The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-08-14
KoLB MAKES A STATEMENT.

A%S "A - "a IVA ~
He Claims He Carried Alabama by 18, 900
and Names a Number of Coun-
ties Where Frauds Were
Perpetrated.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Aug. captain
II. +. Kol0, the defeated candidate for
Governor, Is at his headquarters here
with a number of leading men of his
party. In response to the Age HerGld'S
request for an interview he furnished
the following over his own signature:
II have deferred making any state
ment to the public as to the result of
the election until l am able by the re-
turns received upon which a Just and
proper statement could be made. Up
to this hour 40 p. M sufficient returns
have been received to show that I have
carried 40 out of 81 white counties, and
that l have been elected with the entire
State ticket by a majority of not less
than Is, 600. This majority | claim, after
giving to the opposition every white
county they have carried, without ref
ence to fraudulent methods in the
nature of bulldozing in the absence of
inspectors for our side.
ANY citizen of Alabama of ordinary
intelligence who will take the trouble
to examine the figures as reported by
the Associated Press, and claimed by
the opposition, car at once see that 1t
VIII be a physical impossibility for the
ticket headed by Col. Oates to be de-
cIared elected except by claiming a
majority of over 81, 900 from seven
black belt counties having a white vot,
ing population not exceeding II, 900.
The frauds of this year are more
notorious and shameful than those of
1892. For the purpose OF deceiving the
public, they have, to some extent, been
shifted. The returns as reported from
Lowndes Indicate frauds exceeding any
ever before known in the history of
this State or any other State, and the
record in that county is a disgrace to
our civiliz alton. In Montgomery, Bull
lCCk and Barbour the frauds are hardly
less aggravated. The opposion claim
Madison county by Il majority of ], 443.
There are hardly a dozen intellig gent
citizens IN that county who do not
know that our strength in Madison
county this year is much more strongly
developed than III 1892, when we car
ried the county by about 400 majority.
The intensity of feeling prevailing this
year is much gre Ater than in go, and
it is ridiculous to claim that there has
been a change Of nearly 1900 votes in
Madison county in favor of ballot box
suffers and machine Democracy.
Furthermore, it is known, to the
disgrace Of the whole State, that some
seven or eight negroes were appointed
as inspectors in Madison county, sew
eral of whom could neither read or
write. 1t isa serious fact that in the city
of Montgomery, at 4:3O p. M, only
thirty minutes before the polls were
closed, not exceeding ], $40 white voters
and "a colored voters had cast their
ballots by actual count. Notwithstand-
ing this fact, it is claimed that the city
of Montgomery gives a majority OF
2 400 for Col. Oates. In this county of
Jefferson a large number of votes were
controlled against our ticket by fixers
who r opposed to us. Deputy sheriffs
crowded the polling places and treated
illiterate voters particularly negroes,
with indignity, and insisted upon fixing
their tickets. In many precincts we
had no f1xer, and in one precinct in the
city of Birmingham we had only one
fixer, while there were from eight to
ten deputy sherifs standing around
the polling place, ready, anxious and
solicitous in fixing the tickets of voters
who declared their desire to vote the
other ticket. At Bessemer more than
400 of our voters were denied an oppor-
tunity of casting their ballots on &C,
count of opposition leaders ccowding
the polling places and being materially
aided by officers of the law in blocking
the polling place to the disadvantage
of our voters.
I'm view of this condition of affairs,
in the absence of a contest law, l can,
not escape the responsibility of pre-,
senting the issue not only to the sup
porters of our ticket, but to all intelli
gent, honorable and law-abiding citi
zens OF this State. The great majority
Of I'LL citizens, without regard to past
or present party utilization, favor hon
est elections, and in my opinion the
good people of this State are not vii
ling longer to submit to the domination
of a machine organization whose per
petuation of power is solely contingent
upon election frauds.
THE issue was made in 1892, and we
submitted. It has again been made
and it now rests with the good people
of this State to determine whether or
not they will longer submit to a policy
which sets aside the will Of the people
and destroys the form of Republican
institutions in this State, and which, if
persisted in, will surely end in deplor
able consequences. Supported by the
conservative, intelligent, Industrious
and honest elements of this State, it
has been our sincere desire to maintain
and respect the law, and it will still be
orr O01icV tn m only those meas.
ures that will insure the perpetuation
of republican institutions to the end
that Iawlessness may not prevail. The
time has arrived, however, when the
people of Alabama must decide for
FhoDoScIuoo