The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1892-08-26
THE SITUATION IN THE SOUTH.

Col. Oates of Alabama seems to be
one of the fairest Of Democrats, and the
following recent interview with him on
the situation in the south is therefore
especially significant. In speaking of
the late election in his state Mr.. Oates
said:
Mostsof the Democrats were under
the impression before the election that
Jones would simply bury Kolb out of
sight, and it was mainly this reason that
the original report OF $4,000 majority
was put in circulation. 1 know the peo-
pie down there, however, and did not
expect him to be elected by more than
10000 to 25,0O0. The people in Ala
bama have gone crazy over this Ali
ance movement or they would never
have cast their vote for such man as
Kolb. He comes from very good fam
lily. He has had relatives in the gov
ernOr's chair and in congress. He him
self, however, has absolutely no princi-
pie. He was commissioner OF agricul-
ture once and Travelled around the state
on railroad passes afterward charging
the state for his railroad fare. In SELF
ing cotton he has been known, and has
admitted the fact when it was proved
on him. to report the weight in excess
of the real weight. [ have been assoc
lated with him on Democratic commit
tees, and have more than once caught
him in work of a questionable charac-
ter. He has run for several Offices, but
he has never once carried the district
in which she lived. The people there
know Kolb and his record. The per-
Z sistent claims which he is now making
of having been duly elected are just
like him. He is one of the most per-
sistent fighters that ever knew and he
fights hardest when he knows he is
1 beaten. When his term as commission
er of agriculture expired the governor
appointed his successor, but Kolb hung
on the office until it finally became nee
essary for the supreme court to eject
him. His own uncle has branded him
as a liar and yet it is this man whom
the fanatical Alliance people have voted
to put at the head of their state govern
ment. He carried five out Of the eight
sub-districts in my congressional dis
trict and he is now talking of running
against me for congress. have had
many calls to go down To the state and
4 enter at once into the campaign, but /
shall not do so. l shall wait until the
fall. BY that time the people will have
1 cooled down and have their sooer
\ second thoughts about them, and I have
q no doubt but that Alabama will still be
4 a Democratic state. There is one thing,
however, which is something OF a mem
SAGE, and that if Kolb's followers join
with the third party people and the
Republicans they will be strong enough
asto beat the regular Democratic ticket
sI do not believe, however, that fusior
can be effected. The people down there
ssare beginning to look upon the force
sssSbill as bugaboo with which they are
to be scared into doing anything the
Democratic party may suggest; They
sSsay that the cry Of the force bill will dt
sSto frighten children, and some of then
sSgeyen go so far as to say: swell, let u
have negro domination. 1t can hardly
u make our situation worse" Those VIII
talk this way are largely in the minority
but the fact that such sentiment cal
\ be expressed by a large number Q
white men shows marked change Q
sentiment among them.