Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-08
Raises the Old, 0.d Cry of Fraud
 Again.
CLAIMS EIGHTEEN THOUSAND
His Leaders Meet Today to Decide What They Will
 Do About It.


 At midnight Monday night an .AaE- HERALD reporter called on Captain Koib at the Jeffersonian headquarters for the pur- pose of interviewing him. He declined to
 talk, giving as bis reason therefor that he had not up to that time receved sufficient information on which to base an estimate of the vote The reporter called on him again last night, and was handed the type written statement published below ln re- sponse to an inquiry for his views of the situation.
 As will be seen by Captain Kolb's state- ment, the Jeffersonian nominees and other leaders will meet in Birmingham today for the purpose of advising with each other and settling upon some plan of action. Several of the nominees arrived yesterday ana last night, and were in consultation with Captain Kolb at the headquarters last night.
 Captain Kolb's statement is as follows: BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Aug. 7, 1891. have deferred making any statement to the public as to the result of the election until reliable returns have been received upon which just and proper statement could be made. Up to this hour, 10 p. m, sufficient returns have been received to show that have carried forty out of fifty one white counties, and that I have been
 elected with the entire state ticket by majority of not less than 1S, uO0. This majority I claim after giving to the opposi- tion every white county which they have carried, without reference to fraudulent methods in the nature of intimidation and bulldozng in the absence of inspectors or hxers for our side.
 telligence who will take the trouble to ex- amiue the figures as reported by the Asso- ciated Press and claimed by the opposition can at once sec that it will be physical impossbilty for the ticket headed by Colonel Oates to be declared elected except by claiming a majority of over 27 ,000 from seven black belt counties having white voting population not exceeding 12, ,0O0. ,gs The frauds ofthis year arc more noto- rious and shameful than those of 1S92. For the purpose of deceiving the public they have, to some extent, been shifted. The returns as reported from Lowndes county indicate frauds exceeding anything ever before known in the history of thls state or any other state, and the record Tn that county is a disgrace to our civlliza- tion. Ia Montgomery, Bullock and Bar bour the frauds are hardly less aggravated. The opposition claims Madison county by a majority of 1443. There are hardly a dozen intelligent citizens 1n that county who do net know that our strength in Madison county this year is much more strongly developed than in 1S92 when we carried the county by about 400 majority. The intensity of feeling prevailing this year is much greater than in 1892, and it is ridiculous to claim that there has been a change of nearly 2000 votes in Madison county in favor of ballot box suffers and machine democracy. Furthermore, 1t Is known, to the disgrace of the whole state, that some seven or eight negroes were ap- pointed as inspectors in Madison county, several of whom could neither read nor | write. It isa notorious fact that in the , city of Montgomery, at 4:30 p. m, only thirty minutes before the polls were closed, not exceeding 1340 white voters and seventy four colored voters had cast their
 ballots by actual count. NotWithstand ing this fact, it is clai med that the city of Montgomery gives majority of 24O0 for Colonel Oates.
 In the county of Jefferson large num- Der of votes were controlled against our ticket by hxers who are opposed to us. Deputy sheriffs crowded the polling D faces | and treated illiterate voters, particularly
 negroes, with indgnity and insisted upon fixing their tickets.
 In many precincts we had no fxer, and in one important precinct in the city of Birmingha we had only one fxer, while there were from eight to ten deputy sherjffs standing around the polling place, ready, anxious and solicitousi in fixing the tickets of voters who declared their desire to vote cur ticket. At Bessemer more than 400 of our voters were denied an oppor- tunity of casting their ballots on account of opposition voters crowding the polling
 places, being materially aided by officers of the law in blocking the polling place to the disadvantage of our voters.
 h view of this condition olaf iirs, in the absence of a contest law, l cannot escape the responsibility of presenting the issue, not only to the supporters of our ticket, bat to all intelligent, honest and law .abid- ing citizens ot this state.
 The great majority of our citizens, with out regard to past or present party affilia- ton, favor honest elections, and, in my opinion, the good people of this state are not willing longer to submit to the domi- nation of a machine organization, whose perpetuation of power is solely contingent up5n ele ction frauds.
 The issue was made in 1892 and we sub- mitted. 1t has again been made and it now rests with the good people of this state to determine whether or net they will lorger submit to policy which sets aside tne will of the peo- pie and destroys the form of republican in- stitutons in this state, and which, if per- sisted in, will surely end in 6eplorabe consequences.
 Supported by the conservative, intelli- gent, industrious and honest element ot this state, it has been our sincere desire to maintain and re. .pstt the law, and it will still be our policy to advocate only those