Nothing but silence answers this scathing arraignment of the Democratic party of Alabama. The burning charges of corruption and robbery meet no rebuttal; none could truthfully be made. Many weeks after the publication of Captain Kolb's letter, the Birmingham _Age-Herald_, of March 3, 1893, contained a remarkable editorial confession, headed: "That Political Pest,"--which may enable one to form some opinion of the sentiment of the average Jones Democrat regarding the Kolb-Jones contest and "dispute" over the election. This quotation from the editorial will prove quite interesting: "Now the fact is that the Populists will fight the Democratic party in 1894 on the issue of the last August election, and their cry will be so many variations of the contest matter. The plain facts of this matter had as well be understood first as last. If Captain Kolb and the other gentlemen who ran on his ticket had supported Cleveland and held good their claims to being Democrats, a contest law would have been enacted. Public sentiment would have compelled it, and the dispute over the election would have been legally settled, and in all probability Governor Jones would have been governor just as he is now. But when Captain Kolb and his fellow candidates on his state ticket, went bodily over to Mr. Harrison and conspired with Chris Magee, public sentiment revolted. From that moment all possibility of a contest law vanished. The organized Democracy would not hear to yielding an inch of ground, and all the influence of Governor Jones himself could not have availed to procure a contest law from the Legislature. That is a plain statement of fact. That is the shape it will assume in 1894. In the meanwhile, if we begin the campaign already, how are we going to have any rest?" As is easily apparent from reading the foregoing editorial, the principal excuse of the "machine bosses" as to why the office of governor was stolen from Captain Kolb, is "because he did not support Cleveland!" This silly twaddle about Captain Kolb going over to Harrison, is just such nonsensical stuff as the average of Alabama Democratic editors deem fit to feed the Democratic "gods and little fishes" on. What other available matter have they, when truth, right and reason have forever departed from their sanctums and from their cause? CHAPTER II. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ONE OF PREJUDICE.