Politics of AlabamaManning, Joseph C. (Joseph Columbus)
History
Politics of Alabama
Manning, Joseph C. (Joseph Columbus)
Alabama -- Politics and government
of the vote of Perry as actually cast, I would have received a
majority of over 500 votes, instead of a majority of over 1,800 for
Governor Jones, as returned, which would make a difference of over
2,300 votes in my favor. In Hale county, all will remember, that
the first report received from that county after the election, gave
me the county by over 1,600 majority, but the political bosses here
urged them to hold back the returns and 'doctor' them; that the
'organized' ticket was in great danger and the 'black belt' was
expected to do her duty. Hale was equal to the emergency, and in a
few days revised her returns and figured out over 1,200 majority
for Governor Jones. I charge that the vote of Hale, if honestly
counted, as actually cast, would give me a majority of over 2,500,
which would be a difference of over 3,700 in my favor. The same
irregularities occurred in Greene county, where a true majority of
over 500 for me was changed into a fictitious majority of 500 for
Governor Jones, showing a difference of over 1,000 in my favor. In
Sumpter county my majority was fully 500 more than was returned for
me, and about the same in Pickens; and in Marengo county, an honest
count of the vote as cast would have given me the county by a safe
majority, instead of 1,000 majority for Governor Jones as returned.
"In Macon county, by fraud and manipulations, a true majority of
about 2,000 for me was reduced to a little over 700. In Bullock
county, by frauds, manipulations and partisan abuses by county
returning-boards, a majority of over 1,800 was given Governor Jones
when, in fact, if he was entitled to any majority at all, it
should have been less than 200. In Autauga county an honest count
of the vote actually cast, would have given me the county by at
least 500 majority, but by ballot-box stuffing and fraudulently
counting-out votes cast for the Kolb ticket and substituting Jones
tickets instead, a small majority was falsely returned for Governor
Jones. In all these 'black belt' counties a majority of the judges
of probate, sheriffs and clerks, whose duty it was to appoint the
inspectors of elections, were friends of Governor Jones, and in
most of the counties, the rights of the Kolb faction were utterly
ignored, and no friend of mine permitted to act as manager or clerk
at any of the beats. Only at a few 'white' beats, in any of these
counties, were we allowed any representation. My political enemies
were not satisfied with this great wrong done me in the 'black
belt' counties but invaded some of the 'white' counties, and by
fraud and manipulation in the beats, or by partisan action on the
part of county returning-boards, on the Saturday following the
election, robbed me of over 10,000 votes to which I was justly
entitled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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