The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-14

Col Thomas G. Jones. a democrat,
without prefix or affix," and Capt. r. j..
Kolb, commissioner of agriculture. and
alliance man, were the only openly
avowed candidates for the nomination for
governor by the forthcoming state con-
vention of the democratic and conserva-
tive party when the new year 1890 opened.
Public excitement was very great. Not
since the first Houston campaign OF
1874 had interest so intense and so uni
versal possessed the political thought OF
the masses.
BY the middle of January the st. Louis
platform of the National Farmers ALI
ance and Industrial union, the amalgam
of the Alliance and the Knights of Labor,
adopted the month before, had been gem
orally noticed by the state press, but II
was left to the Montgomery Advertiser
to spread alarm. The Advertiser was in
cessant, importunate and even desperate
in It's denunciation.
Speculative minds construed the hos
tility of of the organ of the party to Kolb
to be an Endorsement of Jones. Rumor
went forth that several candidates for
governor would announce as soon as the
Advertiser had killed Off Kolb by its op-
position and Jones by its inferential sup
port.
Kolb continued to hold In the counties
the farmers institutes prescribed by
statute for his official labor. The insti-
tute meetings were composed largely of
alliance men. On all such occasions the
commissioner of agriculture taught tho
necessity of legislation to effect the good
of the farmers. On all such occasions he
declared his candidacy before the ap-
preaching party state convention and re-
pudiated all sympathy with the st. Louis
platform.
Kolb was the only candidate on the
stump and he spoke by authority of the
statute law.
Meantime leaders of the alliance re-
ferring to the approaching party conven-
ton declared:
THE alliance will arrange a platform of
principles to which every candidate who
| aspires to office by the help of alliance
| men must subscribe"
| In Georgia, Leonidas F. Livingston,
president of the state alliance. had re-
| ceived his first term in Congress; w j.
Northern, president of the State Agricul-
| tural association, and an alliance man,
was elected governor, to succeed Gen.
| John B. Gordon. Gordan was not a men,
| Der of the alliance, but the order claimed
| that 1t possessed his written pledge of
| sympathy and upon that pledge the al
| lance influence in the legislature had
elected him United States senator
| Late In January, 1890. the counties be-
gan, by conventions, in some cases, and
J by primaries in others, to select the OIL
| delegates to the state convention, due to
assemble May 20.
Blount led off by a convention. The
| delegates were instructed and the instruc-
| tions favored Probate Judge William
Richardson of Huntsville. without mo-
ment's hesitation Captain Kolb declared
| on the stump that the Blount instructions
were a blind, piece of politics. Richard
| son was an impossible nominee and in
| structions for him were tantamount 10
| Kolbs support. Blount county would gc
| to Kolb as a result. 1t may be interesting
to recall that in 1882, the vote Of Blount
was actually cast for Kolb for governor.
| Dallas followed, acting by primary. A
| solid delegation was chosen favorine
| Capt. Joseph F. Johnston for governor
Johnston had been then a citizen of Bir-
mingham for seven years. removed from
Selma.
Jefferson followed Dallas for Johnston
Calhoun In county democratic convention
controlled by alliance men, instructed fol
Capt. James Crook.
The Montgomery county democratic con-
venton met the last Saturday in April
The body was composed of beat delegates
chosen at beat meetings under party au-
| thority. The several beats had chosen
| some democrats who were alliance men
and some democrats who were not al
| lance men. FN
| The county convention divided the dele
gates chosen by 1t to the state convention
between democrats who were members of
the alliance and those who were not. The
county convention then instructed the