Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-21
THE NEGROES.
An Appeal by Negro to the People of His Own Race-Stand by
 Your Friends
To the Age Herald:


 Grant me space in your columns to say few words to my people concerning their political welfare. There are so many being misled as to the merits of one faction and the demerlts of the other feel it my duty as one who has their interest at heart to pie ture to them the two factions just as they really are, then they may better choose be tween them.
 1. There is no republican in the field,
 but two democrats. It is a democrat against a democrat, and voting for either doesn' necessarily make man democrat,
 neither a republican. Now the idea is to
 vote for the best man, the one from whom
 you will be benefited most as citizens,
 Let us turn 10 the Kolb faction for mo-
 ment and see what it has done for the ne-
 gro.
 1. It is made up of "neero haters.''
 9. 1t resoluted against the negro replac-
 ing white labor.
 8. They refuse to work beside the negro,
 and will not engineer a train with negro
 fireman or brakeman, and even more than
 that, there is man on the koib ticket,
 MT. Wilson, who refused 10 repair an en-
 zine in charge of negro until the company dismissed the negro.
 In the issue of the AaE-HERALD of the
 18th instant, in an article headed 'Threat-
 ening the Negroes,' we learn that kolb
 superintendent of education near Alexan-
 der City has so managed the school funds
 that the negroes were left almost without
 their share of the furds, and because they
 demand that which belonged to them in strong terms the Kolb party, in order to maintain itself. wrote the following letter: HILLS STATION. Neal Kennedy and Alex Jackson:
 We learn you are getting smart and dem- ocratic, big men, big fools. You have had
 a great deal to say about the public school
 money. We don't want to hear any more
 from you and your sort. Keep your mouth
 closed or it may save your backs. We have a little band that will wait on you if we hear any more from you or this document W. 0. J. P. Equality. Mailed July Il, 1894.
 Such then is the Kolb faction. It has al-
 ready shown it's uufriendliness toward the l negro. It wants no part or parcel with him. It wants his vote, or, in other words, 1 the stick that he may turn upon him and | beat him. If these worthy Kolbites talk of thrashing negroes now, what will they do with the government in their hands? l dare say we would see better times under | the czar of Russia. Will any intelligent negro vote for a man who leads such cl 8 ! of men2 No, indeed not. The Oates fac l tion, on the other hand, is friendly toward | the negro. It is made up of the better class of men, men of finance and who have never l failed to assist the negro in trouble as a brother and fellow citizen. It IS the better
  ployment and enable him to make decent | living for himself and family, and it is 1 they who now stand ready to protect him. In time past the whits man wanted | foreign labor, but it has proved traitor to | the trust, and now when the country is lit | eraIly besieged with anarchists, he has asked the negro's assistance and the negro I has promptly responded mauiully and | bravely, so that it is now conceded the ne- | gro is loyal and peaceabIe citizen. The on ,nIp Io hnr xEil lnn or l lie down at night appreheDdiug au attack l upon his life and property; in fact the | country throughout will wear an aspect of l calm and safety that it has not known for | strikes has shown himself equal to the emergency and this has drawn him closer | to his white brother; so much so that he l promises to accord him his rights aa a citi' zen under the constitutions of the United | States and Alabama.
 | The Tennesse Coal and Iron company | has already manifested it's appreciation of | the negro's loyalty by giving those at Blue Creek the better dwellings, church I and school house, formerly occupied by l white men, and this is but the beginning. | Lastly, the white man asks the negro's 8 1 assistance in the great political strife and l he shall have it. He promises to us the l full measure of our rights as citizens. We | believe him and will support him. The day is dawning for the negro. The | whites have learned that he is the reserve | force in the time of trouble. The negro is | here and here to stay, so let our loyalty wane not, but increase i'll the last great
 battle. Let us. on the the 9th day of Au | gust, march to the polls in one grand | phalanx and vote the Oates ticket from top to bottom. Then turn to the white l man aud say: 'We have gone with you to the end and will remain with you as long as you respect our rights. If you fail to do this we are with you no more.' Since we have shown our loyalty thus far let us continue to the victorious end. Let us show to them that we are their friends and wish to promote peace and harmony k between the two races. Show to them that l their interest is ours, and that we are ever
 ready to protect it..
 Now word to striking negro miners. Lay down your arms and be men! You have reaped bitter fruit from following in the train of your enemies in strike, your families in tears and despair. Rally to the cause of justice and right and hasten the millennium to the negro in America. E. E. CARLISLE.