People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-08-19
ALABAMA POLITICS.
K0Ib's Answer to Jones on the Recent
Election.

When men refuse TO accept office
because of the corrupt methods by
which they have been declared
elected by their party associates, the
fact is conclusive of the question of
fraud in the election.
The country has been startled by
the announcement from Alabama
that candidates for Office on the
Jones ticket have in several in
stances declined to accept because
satisfied they had been "counted
In" And not only that, but in
Montgomery county (the Capital
county and home of Governor
Jones), where the Kolb candidates
proposed to begin contests in the
courts for possession, it was found
upon application to the custodian Of
such records that the tally sheets
had disappeared from the ballot
boxes, where the law requires them
to be preserved for sixty days after
election for the express purpose of
supplying evidence in cases OF con-
test. No honest man, after know
ing Of these outrageous and felOn-
ious assaults upon the purity Of the
ballot box, can fail to be strongly
inclined to credit the statements of
Capt. Kolb in his recent letter to
the Constitution in reply to Gov
ernor Jones. There is an air of
opeEness and fearlessness about it
that carries conviction. Witness
the following extract:
'.The governor commences his letter
by saying that L do not see how it is pos
stole to cut my majority down under 49,
000.' This may puzzle the governor, but
it is by no means a problem to any we'll
informed Albanian. In fact, the state
ment excites general derision. and even
pity, from some of his friends. II the
governor will substitute the honest ma
iority for me for the fraudulent MAORI
ties he claims in Montgomery, Dallas
and Wilcox, he will lose over 5000
accorded him in those counties, and by
adding to my majOritles 5000 which [
honestly received from these counties, it
would make a difference Of %, 900 votes,
which would wipe out all his alleged
majority and place him in hopeless mi
noritv. This is not at all difficult for the
citizens of these respective counties to
see and realize. In fact, most Of his
candid friends admit it. But, to be more
specific, he claims 1884 majority in
Montgomery county, where no one but
his partisans credit him with any ma
iority at all but ON the contrary all
except these partisans admit that I car
red the county, and those who have
taken the pains to inform themselves
know that | carried it by not less than
/ 800 majority. In Dallas county he is
credited with 6, 124 majority, when it is
a recognized fact that lie did not receive
a majority Of the votes in that county,
and those who are informed know that I
received a majority of over 1900. In
Wilcox county, where q majority OF
1854 is credited to him, it is well known
in that county that he was beaten at
nearly every box, and all who have in
formed themselves know that my ma
jority exceed 1900"
And now, bearing in mind the
pregnant fact that Governor Jones
is in office, and that he and his
friends have control of the election
machinery, read this further ex-
tract:
cit is a very significant fact that Gov
ernor Jones carried only four counties in
the State in which I was accorded my
legal rights to at least one inspector at
each box. In this connection it is also
very significant that Governor Jones re-
fused to join me in an open letter to our
respective friends requesting them to act
with perfect fairness in the election, and
to do all in their power to assure honesty
in the management, correctness in the
count and fidelity in the discharge Of all
legal requirements about the election. 1t
is also a very significant fact that in
every county in which my friends had
the appointment of inspectors that Gov
ern0r Jones had an inspector at every
box where he had supporter in the
beat, and that in all these counties ex-
cept four [ received majorities."
And this:
Gwen in his Governor JonesD home
county, his best friends admit the enor-
nifty of the frauds perpetrated in the
black belt and protest against their en-
ployment to defeat the will of the people
honestly expressed at the polls, which
clearly show his defeat. Many go so far
as to publicly state that should he avail
himself of these frauds to foist himself
upon the people against their will that
he would be playing the part of Ruther-
ford B. Hayes and would be so regarded
by the best people of the State"
Governor Jones having stated in
his Constitution letter, to which
Capt. Kolb is replying, that "this
majority" (for Jones) "represcnts a
white majority, for it is idle for any
one to deny that Capt. Kolb,
through the State, received a ma
iorlty of the black VOTE" Kolb