Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-22
MORGAN couNrY,s DEFENSE.


answered by Clarke democrats of that
county in today's State Herald. The
facts established by Mr. Clarkes own
supporters disprove the Islander beyond a
reasonable doubt.
What are the facts? The primary cleo
ton was held on March I. The county
executive committee composed of eleven
Johnston and ten Clarke men, met on
March 8, counted the votes for governor
and announced the result without one
word of protest from the Clarke men for
fraud or unfairness
Next, the convention was held on
March 10 and delegates to the state con-
Iention instructed for Johnston, without
word of protest by Mr. Clarkes lead
ers for fraud or unfairness. though Mr..
Clarke was ably represented on the floor
OF the convention. Various motions in
Mr.. Clarke's interest were made. but no
motion to investigate any alleged fraud
In the primary was made, and no contest
ing delegation was on hand demanding
the righting of any wrong.
The local Clarke papers announced the
result, without any charge or insinuation
that the election was fraudulent or I'M
fair, and still make none.
There was no fraud or unfairness. The
inspectors and clerks of the election at
the Old Decatur box (where the Adver-
tiser says there was fraud certify over
their own signatures that the election
was conducted honestly. Mr.. w. A. Pet
ty, clerk of the election at the Old Deea-
tur box-a Clarke man-says over his
own signature that he was present all
the time the votes were being polled and
counted, and there was no fraud and tho
votes were counted as deposited"
Besides, fifteen Clarke men-whose
names the Advertiser has been falsely
publishing daily as protesting against
fraud in the Morgan county primary
say in the State Herald today, over their
own signatures, that they believe the pri-
mary election in Morgan county was hon
estly conducted.
Not only that, but Mr.. Wallace and 9TH
ers who heard the conversation state,
over their own signatures, that McIver,
the Advertisers hired witness, whom it
sent to malign the honest voters of Nor
gan county, acknowledged that his
charges of fraud against Mr.. Wallace
as ballot box suffer were false and
without foundation, and agreed-to save
himself from a thrashing-to so state
through the columns of the Advertiser
The Advertisers hired witness, howev-
er, did not retract as he had promised,
but instead, under the >direction of his
bosses, wrote Mr.. Sparkman, the post
master at Decatur, who was exposing his
(McIver's) ISLANDERS, that he had informed
on him to the postoffice department at
Washington, thereby hoping to intimi-
date him from defending the fair name
of his neighbor from the Advertisers
ISLANDERS.
If the Advertisers charge was true
why the necessity of trying to choke off
Sparkman, who was showing that Nc
Iver's list of alleged voters for Clarke
was itself fraudulent?
But the Advertisement the Clarke
papers in Morgan-says that the demo-
Gratis of Morgan do not account for all
the men whom McIver claims voted for
Clarke. That is not true. The clerk of
election, Clarke man, says he saw the
votes counted at the Decatur box, and
that he was in the room all the time,
and that all votes cast for Clarke were
counted. If others claimed to have vot-
ed for Clarke they voted secretly for
Johnston, as Mr. Rountree says. over his
own signature, they told him they did
for fear of losing their jobs.
Now after the democrats Of Morgan
county have proven, by the written evil
dence of Mr.. Clarke's own supporters,
that the primary election was honest and
fair by which Johnston carried the coun-
ty more than two to one, will the Adver-
tiser keep up its false cry of fraud?
Yes, because that primary demonstrate
I Sto, rAs.- fiRt, Is
being made for bolt just as it charged
Kolb of doing in 1892.
The most that the Advertiser will do
will be to stop publishing the names of
Clarke men in Decatur as protesting
against fraud in the primary in Morgan,
who say over their own signatures in
today's State Herald that they believe
the primary was honestly conducted.