Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-27
The Alabama Leader Talks of His
Party's Prospects.
RECEIVING ACCESSIONS EVERY DAY
No Fusion With the Republican:
at All Likely.
WHY HE CHANGED HIS VIEWS

ways chooses the stronghold of the de-
mocracy headed by eX-Speaker Crisp, the
Metropolitan. a place to put up while in
Washington, and in that way he generally
meets on friendly terms many prominent
| democrats who happen to be in the city
during his visit here.
Capt. Kolb is every inch a southerner in
appearance. of stout build, clean shaver
face, with the exception of a gray mus
tache, kept well trimmed. and hair that
| shows few traces of the black locks which
be possessed twenty-fveSyears ago. But
Capt Kolb moves about with the energy
of a younger man, and carries a deter
mined countenance at all times. He is
generally mild in manner, but when he
talks about Alabama politics he is apt to
indulge in strong adjectfveS.
Several prominent democrats of Alabama
have lately claimed that Capt. Kolb is
losing his following, and that the populists
of that state are becoming discouraged of
ever gaining success under his leadership.
The idea has been given forth that the
popuists themselves have begun to see
the errors of their ways and are again re-
turning to the democratic party. A Star
reporter mentioned these reports to Capt.
Kolb.
A Lively Corpse.
1.-THE people who say these things" said
the populist leader, .do not believe them.
If they think that the populist party of
Alabama is a corpse tney VIII ma tnat IL
is the Hveliest corpse they have ever had
to deal with. Far from being discouraged,
throughout the populist party there is a
determination that at the next election we
will have a fair ballot and count. There
is doubt that in the last election two
thirds Of the white people Of Alabama
voted the popuist ticket. They are ready
to vote 1t again and the party is receiving
accessions all the time.
Il will cite one circumstance partly per-
sonal to myself to show that there Is much
life in our party. 1t is just nine months ago
today that l started the Peoples Tribune al
Birmingham. 1t IS a weekly paper but 1t
pays more postage into the Alabama post
Office than any paper of the city, weekly
daily. We have the largest circulation
of any paper in the state, and We are fight
ing straight ahead In perfecting our state
organization l believe that the election
which comes off one year from next Au-
gust will be populist victory not only
in the sense that we had victory in our
last contest but our votes will be counted
and our candidates will be seated
The Conditions Have Changed.
You ask why 1 can hope for this out
come in view of the fact that we did not
succeed at the last election. 1 reply that
the conditions will have changed-indeed
they have changed now. We We're but
poorly organized in our last election and
were not prepared to enforce rights
We now have ar organization in every
county of the state, and more than that
an amendment to our election law has been
adopted, which will do much in helping
us to get our rights. In the last election
the democrats had the power in the black
belt to appoint any man they saw fit to
represent our party at the polls. They Sc
lected some ignorant negro, who might be
bought for half dollar to represent us, so
that that theoretical protection was of no
practical use to us. But the amendment to
our election law provides that the organiZa-
ton of each party shall name three men,
one of whom must be selected to represent
ttA v>,11, ID hi, t,,olr
another class of men to look out for our
interests. and the result of that will be
very material
Won't Fuse With the Republicans.
There is no likelihood of the populists
Of Alabama fusing with the republican
party in the future. have advocated that
no such course be adopted, and in order to
determine the sentiment of the state I nave
sent circular letters to all the members of
the state executive committee of the pop
ulist party, as well as to other prominent
members of the organization. The senti-
ment shown in the replies I have received
Is almost unanimous against fusion. OF
about forty members of our executive COM
mittee, only four or five hesitate In pro-
nouncing in unqualified way against
fusion. The others straddle the question
ard say that 1t may prove desirable to
bring about fusion in the state election,
but not in the national election. I cannot
undorse any such position as that. If we
cannot fuse on national questions we can
not on state questions.
while l am q populst," continued Capt
Kolb, 81 do not concede first place in my
loyalty to true Jeffersonian democracy to
any man. What the populsts are fighting
for IN Alabama is just that democracy.
You can depend upon 1T. We are going right
ahead, with no feeling Of encouragement,
and the real cyclone in Alabama is vet to
come. We. have got to have our votes
counted and must seat our candidates
when elected. or know the reason why.
n dog .,f 1N1
coming candidate for governor, but, of
course. 1t is impossible to look too closely
into the future. But I am in the fight in
Alabama, and am there to stay, too
Capt. Kolb is an Albanian by birth
and takes great pride in recalling the fact
that he was member of the first company
organized for service in The confederacy
and that he afterward served IN this COM
pany as body guard to Jefferson Davis
He was in the confederate service until the
end of the war. and until 1892 was a stanch
democrat and prominent in the affairs Of
his party. The circumstances that led him
to leave his party were rected 10 The Star
reporter.
Why He Left the Democratic Party,
In $780," said Capt. Kolb, II went to
the convention which was to nominate a
governor. with 252 votes pledged to my
support in total of SOL The next strong
est candidate had but eighty pledged votes,
and yet combination was formed there
which resulted in the nomination of Jones
l put my case before the convention abid-
ed by Its decision. and went INTO the Gem
paiSn to harmonic my friends, with the
result that we elected the governor with
100000 majority. Again, in 1892, / went to
the convention with majority of the 444
delegates pledged to my support That con-
vention was so manipulated that great
numbers of contesting delegates were
seated in the place of those pledged to me,
and my friends were not even allowed seats
on the floor of the convention hall The
injustice that was there practiced was so
gross that two democratic candidates we're
put into the field to contest the election. l
was defeated through methods similar in
many ways to those practiced in 1894"
Capt. kolb says that his visit TO Wash
ington has no significance so far as his
party work is concerned. He is away for
a few days outing. and left at IL O'Clock
this morning to return to Birmingham