Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-09-29
THE ALABAMA METHOD.
Lifelong Democrats Kick Against
Ballot Box Stuffing.
JeilersOnian Democrats on the War Path
aud Ready for the Fray.

On the 25th inst. joint convention of
the Jeffersonian Democrats and Peo.
pies party of Alabama met in Bir.
mingham. The proceedings were in.
tensely interesting throughout, and the
action of the convention on the last
day was an instructive comment upon
the desperate efforts of the Cleveland
Democracy to divert attention from the
protective issue to the force bill bogie.
A full electoral ticket was chosen.
but no national ticket was endorsed.
The only Presidential candidate whose
name was mentioned was Cleveland,
and that was in resolution that "the
election of Grover Cleveland would
mean the Endorsement of the perpetra.
ton of frauds upon the people of Ala.
bama," and exhorting the delegates to
go home and urge these facts upon the
voters of the State. The resolution
passed with unanimous hurrah.
Captain Reuben F. Kolb, who was
the candidate of the Jeffersonian Dem
ocrats and People s Party for Governor,
was present, and his speech upon the
frauds perpetrated by the organized
Democracy in the August election, as
the event of the day. 1t marked new
era in Southern politics. He spoke as
one who had never voted anthing but q
Democratic ticket, and his denuncia-
ton of ballot box stnffing, bulldozing
and false counting was cheered again
and again by body of 800 white dele
gates from every county in the State,
three fourths of whom had been life
long Democrats like himself.
He tested the feeling toward the Ma
tional Democratic ticket at the very
outset of his speech. He read an ex-
tract from one of the leading Demo-
cratic newspapers of the State, charg-
ing them, among other things, with
having combined and organized this
convention for the purpose of defeat
ing Grover Cleveland and the regular
nominees for Congress in this State.
"As many of you as agree that this
part of the charge is true, rise to your
feet" he cried, and the convention
rose as one man, cheering and shouting.
Then he took up county after county,
and asked delegates present to rise and
tell the convention how ballot boxes
had been stuffed or stolen and returns
falsified or thrown out. Laying his
liand upon stack of letters and docu-
ments on table beside him, enough to
have filed bushel basket, Captain
Kolb said they were the sworn state
ments of election officers and individ.
ual voters, procured in house to house
canvas that his friends were making
throughout the State.
One after another as the counties
were called they arose and told the
story of Alabama's s shame.
When Hobson, of Greensboro said
do not let us take fright at the scare.
crow of force till; there are worse
things than force bill," they laugh.
ed and cheered and stamped their feet
The organized Democrats have com.
mitted the crime of crimes" he added
''They have outraged the ballot and
raped the Commonwealth of Alabama
Shall they do it again in November
Never!"
And a hundred voices shouted in re-
sponse, "Never!"
When another delegate told how the
ballot box in his precinct, or "beat,
as they call election divisions in Ala
bama, had been broken open and de
filed, and roared out a wish that ht
had been in reach with shot gun al
the time his words were drowned in Q
torrent of applause.
AS one delegate after another told
the story of ballot box frauds in hi,