The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-05

which ought not to have been denied. stated to the City Council, and l re- peat 1t now that whenever that box is opened and 1t appears that MT. Hoyt received one solitary democratic vote more than I did I will resign on the spot.
 The democratic committee can yet open the box if they will. I invite 1t. l pledge myself to be bound by it. If Hoyt was elected by majority of the democratic voters I will resign in his favor. I make this statement in no spirit of braggadocio. I am fully aware of the fact that neither Asa l.. Hoyt nor any of his packers will ever con- sent to the opening of that box al- though they have ample authority in law and justice to do it. I know, and Hoyt knows, and the muck -rakers, and the pseudo reformers know that I got majority of the democratic votes in my ward and that box will prove it as clear as sun light, and therefore that box will never be opened by their con sent.
 l did not agree to submit my claims to republicans, nor to muRWumps never agreed to a primary which should be controlled by those whose hands were red with the blood of treason to the partys nominees. I agreed to sub init my claims to the democrats. I re- ceived a majority of the democrats of my ward, and l was elected by a dem ocratic council
 If anybody thinks he can disprove this statement, let him do so. As for myself, l have lived as honestly and stood as fairly before this community as my op- ponent. The white light of publicity has beaten upon me in official life for moro than 10 years and no stain has ever been found nor has the finger of suspicion ever pointed in my direction. 1 have done my duty as a public official in the past; I intend to do so in the future. I am a democrat. I cannot help being one. I be- licve in the party; I believe in its organ ization; 1 believe in it's principles, and have more respect for republican than l have for a mugwump. I had rather have the votes counted against me that were cast for Masterson than to have those counted for me, who, under the pre- tense of being democrats had gone into one primary and then in the general election refused to abide by the result, and on the same day and at the same place came with the red blood of treason fresh upon their hands to make another democratic nomination which they were willing to betray when it suits their ends.
 It has been pretended that we cain vassed the votes that had been cast in the general election, and that when the result was declared l went up to my opponent and congratulated him upon the result. I did congratulate him, but at that time I did not know that there were six repub- lican votes in that ward. 1 had no idea that these votes could have influenced the result. I did not know, and I had no means of knowing that 43 republican and socialist votes had been cast in that cleo tion. I did not know, and had no means of knowing, that more than 50 men who had gone into the primary in July had broken their pledge and refused to support the regular nominees. These facts did not come to me until after the result in the general election box had been de- clard and I had had an opportunity to investigate the matter. When learned the facts I announced my purpose to con- test the election. I felt that I owed 1t to the true and tried democrats of that ward, a majority of whom cast their votes for me. I felt I owed it to the party itself. I felt l owed it to myself. Hav- ing given up the place which I could have had upon a promise that the result should be left to the democrats of the ward, I ought not to permit myself to be defeated by the enemies and betrayers of the party using its primary to accomp- fish their own selfish ends.
 There was nothing in what l did to estop me for making a fight for the rule of the majority of the democrats in a democratic ward and in a democratic city. A. A. GAMBlLl+