The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-26
NAMES OF DEAD MEN VOTED
BALLOTS OF REPUBLICANS DE-
STROYED, NEGROES INUNDATED
And n Clear Majority of Over 10000
ity of About Three Thousand.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

ton OF the committee on elections NO. / OF
the Fifty-fifth Congress, of which Robert
w. Taylor, of Ohio is chairman, in pro-
ceeding to investigate the contest of Will
liam e. Aldrich against Thomas G.. Plow-
man. from the Fourth congressional district
of Alabama, shows that the committee pro-
poses to take up first those cases viii h
point to fraud in the casting of the VOTE
the counting of the returns, or the illegal
issuing of the certificate of election, and
especially where this is accompanied by
threats and intimidation of voters. 1t is
well known that the Democratic Legislature
gerrymandered this district, and made it
about forty miles wide and two hundred
long. so that it extends from the northeast
to the southwest part of the State. 1t is
known as the "Shoestrong district" and
was thus made with the only object of
trying to compel the election of a Demo
cratic member of Congress, regardless of
the facts, whether the legal voters wished
otherwise or even cast their votes in the
majority against the Democrat. Neverthe-
less, the Democrat received the certificate
of election just the same
This Fourth congressional district is a
district with a history, not the least part of
which is for congressional contests In years
past, when the Democrats knowingly, will
fully and malicously counted the vote in the
black counties so called because of the
Overwhelmingly preponderous Republican
colored vote, they gave even the lame ex-
cuSe that the white counties had voted for
the Democratic candidate, and in their very
serious condition they felt justified in count
ing the colored Republican vote different
from the way it was cast to save themselves
from utter defeat. But in this case even
this f1imSy excuse and Subterfuge is COM
pletely knocked from under Them for
aside from the gross frauds in several of
the white countless w. F. Aldrich has a
majority even in the white counties, and
thereupon the Democrats, counting them
selves equal to any desperate emergency,
just transferred the overwhelming Repub-
lican colored vote of about three thousand
majority over to the Democratic candidate
thus making a virtual change of about six
thousand votes in this one "black belt"
county, and thereby securing the certificate
Of election to Mr.. Plowman with an ap-
parent handsome majority 1t will also be
remembered that at the time of the, gerry
mander of this "Shoestring (Fourth) dis
trict' it had been practically agreed that
the Democrats should control the local and
county offices in the entire district but that
the Republicans, having a majority of more
than twenty thousand voters in the district
should have the congressman. This was
lived up to for several years, the district
being two or three times permitted to be
represented by the legally elected Repub-
lican. But the Democrats again became
greedy, and determined that the Republic
ans should not have a single congressman
from the State of Alabama; hence, frauds
s,so
Democratic delegation. This fraud having
been committed so successfully against the
Republicans for years, the Democrats have
become emboldened and are carrying on
fraud against the cornerstone of all parties
the primary election.
DEMOCRATIC PROOF.
AS proof of this, that good and unques-
toned Democratic authority, the Admission
Hot Blast, of Dec. 1, gives in a leading
doube-leaded editorial, the following wise
and timely warning and advice to not only
the leaders, but the rank and file of the
Democratic party OF the State:
"One of the great needs of a constitutional
convention in this State is to secure changes
in the organic law of Alabama as will Sc
cure fair elections. For any man to set up
the claim that the elections in all the coun-
ties in Alabama are fairly and honestly con-
Quoted is to stultify himself, for it is a we'll
known fact in most, if not all, of the coun-
ties where the negro vote is in the major
ity, that the woes are not counted as cast
The white men in the black belt Justify
their actions in counting out the negroes
on the grounds that this is a white mans
country and that it is even best for the
negro that the affairs of state, county and
city be kept in the hands of white people,
For many years the manipulation of cleo
lions extended only to the black counties
and there, only to such an extent as to
count out the vote of the negro But un-
fortunately, of late years, the unholy prac-
tice of stealing votes has spread to the
white counties and has even entered the
primaries of the Democratic party. Aye,
there's the rub.
Here is proof positive from reliable Dem
ocratic authority After many years of
fraud, threats, intimidation, aye, even MUIR
der where necessary, to gain the desired
end, which has been persistently condoneG
and the advantage thereby gained has been
Quietly acquiescd in till this good Dmocratic
paper is forced to cry out against the fraud
and all because the unhOly practice of
stealing votes has spread to the white Coun-
ties and has even entered the primaries of
the Democratic party" In adopting the ger
white vote would outnumber the> colored
vote, and Democratic supremacy could
readily be maintained without having TO re-
sort to the shotgun or tissue" ballot
methods While that was true in theory it
has not worked well in practice. Beginning
with 1890, hundreds and even thousands of
the white men of Alabama and of the
Fourth congressional district, who had pre-
vious to that time allied themselves with
the Democratic party. became tired of the
brass collar rule and the frauds and in
fanny of the old Bourbon Democracy, and
broke away, allying themselves with the
Peoples party. Finding themselves left
with a minority of the white vote the DEM
ocratic party adopted a new plan to carry
the district, this plan being to count the
Republican votes in the black counties as
though cast for the Democratic candidate
For instance, in the contest of Mr.. Aidrich
against Mr.. Robbins for the seat in the
Fifty-fOurth Congress, the returns showed
that Mr.. Aldrich received a majority in
every one of the white counties, while Dallas
county, which was honestly Republican by
several thousand majority, rolled up such a
big majority for Mr. Robbins, as the ret'lr' s
were made out, that it completely over
came Aldrich's majority given him by the
white counties. So outrageous and glazing
were the frauds in that case that even the
Democratic membrS of the election COM
mittee of the House, in discussing the case
sand fraudulent votes had been counted for
Mr.. Robbins. So ii is shown again in the
contest which Mr.. Aldrich is making against
T. @. Plowman, his Democratic opponent
who was awarded the certificate of election
on the face of the returns from the other
five white counties but Mr.. Plowman is Civ
en- {. sufficient majority from Dallas county
TO overcome Aldrichs majority received in
the rest of the district, and thus is awarded
as being the duly elected representative in
Congress from the Fourth district.