Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1909-10-29
TO THE DEMOCRATIC VOTERS
 OF JEFFERSON COUNTY

Without wishing to influence your votes for either of the other candl dates, for circuit clerk, and with ho personal malice to Mr. \. r. McNeH, I wish to make a statement as loi- lows: simply that you may judge oi his democracy, and hence his clalf' to democratic support.
 In 1908 l was the regular demo- cratic nominee for constable of Bar rauue township, having won the nom ination fairly, before the white dem ocratic voters of the township, al the regular primary election, that nomlnf- ted county and township officers. Messrs. Harwell and Matthews were the nominees for justice of peac@. af the same election. At the general election following MT. McNeil who is i now asking the democratic nom;na 1 tion for circuit clerk. ran as an in dependent candidate for constable an'i defeated me. This was done, l char" ,. with the negro voters of the tOWn- ship, and caused the defeat of one Of the democratic nominees for iustie" of the peace, in the township, by a ne- gro republican, Tom Mingea. by nantc. An analysis of the vote of the towa ship will show this to be true. Barraque township has two votine, precincts, viz: Redfield and kearney. Nearly all of the negroes voted at kearney. less than a dozen voting at Redfield.
 The vote at the two precincts for constable and magistrate was ar fol- lows:
 At RedfieId.
 Fort democrat, (defeated) ,--.-....-.......,,t f Matthews, democrat, (defeated) j.; McNeil, independent -----..---..--..........- g Minsea, negro republican -.....--.......-.... :
 At kearney.
 Fort, democrat 6 MattheWS, democrat --.------.--------=---....l 6 McNei, independent ...............,-.....,. 56 Mingea, negro republican -.....-.--...---.-=.556
 You will see that Matthews, tho defeated democratic nominee for mag istrate and myself ran together, at each place and that McNeil and the negro ran together.
 An analysis of this vote shows such a close parallel between the vote al each place i'll the vote cast for Me Neil and that cast for the Negro re- publican candidate for justice of the peace, Tom Mingea, as to leave nc doubt in an unbiased mind that thx same or practically the same votes were cast for each.
 This statement of the votes is ta!,en from the returns of the General El4c- tion as certified to by the Electio., Commissioners, and nine tenths of the white voters of Barraque township. will bear me out in my deductions
 Of course this is free country, and man may do as he pleases. so long as he violates no law, but every white man knows the need of party loyalty, in this section, and when a man asks for party nomination be should have clean record as t) party loyalty, and no stain of conf vance however remote with the negro republican element in politics.
 l give this statement out to tllo Democrats of Jefferson county, so lhat you may judge for yourselves just how much Mr McNeil is entitled to your support.
 l have no interests as between the other candidates, but do feel that any man who asks a democratic nomi- nation. at the hands of his party should show clean party record. and not have even suspicion of collision with negro Republicans to defeat re- gular Democratic nominees.
 Respectfully yours for Democratic principles. T. H. FORT.