The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-09-13
OVER IN ALABAMA.
TIE SITUATION Is UNDOUBTEDLY
SUCH As TO BE ALARMING.
Talks With tho Leaders and . Review OF
Alabama Politics as They Now Arc
There Is Danger to Democracy.

There Ii Danger to DEMOCRACY
Montgomery, Ala, September 2.-(Spe-
cial Staff COrrespondence.)-An alarming
political situation to the democracy ex-
lists in this state.
The leading democrats are alarmed over
the situation. They are badly divided as
to policy and seem to be making the mud
die more hopeless every day. There is
Cleveland electoral ticket In the field,
which large majority Of the Kolb dem
ocrats and especially the leaders declare
they will never support, because they say
it is the product of the machine which
they claim counted Kolb out of the gov
ernorship. A faction of the Old-line DEM
Dcrats of the state advocate q new con-
Nention and new electoral ticket to pac-
ify these people. Another faction claims
not a vote will be made by 1t, that tne
leaders cannot be pacified and that 1t shall
not be done.
The former faction cOmpOses major
lty of the organized democrats. Inc leg
fSlature meets on the 18th of November
1T will count the vote and Governor Jones
will be inaugurated on the LIST OF Decem-
Der. Then Kolb will contest ana there
will be q long battle over the governor
shin. which bids fair to cause u lasting
and serious breach in the democratic
ranks of the state.
From the present indications the lead
Ing democrats fear Weaver or Harrisoh
will get the electoral vote Of Alabama.
Unless a large number Of the Kolb faction
can be drawn back into the denlocralic
ranks; that is probable.
There are in round numbers about l6O,-
200 democratic and 10000 republican
votes in Alabama. Many democrats have
gone over into the third party and many
ure followers of Kolb and call themselves
'.Jeffersonian democrats Both or these
factions declare they will not vote for the
Cleveland electors.
This division among the democrats Is
the product of two causes.
First. the bulk OF the Farmers Alliance
IS opposed to Mr.. Clevelands financial
views as they have been represented to
them.
Second the Kolb democrats declare
they will not support the Cleveland cleo
toral ticket, the product of what they call
the machine. which they declare defraud-
ed Kolb out of the gOvernorship by
stufing ballot boxes and making fraud
ulent returns.
Some of these men are so indignant
that they assert Harrison and his force
bill will be preferable to the political ma
chine now controlling the state.
The force bill has no terrors for u.s."
the KOlb men assert. Our vote is not
counted now; 1t can be no worse with q
force bill"
For Mr.. Cleveland to get the electoral
Soto Of Alabama the larger portion Of
the Eolb democrats and the organized
democracy will have to get together. The
EOlb men assert that nothing will make
them support the national demo-
cratic ticket but for the regular
democracy to have an invest-
gation of the returns Of the vote of the
state by the legislature, which will show
that Kolb was elected as governor and
install him in the Office In that event they
would so in for Cleveland Otherwise
they viii vote for the peoples party ticket.
The regular democrats are willing to have
an investigation, but are not willing to
give kolb the governorship rs consider
alton for his supporting Mr.. Cleveland.
On the 10th the I\oib democrats and the
peoples party meet in convention at Biz
nngham TO act about c0nteStlnS the state
election to nominate congressman and to
The republican leaders in the state and
the republican national committee are en-
couraging them in this. They are promis-
ed the republican vote OF the state for
their electors, who will be, presumably,
peoples party electors, but uninstructed
and unpiedged. The republican national
committee has further offered to put up
all the money necessary to the campaign.
The leading democrats believe after
this electoral ticket has been launched,
II it should have much following, drawn
from the democratic party, that the re-
publicanS will put out an electoral ticket.
The republican leaders here are Shrewd
manipulatOrS If they can split the dem
Ocrats they believe the electoral vote Of
Alabama can be given to Harrison. This
is what the leading democrats most fear.
II must be remembered that Kolb had
a very large democratic following. He
claims Il majority of the white vote Of
the state. Whether he got it or not can
not he told. There is no way of getting at
fl. The Jones democrats claim he did not,
but it must likewise be remembered that
Jones poiicd many thousand negro votes
which will go for the republican electoral
ticket in November. Thus the Jones vote
in August cannot be counted upon as the
Cleveland vote i'll November To elect
the democratic electors enough must be
drawn from kOlb's white vote to counter
act the Jones negro vote, which will 90 to
the republican ticket. OF course there
are many Kolb men who cannot be led
away from Cleveland, but from the pres
ent indications there are not sufficient
among them to cOunteract the loss in
Joness vote Cleveland will sustain.
\ 3.'< with the Governor.
Governor Jones talked with me at
length today.
1t appears to me now said
he, that there will be three
electoral tickets in the field
In Alabama. In such a condition of at
fairs there is danger to the democracy. Yet
i have confidence in the democracy of
Alabama. Though our people may di-
vide on state issues and though we may
fight bitterly among ourselves, l do not
believe that any great number Of our dem
ocrats will desert their party in the nation
al election when they know that such
action on their part will mean the election
of Harrison a protective tariff q force