New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-19

ofhcers are appointed by the probate judge the
sher'H ana the clerk of every county and the
law provides that not more than two of the three
! inspectors shall represent the same party In
Montgomery County. which is controlled by the
Democrats, the Republicans and Kolb Populis.s
are entitled by law to have a; least one inspector
as their representative al every beat or polling
place. The requirement for the presentation os
registration certificates and the adoption If the
Australian system. with provision enabling the
iiiiterate voter 10 call upon the inspectors to as
sst him in marking MS ballot. render the APP
pointment OF the fusion inspector matter OF
the first Importance The test which | applied
to the election system was that of meeting and
talking with the fusion inspectors appointed by
the machine Democracy in Montgomery County,
and finding out what sort Of men they We're
A mile more from the heart OF the city
there is grocery store conducted by a man
named Hamn. He employs old negro named
Jesse Benson TO drive Il cart and deliver grocer
les at houses This negro has a wooden leg. and
is familiar,y known "Old Peg" He is ad-
dicted to drink is dressed in tattered clothes and
is very dirty and stupid. During the war he
officers servant. and owing 10 intemper-
ance and shiftlessness has become an object OF
charity. The grocer being a kind-hearted man.
employs him because. as he says. he doesn't
know what would become of Peg if he were to
be discharged. This ignorant, stupid. disrepu-
table old negro one Of the election inspectors
appointed by the Democratic probate Judge
sheriff and clerk of Montgomery County to rep
resent the Republicans. Populists and Jeffer-
sonians In opposition.
Peg" was sitting in his wagon when | drove
up to the store. but quickly clamDered down anu
stumped across the sidewalk when l told him
wished 10 talk with him.
We'll, Peg" began II hear that you are an
| tlal.a 10 a he
election managers in Montgomery"
Yes. san he replied complacently- i was IN
spector of Elections in Beat 3. and didn't allow
no foolin'. | kept things straight
"Can YOU read. Peg?
NO, sab. But knew what was goin' on
knew what was in the ballots They couidn
fool me- ] wouldn't allow nothin that was
crooked
You are Republican,"
eyes. san
How did the Democrats happen to appoint you
Inspector
"They understand politics pretty we'll?
They knew what they wanted me ior.
Did they pay YOU well. Peg, for what you did
on Election Day.
"Of course they did They couldn't expect me
10 do the job for nothn. sat all day long Ilsht
nv the box and put every ballot in with my own
hand The ballots all went in AT night car
ried the box 10 headquarters with poncemeh De-
hind me- wouldn't allow no foolin.
when a voter couldn't read and wanted help
in marking his ballot the Democratic inspectors
fixed 1t up for him? nj, At,
all the markin' and hxin and handed the ballots
to me. and / dropped them right into the poN'
| wouldn't have no foolin' with them ballots
You and John Washington are in the same
line of business? .
Yes sab but he has been in ii spell longer.
And the finest gentlemen In MontgomeryUrlIem
like Governor Jones. Hilary A. HeroerI Henry
Clay Tompkns-voe in your beats!
Yes sab They have 10 hand their Daiio's 70
Ill.,, lNuSh N nm n
boxes" 1900 ,,, 49,,
And YOU have a hard time making living ana
they pay you we'll for your WORK o" H'e'''o"
Yes. sab They pays well. and they have
to- But you understand We don't allow no iooi.
in The ballots haye TO 90 IN, ana theS "o'
come out till they's counted .s,
There was a whistle from the store at this
point and odd Peg stumped In 10 er' ,i ms
orders and drove of in the cart He had fuIJ
revealed himself in the course Of ten minutes.
He was a stupid. disreputabie negro without
sufficient intelligence for participation III any
deep election frauds and without the sense r.
Quired for avoiding discriminating hWse'i III
casual talk with stranger He was SIMPLY a
stool pigeon hired to put ballots In the box ana
TO leave the Democratic inspectors free To marx
and fix them. II they liked. and he was the ohlS
representative Of the opposition Al 'he P'Hns
place John Washngt IN. In the next beat haS
served inspector FOR many years nndef snhlIaI
conditions. lie Is an equally shitless ana StupIu
old negro. and can neither read nor VIII, I'' II,
Is thrust upon the Republicans, requests anu
Jenersonians their only representative AT Il"
Imnortant polline- place when they have pre- |
scented list Of reputable and intelligent candl- |
dates for the position. What is done In Mont
gomery is repeated all through the BLACK |
counties as any Congressional committee WIN
discover in single day II 1t VIII take the
trouble to come to Alabama.
After talking to stOol-pigeons Ike John WASH |
ington and "Od Peg" | understood why II was !
that the presence OF Northern Journalist IN |
the iron and coal district Of Alabama had ex- !
cited hysterical connection in Democratic circles
II is unnecessary for al investigator TO organize
a corps OF stenOgraphers and political mentors |
and To make a ten days' campaign In the Black |
Relt I'm order 10 find ont that elections In Ala |
hama are Wiley partisan and nagrantly dis |
honest The signs Of trickcry. pariisanship ana |
fraud lie on the surface, where he who runs !
through the State may read them
John Washington and ''Old Peg represent a /
nracticaI form OF negro domination about which /
southern Democrats are silent when they appeal |
Ia race prejudice on 'the Niger question" Moth |
ing could be worse than the employment by the |
Democratic ring Of these venal and ignorant |
black pigeons in negro counties as the rep
resentatfyes OF the opposition party which car |
ree nearly all the white counties Of the state.
II is negro domination in malignant form.
Those ignorant dsreputable blacks are stationed |
behind The ballot boxes In the negro counties as
tho representatives OF the opposition party, which
ia to be systematically cheated and defrauded
Win nadded majorities obtained In the Black
Relt with the connivance OF tools Ike these. the
nnnosition majorities In the white cOuhtieS are
u,ned ont i'm State and Federal elections |
n ve heard a good deal about negro domination
an tho wav from Virginia To Alabama. bur nave
ina pined that IL was harmless spook conjured
hv some kind OF political hocus pocus' nut "hen
saw "Old Peg stumping off into the grocery l
thongbt differently Negro domination had SUD
denly materialized. - ~ -
THE eTEI USHIP My PROBABLY LOST.