Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-12
HON. OSCAR Y. UNDERWOOD Formally Presents His Answer to
 Truman H. Aldrich's
 NOTICE OF CONTEST Of the Seat in Congress for
NOTICE OF CONTEST
Of the Seat in Congress for the Ninth Congressio nal
 District of Alabama.

Hon. 0. W. Underwood has made his answer to the allegations of Mir. T. H. Aldrich, who is contssting his election to congress from this district. Mr. Aldrich served his notice of contest on MT. Under wood several weeks ago, and MT. Under woods answer was served on MT. Aldrich about the 1st Of January, but does not take effect until today, at the request of MT. Aldrich, who has been absent from the city part of the time.
 Mr. Underwood's answers and coulter charges are in subJtance as follows:
 To Mir. Truman H. Aldrich-
 SIR: have tue honor to notify you of the following objections to your motions and demurrers and answers to the notice which you have been pleased to give me of your intention to contest my election to seat in the tifty-fourth congress of the United States of America for the Nlnih Congressional district of the state of Ala bama, held on the 6.h day of November, 1894.
 reserve ths right to insist on, and take advantage of, every deficiency, irregular ity and informality in your said.n otice.
 l. demur to and will move to strike out your said notice because it is vague, dealing only in general allegations. It also fails to state with any particularly any ground of contest or to inform me sufficiently or even generally on what you actually rely to establish your claim or to show, even II all you allege were true, that was not elected and am not entitled to the certifi cate Of election.
 2. I demur and move to strike out the first, second, third and fourth charges contained In your notice, severaily ana separately, because they are not sufficiently clear and do not even generally allege or inform me on what ground you actually rely to establish your claim.
 And now, without waiving the above stated objections and exceptions to the many errors and imperfec-ions in said mo- tice contained, but I, s:rving the right to insist on the same, have the honor to mo- tify you of the following answers to your notice and specifications:
 Ideuy your statement that was not at the election held on the 9th day of November, 1894, for representative in congress from the Ninth Congressional district of Ala bama, duly elected member of the Fifty fourth congress, and l further deny each and every allegation contained in the mo- tice served en me which Is not expressly adInit Jed to be true in this answer, and an swA hg your charges severally and seper- A deny that the result of the election AhS.4lha har congressman in the counties Of Hale, Perry and Jefferson, in the Ninth Congressional district of Alabama, on the 9th day of Novembe Der, 1891, was procured by fraud, ballot box siutfing, changing legal
 
 turning as cast votes that were in fact never cast, or by marking the ballots of qualified and iilitera,e electors for me when sald electors intended or directed the person marking them to mark them for you, or by bribery or Intimidation of voters or elec- tors iu either of said counties of Hale and Perry. deny that the inspectors of eIec- tions returned as cast for me larger mum Der of votes than were actually cast, or that any changes whatever were made In the hu hp hoard of sIlu others.
 9. I assert and will prove that the judge Of probate, sheriff ana circuit clerk of each of said counties of Hale and Perry fully compiled with the law iu tie appointment of the inspectors of election for the several precincts of the said counties, and that the inspectors of election for the several precincts of the said counties compiled with the law in the appointment of clerks, assistant inspectors, markers or hxers.
 8. 1 deny that the election officers for any of the precincts of said counties were not sworn, or that the returns made by said officers were false or fraudulent, or that you were deprived of the benefit of 500 votes, or any number whatever, cast for you in said counties of Hale and Perry by act of commission or omission on the part of any inspector or election ofncer or by any one. deny that 15o0 votes never ac- tuaiiy cast for any one were counted for me.
 A. deny that any person was allowed to vote in either Hale or Perry county with ont first exhibiting and surrendcring his registration certificate.
 5. deny that every registration officer in the district was my political friend, or that in the counties of Hale, Perry and Jefferson the registration officers, who were political friends of mine, issued registration certih- cates to parties desiring to vote for me after the registration period provided by law had expired, or that duplicates were issued, or that received 500 votes in precincts 21 and 87, Jefferson county, upon illegal and duplicate certificates of registration. ailege that your political friends and sup poriers had printed and issued false and fraudulent registration certificates, on which your political friends voted for you, i, and that you received many votes In Blount and Jefferson on these certificates.
 6. deny that majority of the election officers in every precinct of Jefferson county were my political friends, or that at boxes 21 and 37, iE the city of Birming- ham, or any other boxes in Jefferson county, more than 400 voters who desired to vote for you were prevented from doing so and made to vote for me, or that more policemen or armed deputy sheriffs were at the different polling places than were necessary to secure an orderly and legal election.
 2. deny that at precincts 21, 37, g and 83 more than 300 votes were cast for me by persons who had not registered within the time required by law.
  bought up or illegally obtained in pre- cincts 21 and 37 more than 700 certificates of registration from. persons who were legal voters and had legally registered. l charge that you and your friends spent more than SIC, ,000 at said election in buy ing registration certificates and for other O corrupt purposes, and that more than 500 legal voters who would have voted for me kere thus prevented from doing so.
 ,. deny that large number of voters
 ke arrested in precincts 21 and 37 by
 nemen and depEty sneriffs, who were
 = friends of mine, or that any
 white or colored, were intimidated
 led to leave the polls, or that any
 as arrested for other cause than vio-
 the election laws.
 deny that a large number of armed
 ty sheriffs and bulldczsrs drove from
 olls and prevented from voting for
 Merge number of voters at EIyton, or
 I0ne was allowed to vote for uie
 lt legally entitled to do so.
 the charge that only 125 off,
 gre sent 10 Bessemer, bat the