The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-24
CRYING FRAUD AS A PRELUDE
TO ROITING.


One of the great desires Of the patriotic
Alabamian is absolutely fair elections
primary and general Under the new
Constitution and the elimination OF the
negro this result is easy of accomplish
ment. That things were done In the past
which the necessities of the case may
have pardoned is generally admitted, but
now, with practically white Suffrage
only, there can be no excuse for cheating
at the polls or manipulation after they
close. The exact number of legal voters
in every beat in the State will be known
to the managers tomorrow and there can
be no stuffing and no changing. At ev-
cry box there will be at least one man.
ager and one clerk, favorable to the
election of Jelks or Johnston. The state
Committee has provided every safeguard
for representation of both gubernatorial
candidates and for a fair election and we
have every reason to believe that 1t will
be absolutely honest and clean.
Notwithstanding these precautions we
hear on every side from Johnston in
situations about cheating and not sub
hitting to false account" Such masked
charges against the integrity of the cleo
ton managers Is an insult to them at
the start, and the basic idea Tor
boiling, if the result is not sat
isfactory. No where from one end
of the State to the other has any friend
of Governor Jelks sought to create the
impression that there will be anything
else than a fair election. They are bend
ing all their energies in that direction
and will not tolerate anything else
That these charges on the part of john
ston and some of his followers of ex-
pected cheating Is to cover up something
is proven by Johnston's own declarations
that he will be elected IL he is not
counted out" that IF he gets one vote
more than his opponent no power on
earth can prevent his being Governor,
and his open statement as published by
The Cullman Democrat that Joseph f.
Johnston, while in Cullman. stated that he
| expected to be counted out and If he was
he would Bolt and run independently. u
All this hue and cry on the eve of cleo
| ton of expected cheating is admission
| of defeat and preparatory to future &C
| ton. On this point The Fort Payne
Journal we'll and truly says:
There Is a strong suspicion that GOV
ernor Johnston may not be willing &c
abide the result of the primary Mr
Iackey was asked the question the day
| he spoke in Fort Payne, and replied that
| II the primaries were fairly conducted
Governor Johnston would submit to theil
decision This is entirely too vague ano
uncertain. OF course 1t is presumed tha'
| Governor Johnston and his friends pro
| pose to be the judges Of the fairness oil
| unfairness of the primary. If Mr.. Lackey
| spoke with authority 1t is easy to see the
| result, unless the experience of all po
| litical history is at fault, for there ha:
| never been a time when man could moi
| find or pretend to find fraud in an cleo
| ton if he were to search diligently for 1t
| II Governor Johnston and his friends in
| tend to repudiate the result of the prl
| mary on the ground of fraud and constl
| tute themselves court to determine Il
| fraud was practiced. they might as wei
now announce that they will not accep
| the decision of the primary.
| This states the whole case so concisely
and pointedly that nothing more need b.
| said.