Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-21
As GOES JEFFERSON.

Pursuing the subject of the importance of grand rally sll along the line on our legislative ticket, 1t is impossible to over state the disaster that might follow the election of six Populites from Jefferson county. This matter is altogether too se- rious to warrant any good citizen, much less any Democrat, in leaving undone ought that he may do for the success of the Democratic candidates.
 The counties that went for Captain kolo in 1892 are Bibb, Blount, Butler, Cham bers, Cherokee, Chiffon, Choctaw, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Conecuh, Coosa, Coving- ton, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, DeKalb' Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Gen eva, Henry, Lee, Lamar, Lawrence, Lime- stone, Macon, Madison, Marshall, Nor gan, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Tallapoosa, Tuskaloosa, Walker and Winston.
 In this list are forty counties, with forty eight members of the House of Representa- tives. Some of these counties may be re- deemed, very likely will be. In all, except very few, the Kolb majorities of 1892 will be reduced in 1894. But when the very life of the State is involved, no man who loves his State is going to take any chances.
 Now, add to these forty. eight votes so much as three Populites from Jefferson county, and they will have fifty-one, majority of two, which will answer them the same purpose with 0 majority of thirty or forty, for they will speedily turn out | every Democratic member from the Black Belt and put Populite in his place. II l they should control the House and Colonel 1 Oates be elected by an honest and square | majority of 25,0O0, their Speaker would | never sum up and announce a result that chair. They have already announced that | in their view the Speaker sits there, not to | perform simple aud well defined act in- | posed on him by the constitution, but in | judgment on the returns; that on the alle- | gation of fraud, of which the members | shall then and there be the judges, the | Speaker may run his blue pencil through the vote of any county and refuse to ln- | o1ude it in the count.
 l What then2 The Houses are assembled l in joint session. Tha constitution and the | law prescribe that the Speaker shall open, sum up aud announce the result on State l officers. Some Populite challenges the vote of Barbour or Montgomery or Dallas or Jefferson, a score of counties, alleging | fraud. There is a wrangle; days Of it. The Speaker refusing to count the votes of the challenged ceunties. The constitution and the law trampled on, flung to the winds. "Chaos and old night' come again.
 These are not mere idle prophecies of alarm. This nondescript party did, through it's leaders in the last General Assembly, proclaim and contend for this very doctrine.
 What then? Doom will crack before a | popuist House of Representatives will ever permit such a summing and canvassing of l the vote as will allow William C. Oates to become Governor.
 If the Democrats carry all the counties they carried before, they will have fifty two members of the House, and if the Populites carry all of theirs, they will have forty eight. If the Democrats lose Jefferson, they will have forty six and the Populites fifty-four, and defiance of law, defiance of constitutions; hell. indeed, {, has broke loose.
 AS goes Jefferson 50 goes the State. This is the battle ground, the key to the situa- tion. Lose Jefferson and all is lost. It was so in that famous primary contest of Mo- vember, 1891, when the magnificent De-
 mocracy of this great county ral- lied to the duty of the hour and saved the day. Will it rally again or will our leading and strong men, so many of them sit on easy in their lazy dignities and see the storm burst?
 We know that many leading Democrats in other portions of the State are restive
 under this importance which Jefferson
 county has assumed to the Democratic
 party. They would fain leave ns alone,
 get along without us. But they can't dc
 it. This is the battle ground royal, and on
 cue vote more or less for the legislative
 ticket in Jefferson may hinge the fate of tht
 whole party; uay, of the whole State.
 As goes Jefferson so goes the State ir