The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-02-06
NEGRO DOMINATION.
How the Democrats in Alabama
Further Frauds on the Ballot.
Monlgomers Letter DO \. y. Tribnne.


ton system was that of meeting and
talking with fusion inspectors appoint
ed by the machine Democracy in
Montgomery county and finding out
what sort of men they were.
a mile or more from the heart of the
city there is a grocery store conducted
by man named Hamlin. He en-
pIoys an old negro named Jesse Ben
son to drive cart and deliver grocer
les at houses This negro has wood
en- leg and is familliarly known as
'OId Peg" He is addicted TO drink,
is dressed in tattered clothes and is
very dirty and stupid. This ignorant,
stupid, disrepatable old negro was one
of the election inspectors appointed by
the Democratic probote judge, sheriff
and clerk of Montgomery county 10
represent the Republicans, populists
and Jeffersonians in opposition.
Peg" was sitting in his wagon
when | drove up to the store, but
quickly clambered down and stumped
across the side walk when l told him
wished to talk with him.
"Well, Peg" | began, ~ hear that
you are an important man in Alabama.
You are one of the election managers in
Montgomery
''Yes, sab, I" he replied complacently.
Of ..la.s,A,.- -, .
and | didn't allow no foolin'. kept
things straight"
''Can you read, Peg?"
mo, sab. But | knew what was go
ing on. | knew what was in the bal
lots. They couldn't fool me. / would
not allow nothin' that was crooked"
''You are Republican,
ayes, sah.r
How did the Democrats happen to
appoint you Inspector"
II dunno. They knew what they
was about
'They understand politics pretty
well?'
DID they pay you well, Peg, Tor
what you did on election day?'
''Of course they did. They couldn't
expect me TO do the job for nothin' l
sat all day long right by the box and
put every ballot in with my own hand.
The ballots all went in. At night /
carried the box TO headquarters with
policeman behind me. | wouldn't al
low no fcolin'.
''When voter couldn't read and
wanted help in making out his ballot,
the Democratic inspectors fixed it up
for him?'
They did all the markin' and fixin'
and handed the ballots TO me, and
dropped them right into the box.
wouldn't have no foolin' with them
ballots. They went i'm
''You and John Washington are in
the same line of business?''
''Yes, sab; but he has been i'm il
spell longer"
''And the finest gentlemen in Mont
gomery-men like Governor Jones,
Hillary a. Herbert, Henry Clay Tomp-
kins-vote in your beats?''
''Yes, sab. They have to hand their
ballots to John Washington or me,
and we put 'em in the boxes"
"And you have a hard time making
a living and they pay you well for your
work on election day."
''Yes, sab. They pays Us well, and
they have to. But YOU understand
we don't allow no foolin'. The ballots
have to go in, and they don't come out
till they's counted"
He was simply stoOl-pigeop, hired
to put ballots in the box and to leave
the Democratic inspectors free to mark
and fix them if they liked, and he was
the only representative of the spposi-
ton at the polling PLACE. John Wash
ingtOn, in the next beat, has served as
inspector for many years under similar
conditions, He Is an equally shiltiess
and stupid old negro, aud can neither
read nor write. Vet he is thrust upon
the Republicans, popuiists and Jeffer-
sonians as their only representative at
an important polling place, when they
have presented list of reputable and
intelligent candidates for the Office
John Washington and "0ld Peg"
represent a practical form of negro
domination about which southern
Democrats are silent when they appeal
to race prejudice on "the nigger ques-
ton" Nothing could he worse than |
the employment by the Democratic |
ring of these venal and, ignorant black |
s.ooi pigeons in negro counties as the |
Feprc sel.tatiyes of .he opposition parry, |
which carries nearly All the white |
counties of the state. II is negro dom |
ination In malignant fofm. Those ig- |
norant, disreputable blacks are station
ed behind the ballot-boxes in the ne |
g1o counties as the representatives of |
the opposition party, which is TO he
Systematically cheated and defrauded.
With padded majOrities obtained in
the black belt with the contrivance of
teols ike these the opposition MAORI
ties in the white counties We're wiped
out i'm state and federal elections. ! |
have heard good deal about negro
all the way from Virginia
to Alabama, but have Imagined that
ii was a harmless spook eonjured by
some kind of political hocus pOcus;
but when saw ''0ld Peg" stumping
off into the grocery / thought differ
emily. Negro domination has sudden
Fowls kept in artiiicially heated
houses are more apt to contract colds
than otherwise. After having heated
their bodies they of a sudden go out
doors TO meet temperature good
many degrees colder. In this the
-fr.a fol. fp.r cla.l 1naS noble |