The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-10-19

on the opportunity and say, mo flimsy
certificate or inaccurate statement shall
prevent us from purifying the ballot"
| would rather see this county re-
cord its votes solidy for a pure bal
lot than to see any particular can
didate elected. I would rather see tho
party endorse the principle of a fair
election and a right to purge from the
box every Illegal vote than to see the
entire ticket win. But, when tho first
step has been made for this pure bal
lot, and when the party takes up the
cry for purifying 1t, men who have
been crying for purity of election for
years, desert the flag and hold up their
hands in horror at going into the box.
The old law was known to be a sub
terfuge for fraud the ballots were I'M
numbered to PREVENT the throwing
out of illegal votes, the new law was
enacted In obedience to a call for hon
est election, and the ballots were all
NUMBERED. But, when the demo-
crafts as a party undertake to go into
these boxes, to purge them of Illegal
votes and to establish for the first time,
the principle of purity as agreed on
the party is told that although you can
prove illegality you can't prevent It,
Who is It doing the voting, you, or
the election managers? If It is the
managers of the election you are right
and their certificate should be final,
but if it is you then 1t is not right to
deny the privilege of going In the bal
lot box; the managers might certify
thousand votes more than there were
cast, but by the law WE CHAMPION,
it would not change the result, they
would be thrown out; by the old law,
and by the rule of the trickster you
could not Which do you want?
The real issue in this campaign is not
Higdon. 1t is not Stiles, it is not Peevey
and Bell; nor is it the petty wagers made.
Do not be mislead. 1t is an issue adj
dressed to the HONOR. JUSTICE and
PURITY of the BALLOT In ALABAMA,
II is an issue against PERJURY, against
FORGERY and against larceny and
against FRAUD. 1t is for my moral ben
eft and for yours, for my children and
yours and for our posterity.
1t may have occurred to some of you
that the proceedings of the county ex-
ecutive committee were unprecedented,
and they were insofar as they were di-
rected to cleansing boxes of Illegal votes,
but 1t was for justice and in answer to
the cry of white men in Alabama for
years. THIS REFORM has been called
for by all, and on its first appearance
good and honest men denounce 1t as a
fraud They have not yet studied it.
They will endorse it when they 90.
Whether they vote for 1t in 1906 or not
depends on how long their temper con-
trolls them, but 1t is a law for justice and
they will approve it,
The democrats who will study this
law will learn that contest cannot be
entered, as is thought by some before
a nomination is made Judge Stiles has
been criticised because his contest was
not made sooner. He could not contest
until Higdon was declared the nominee.
The right to contest before nomination
might mean he would contest his own
tta., L ,A1af l.
ity of the votes cast for his opponent
for ten days, and after giving ten days
notice of it; so by this time the old com
mittee is out and the new one in, and they
are the only persons who can hear this
contest
The law makes 1t their duty to hear
It, This law was made by the legisla-
ture in 1903 and you can easily find
it. With this duty, the committee was
about to proceed, in what it thought
was an act approved by every man who
believed in fair dealing. When the sound
of music and the trample of feet dis
closed the fact that there were those OPP
posed to its action. On the night before
they met, meeting challenged their hon
esty and why? They first said 1t was
because of gamblers on the committee
DO YOU believe that, since you have read
their showing?
They mislead good people, because the
committee followed the law and did
what has not ben done in Alabama be-
fore and charges were made that 1t was
without authority This effort is only
the first; the party will continue to be
pure and continue to advance on moral
propositions 1t may be that this UNI
horses the trickster and puts the heller
out of business, but the party has taken
the stand. and it will not turn back.
ROBERT N. BELL, Chairman.