The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-22
A TENNESSEE ORGAN.

The esteemed Nashville Banner is a wonderfully benevolent newspaper. It overfows with the milk of human kind- ness-or something-and slops over with the desire to help the needy and friend less. Having no wrongs to be righted in its own State, and finding no demand for its championship in its own bailawick. 1t wanders over into our territory and pro- poses to be a father to the orphans of Alabama. rs
 The Banner realizes that the enemies of white mans Constitution can find no reputable newspaper in Alabama to aid them in their fight against good gov ernment and white supremacy. so it vol untarily draws its snickersee and wades in. We say voluntarily" because we hardly think those whom it proposes to assist will consider its influence in Ala bama politics of sufficient importance to of love on The Banners part, and is only a continuance of the tactics 1t has heretofore pursued. It opposed the new Constitution all along, and is now willing to give whatever of influence it may have to the work of nullifying the action of the men who formed Constitution under which we can have honest elections and a government of the intelligence of the State.
 The Banner. following the lead of cer- tain defeated Aiabamians, assumes that what it calls black belt methods will G@ata in ha ftsttt aa if claims has been done in the past. In short, the charges made, while not ex- pressed in so many words, mean that registrars will be appointed in all coun- ties where the negroes are in the major ity with the sole object of prostituting the ballot and giving those counties con- trol of the State government. In other words, the Governor, the Auditor and the Commissioner of Agriculture are expect ed to violate their oaths. disregard fair ness and honesty and only appoint men as registrars who can be depended on to place all the negroes on the rolls to be counted as voting for whatever ticket those officers designate. The Banner al- most directly charges so much when 1t declares that "under this Constitution the black belt can register as many ne- groes as 1t pleases and go on counting their votes without regard to the way they were cast, as has been the practice in that region for many years"
 We do not believe that the honest and Democrats of Alabama have any fear that the officers above desig- nated whose duty it Is to appoint regis trarS will prostitute their offices and thus neutralize one of the dominant req sons for new Constitution. The des- perate men who are making war on that instrument. with such outside assistance as they can get, will endeavor to breed trouble and dissatisfaction by charging our State officials with designs which would be little less than infamous. but we have too much faith in the intelli- gence and sense of justice of the people of the State to believe that they either believe or fear such misconduct. Those of- hcials will appoint registrars who will do their duty and who will carry out the intention of the men who made the Constitution. Neither Johnston, Shelley and their supporters, nor any outside newspaper. can accomplish anything by slandering the Governor and those who are to assist him in providing for honest elections. Those officials will do their duty and the people of Alabama trust them.