The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-15

The white mans party of 1874. led by George w. Houston, was still intact, still content with itself
 Conditions without Alabama demanded recognition within the state. Thus the white men of Alabama came to disagree among themselves.
 There was increase of debt and distress for want of work among the producing wage classes in all parts of the United States. The cotton crop of the south barely paid the cost of production.
 Sixty-seven millions was then the enumerated population of the nation. The census showed that the insignificant num- Der of 24,Oo0 owned half of the total wealth. The support of the government required ever increasing revenues but the art of taxation was so ingeniously ap- piled that the burden fell upon the wage earners rather than upon investors.
 Incomes were not taxed. It was the policy of the party in power to limit the legal tender currency to gold coin "the money of the world" the metal then in inadequate volume of yield from the mines and the actual supply become a com modity of commerce, monopoized by the few. It was estimated that for every dollar of current money in the United States there was a liability outstanding of $100. It was estimated that business representing $S70 was transacted upon the basis of single dollar in gold
 In the winter of 1S91-2 the market price of corn in Kansas was 13 to 14 cents the bushel, While the miners of the eastern states, the sweatshop toilers of the east ern cities, craved bread, the farmers of Kansas turned their corn into fuel for their cooking stoves.
 Gambling at the exchanges in cotton, grain and pork was favorite entertain ment of the holders of interest bearing,
 nontaxable government bonds. while carloads of good horses were sent out from Missouri into the cotton states to be sold at prices from s20 to s35 per head.
 Under the system of banking by which the same money was loaned and reloaned indefinite repetition of the process. 1t was claimed that the banks in 12 months loan ed $270 to every S1 in circulation. The national banks were denied by law the right to accept security for loans in hand. Thus the bulk of producers, the farmers. were reduced to the merchants for the necessary and logical relief they required in the pursuit of their business. There had been a descent in prices of staple products of the farm since the year 1875. when hostile legislation attack ed the silver currency. Cotton brought $90 the bale in the spring of 1873, but 50 only in the spring of 1S90 Knights of Labor complained of the pluck me- shops, maintained by the employers of labor.
 Good for p cents in mercha ndise: Main Jellico Mount Coal company, Kensee Ky, is copy of the script playing an impor- tant part in the political controversy of the period.
 The south was still tabooed in the na- tional government. Radicalism was domi- nant in Congress. Under these conditions the state campaign of 1892 split the white mans party.
 It was questioned nowhere that Cap tain Kolb, while canvassing for the cleo tion of Jones governor in 1890, kept we'll in view of the public his sense of injus- tice at his own defeat for the nomination
 to that office by the convention. He received a remarkable public encourage ment in nursing his grievance.
 Kolb resolved to ignore the party prece- dent of two terms to an acceptable party
 governor. In speech delivered at the
 Blue Creek coal mines in Jefferson coun-
 ty, in the spring of 1892 he declared he was not the candidate of the farmers and that he would not accept a nomina- ton from any class of ciews; the governor took the stump There was not better stump speaker in the state than this gov ernor and he was now terribly in earnest. He had brought three suits for malicious islander against the Kolb organ, Baltzell' g
 Montgomery Weekly Alliance Herald. His enemies were many and bitter. unto the verge of ferocity.
 The last week in Marcn the cnndi- dates for governor met in joint debate at Ozark, Dale county. The audience was full and intensely interested. The next week, the first week in April, they