Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-02
Fills Morgan's Appointment in
 Cherokee County.
A LARGE CROWD HEAR HIM
A Great Speech That ArraignS the kolb Party Leaders-The
 Fraud" Claim Exploded.


 ence. 1-At General Morgan's request the governor filled his appointment at Center, in Cherokee county, on Monday.
 The weather prevented numbers from at lending. There were 900 voters and some 300 or 400 women and children present. Nearly half of the voters were populites. They paid wonderful attention, only one man leaving during the speaking, which continued for three hours, the crowd still clamoring for more.
 The governor said that patriotism and good citizenship were more involved than party in the present issues. He had fought the leaders of the opposition very sternly, but even in the bitterness of 1892 had never said any unkind words about the masses who opposed him. He appealed to them to consider what their leaders had done on some subjects that rose far above party, and to think earnestly and consider where they were being led. The animus and per sistent aim of Kolb and his allies seemed 10 be to impair respect for law and order, inspire contempt for all authority and fan hate and passion. They seldom appealed to reason or common sense. Many of their main arguments pre-supposed the stupid ity and ignorance of those to whom they were addressed. Kolb leaders in 1891 had disgraced themselves by burning the gov ernor in effigy for conscientious difference of opinion, resulting in the veto of the
 
 in the senate, by the people and in the congress of the United States. Would any good citizen contend that such action was in the interest of law and order? When the governor was threatened with assassination by one Griffith, and on discovering him wrote letter to him calling attention to the folly and wickedness which lay at the bottom of the threat, and warning him of the tendency of secret meetings and the threats that bad men were making; in tIav dc xuhn ha 6o an mn reason and in favor of law and order, Kolb and lis leaders ridiculed and sneered at him. Would good citizens in favor of law and order do that? Nobody would live in city that did not have policemen. When bill was before the legislature appropri- ating for the support of the state troops an amount not equal to that which Mobile, Montgomery or Birmingham pay for it's police force, nearly every Jeff fersonian, republican and populite in the legislature voted against it. Every civil ized state must have a militia to enforce the process of the courts and uphold law, yet the Kolb leaders continually denounced thisl necessary instrumentality of govern menu and sought to destroy it by taking awaN the appropriations for it.. Would citizens who favored peace and order act in that way? When the governor aided in hunting down gin posters and White Caps these same leaders constantly denounced his efforts to enforce the law and pres rye the lives and property of citizens against midnight marauders. Would law w-abiding men, who respected the rights of others, act in that way3 When the governor used the military to protect persons in jail against mob violence these same men con- stantly denounced him for discharging his sworn duty. Would self-respecting citi- zens, who favored good government, do that2 When formidable riots, verging on insurrection, threatened the peace in the mineral regions and the governor put troops there at the request of the civil off cers to preserve property and protect life and prevent bridge burning, the shooting of watchmen, the blowing up of property and the murder of workmen, these same leaders continually denounced the act and arraigned him as violating the rights of the people. Would any body, except anarchists at heart, do such a thing as that? Would men who have the interest of Ala aud property, be guilty of such opposition to law and authority? Would good men by such methods foment still further dis order, and try to bring on riots and insur- rections and murder? Yet the leaders that you are asked to follow have done all these things. Were such leaders safe men or good citizens, or could they be trusted with the execution of law2 Could the people thrive and prosper if such leaders obtained power?
 Among all good people, no matter what their politics, the enforcement of law and the preservation of peace have been held above partisan division or partisan misrep- resentation. These leaders, in their des- peration, have been treating the peace of Alabama as a foot ball, to be kicked about and trampled upon in the hope of getting votes from the ignorant and lawless. Ths states credit and the honor of the state have always been held, by good men of all parties, as far above partisanship and mis- representation. Yet these leaders have tried to destroy the honor and credit of the state by inspiring their followers port their government. They have charged. in spite of the record and plain proof, that large sams of money were squandered by the present state adminis- tratiop for political purposes. Failing iu their duty to investigate these charges when the genera! assembly was in session, they count upon the ignorance and cred ulity of the people to make votes for them while they islander the credit and good name of Alabama. The plain and lawful exercise of the constitutional power to borrow money to protect the credit of the state-an exercise of power so plain that 10 lawyer of the commonest ability and hon esty ever dared dispute it-has been made by these leaders the subject of denuncia- tion and misrepresentation. The efforts of open, and to prevent the teachers from losing their hard earnings, have been de- nounced by these same leaders as usurpa- tion and violation of the constitution. Among decent people of all parties, in avery civilized state, these are subjects in which every good man feels a deep intersts, as to which 1t IS the bounden duty of every honor able citizen to give tbe authorities his sup