The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-03

The year 1894 opened with the white mans party of redemption-the party that 20 years before had elected Hous- ton over the military regime-now com posed of four factions. The regulars were divided between Cleveland and anti-Cleveland democrats. The Jeffer- sonian democrats. led by Captain Kolb, still maintained their organization. with Capt. A. J. Goodwin as head of the state committee. The populist party was strong in northern counties.
 The great majority of the regulars was anti-cleveland The Cleveland majority and the Jeffersonians were in agreement upon every essential item of all others. The democratic President and the solid republican party was on one side of that question together. Presi- dent Cleveland, on that question ab- sorbed all others, stood in bold defiance of the long line of announcements of his party. He was in daring adventure against the mature purpose and the very word of the latest pladge of his party, upon this pivotal question.
 Ht HolitN Ol aIIeSlutnl tAuQitW Johnson in abolishing the perfectly or ganized state governments of the south, in 1885. to reorganized them, was a mere tub to the whole, mere play to the fancy of the conquerer. The reor- ganization made by Parsons. In the Presidents name, gave the state the constitution of 1865 and the legislature elected under 1t the next month. The convention that made the constitution was presided over by Benjamin Fitz- patrick, twice governor and several times chosen to the United States Sem ate. It was a select body of one hun dred, the superior to which could not have been assembled. The convention in three weks' time made the most com prehensive constitution the state has had to this day. Among other things it abolished slavery three months before the 18th article of amendment went into effect Slavery had not existed in Ala bama for 90 days prior to the adoption of the federal article of emancipation. Moreover. this state constitution, by special and mandatory provision, gave to the negroes it emancipated every personal and civil right possessed un- der 1t by white women and white minors.
 By ruthless power of the sword, the fragment of Congress overthrow the state government of 1865 and set up military despotism instead. This des- potism was itself overthrown by the election of 1874.
 It was the party of 1874, phenomenal in it's integrity, that presented itself. in 1894, in shreds of four factions. Sena- tor Morgan told the Senate from his place that the degeneracy of the cur rency laws of the United States, mainly emphasized In the denomination of the silver dollar piece. had produced an in- dustrial and commercial stagnation, de- structive of the fruits of labor and en- terprise, and that the outcrop of fac tions from a normally solid electorate in Alabama was the political fruit
 We have seen that Chairman Good wyn of the Jeffersonians proposed to Chairman A. G. Smith of the regulars to submit to @ primary of democrats ex- clusively which organization of these two should be proclaimed the democ- racy of Alabama" Goodwyn's proposal was rejected
 Chairman Goodwin now issued call for a state convention of the Jeffersonian democracy to meet in the Winnie Davis wigwam, Birmingham, on February 8, 1894 The Jeffersonians had supported the Omaha presidential ticket two years be- fore. which was populst. The populists of the state now came to Birmingham. A joint convention of Jeffersonians and populists met in the wigwam and filled its 5000 seats fairly well. Suffice it to be