers are prone to accept the utterances of The Advertiser without investigation, much as q school boy copies the an- swer to problem. 1t saves work and thought which Is even more tiresome than work"
 It would appear that The Gunters- vile Democrat has fallen into the very error it condemns. or that like some other amendment papers in Alabama 1t does not want to accept the over whelming verdict of the voters on No- vember 29. and will insist on reopen ing the fight. Certainly The Demo- crars editorial reads like campaign argument which might be excusable in a hot political fight but which has no just cause for it's publication when I awh Na