The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-08-24

wide prohibition we are willing to leave MT. Rogers case where he rests,
 l do not know whether either R. M. Goodall fof P. c. Ratliff was present at the "executive meeting they refer to. I know that I was not there but I have carefully read the reports of the Blount Springs meeting published in many pa- pers, and in none of these reports did any such statement appear as those gentle men claim.
 What was said there? MT Burr Black burn, the Age-Herald's efficient and relia- ble staf Correspondent, in his account of that meeting, among other thins, said
 "The platform adopted by the state convention was unequivocally indorsed by all the speakers except Walter Seed, nom- mated for lieutenant governor who failed to mention it in his speech and declined to be quoted on the subject when seen after the meeting, although he said he would make speeches all over the state in favor of the entire democratic ticket. MT. Seeds speech was the subject of much comment, as 1t was possible to in- terpret Its meaning in several different ways. His failure to mention the plat form caused much surprise"
 Mir. Blackburn also stated that 1t was decided in the coming campaign to treat the prohibition question as settled, but nowhere in his report of the meeting did he mention that the executive committee ko1
 Messrs. Goodall and Ratliff. I know MT. Blackburn too well, and have too high a. regard for his newspaper ability to be- lieve for a moment that if the executive committee had come to any such de- cision he would have ignored 1t in his report.
 In the course of his speech Colonel ONeal said. q quote the words used by MT. Blackburn in his rcport):
 If there has been dissatisfaction. now there Is unity; If there has been discord, now there is harmony. In convention, made up of delegates elected by the people, the democratic party expressed the voice of the people and said that we intend to restore the cardinal principle of local self-government and lay down the principle that every locality shall have the right to control the liquor question through the principle of 4ocal option. It is a platform which every true loyal democrat can indorse and upon which he must stand"
 Among the other speakers was Con- gressman Underwood, and in the course of his remarks he Is quoted by MT. Blackburn as having said:
 'The right of local self-government is the foremost principle our fathers gave Into our keeping, and 1t is the first principle of true liberty, the home, jus tice and of right We always find a haven after stormy battle in our party, and we left it to the rank and file of the democracy of Alabama to declare where democratic principle rested. and that rank and file declared at the last state conven- tion in favor of the policy of local self government. No matter what some of us think, this is a platform upon which no democrat can fail to stand. With tha, plank our local issues should be solved entirely"
 la no published report of that meeting which have seen did the statement made by Messrs. Goodall and Ratliff in their last communication to the Age-Herald appear, and I defy them to produce proof that any such decision was made by the democratic state committee at the Blount Springs m seting. But even if said com mittee had rendered and promulgated such decision that would not affect my claim that the result of the May primary was repudiation of statewide prohibit tion.
 I did not say as Messrs. Goodall and Ratliff recklessly and without warrant say I did that tine result of the May primary meant that the people of Ala bama had repudiated statewide prohibi- tion." What did say, and still affirm, was that " democratic majority had re- pudiated statewide prohibition" Why not be truthful, gentlemen?
 THOMAS M. ROGERS.
 Birmingham, August 23. 1910.