The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-09-07
JoHNsToN's PAPER
Denies That There is Obligation to
 Support the Ticket.

Birmingham Alabamian, September 5.
 Editor Alabamian: An old Democrat to vote the straight Democratic State ticket, but who, in 1900, voted for an in- dependent (his personal frienO in a county election, and for this was reject ed at the polls on the 18th of August. wants to know what obligation, If any. rests on him to support the nominees of the primary at the November election And he would like to know, when It IS demonstrated that all sorts of fraud ana corruption known to the machine manipu- Iation were indulged in at the primary on August %. if such injustice and fraud practiced by the Executive Committee and subcommittee appointed to do the filthy work does not relieve every Demo, crat who voted in the primary from all obligation to vote for the nominees of the fraudulent primary of August 25.
 Great dissatisfaction exists in Etowah and 2,500 white men stand ready to vote that opposes the nominees of che primary.
 Old Time Democrat
 Gadsden, Sept. 3, 1902.
 The above communication from a vete- ran Democrat, who to our information has voted every Democratic State ticket since the war lays bare the jeopardy In which the party now stands. The ques- tion asked must be solved individually in the arcanum of ones conscience. He was rejected at the Democratic polls for once voting. for an independent county candidate, and now the party has said to him that his voice and vote is no longec wanted in the Democratic Party This question is most easy to answer; there rests upon him no obligation of any nature whatever to vote the Democratic ticket in November. The second ques- tion Is more difficult-from moral standpoint, legally. If in his mind one who voted in the primary is convinced. and this conviction is warrantedNby facts, that fraud was generally practiced in the primaries-he Is under no obligation to vote for any party or candidate; his con- tract will have been vitiated by fraud on the part of the other party. There must, however, be more than suspicion of fraud, and fraud means more than technical irregularities. These are the questions that this ''Old Time Democrat must settle for himself. If he finds that fraud and deceit and unlawful intimida- ton was the order of the day, he is foot loose-free to follow his will and choice in the November election. If he merely doubts the fairness of the primary. the Obligation still rests upon him notwith- standing to vote the whole Democratic ticket in the coming election. While we have made the assertion and have the proof that fraud was generally practlsed and deceit and intimidation, each partici- pant in the primaries must reach his own conclusions.
 Ones legal rights is entirely a different thing from party affiliation One may be morally free to polt vet never cofsiuer that questionable step.
 There are thousands of Democrats all over Alabama who are beginning to be- lieve that the machine cannot be beaten from within and that only a crushing de- feat of it's candidates will ever restore the right of self government to the party.
 It is a sad state of affairs when hon. est Democrats are heard boldly declaring that they are ready to take temporary service in Republican ranks to purify their own party and overthrow an un- scrupulous machine.