ALABAMA. 



this time until late in May one county after an- 

 other registered its decision, until the full num- 

 ber of delegates were chosen. During this period 

 the two candidates were continually on the stump, 

 canvassing each county prior to the holding 

 of its primaries. The conservative and hitherto 

 dominant element of the party generally sup- 

 ported Gov. Jones, while Kolb drew to his sup- 

 port the Farmers' Alliance and other factions. 

 As the contest progressed, and Jones continued 

 to lead in the number of delegates secured, the 

 Kolb managers began to claim that the delegates 

 from several counties where the party organiza- 

 tion was entirely in the hands of Jones men 

 had been secured for Jones by fraud and unfair 

 devices. After the last primaries had been held, 

 Kolb claimed to be fairly entitled to about 270 

 delegates, or a majority of the convention, while 

 the Jones faction conceded to him only about 

 180. Believing that he would not receive fair 

 treatment in the convention, Kolb called a meet- 

 ing of his followers, to be held on the evening of 

 June 7. It was then decided not to enter the 

 regular convention, but to form a separate or- 

 ganization, and, unless concessions were made by 

 their opponents, to nominate a separate State 

 ticket. Two conventions therefore assembled 

 at Montgomery on June 8, one composed of the 

 Jones delegates and a few Kolb delegates, who 

 believed it their duty to enter the regular con- 

 vention ; the other composed of Kolb delegates 

 and followers, both claiming to represent the 

 true Democracy of the State. The Jones con- 

 vention renominated Gov. Jones by a vote of 

 372 to 67 for Kolb, and selected the following 

 candidates for the other State offices: for Secre- 

 tary of State, Joseph D. Barron ; for Auditor, 

 John Purifoy ; for Treasurer, Craig Smith : for 

 Attorney-General, William L. Martin ; for Super- 

 intendent of Public Instruction, John G. Harris ; 

 for Commissioner of Agriculture, Hector D. Lane: 

 for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Georjre 

 W. Stone ; for Associate Justices, Thomas W. 

 Colernan, Thomas N. McClellan, J. B. Head, and 

 Jon. Haralson. Democratic presidential electors 

 were also nominated. A platform was adopted, 

 favoring a tariff for revenue only, the coinage of 

 silver, and the repeal of the tax on State banks, 

 denouncing the bill for Federal control of Fed- 

 eral elections, praising the State administration, 

 and containing the following paragraphs : 



We demand that Congress repeal all laws authoriz- 

 ing national banks to issue notes to circulate as money 

 based upon the credit of the Government. 



We demand that all moneys appropriated by the 

 Federal Government for the payment of pensions 

 shall be raised by a graduated income tax. 



We are opposed to the ownership of raihoads and 

 telegraph lines by the Federal Government, and to 

 the multiplication of offices, but we favor the control 

 and regulation of lines of transportation and commu- 

 nication so that only a fair and reasonable rate shall 

 be exacted of the people. 



We demand that free labor shall be relieved of 

 competition with convicts, and all necessary laws 

 shall be enacted to forever prevent such competition. 



We favor the passage of such election laws as will 

 better secure the government o t " the State in the hands 

 of the intelligent and the virtuous, and will enable 

 every elector to cast his ballot secretly and without 

 fear or constraint. 



We favor the election of railroad commissioners 

 by the people. 



The Kolb convention, after fruitless negotia- 

 tions with its rival, nominated by acclamation a 

 State ticket headed by Kolb for Governor, and 

 containing the following names: For Secretary 

 of State, L. C. Ramsey; for Auditor, W. L. B. 

 Lynch ; for Treasurer, T. K. Jones ; for Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, S. M. Adams ; for At- 

 torney-General, B. K. Collier ; for Superintend- 

 ent of Public Instruction, John 0. Turner. An 

 executive committee was chosen and authorized 

 to nominate candidates for the Supreme Court, 

 and to fill vacancies. The ticket was subse- 

 quently changed by the withdrawal of Ramsey 

 and Turner, and the substitution of J. C. Fon- 

 ville for the former and J. P. Olliver for the lat- 

 ter. A long platform was adopted, containing 

 an attack upon the State administration and the 

 following declarations of principles : 



We hold above all other considerations the protec- 

 tion of life, the enjoyment of property, the peace and 

 quiet of society, the sacredness of homes, and the so- 

 cial purities of communities, and we hold the present 

 convict system is inimical to all these considerations. 

 Therefore we favor the repeal of the same as it now 

 exists by the Legislature of Alabama, and we favor 

 such prompt and efficient action upon the part of the 

 chief executive of the State as will bring about these 

 results. 



We favor just and equitable taxation, with relative 

 exemptions as now provided, so that all property shall 

 be equally liable ibr taxation; and we demand a 

 change in the present system of listing property so 

 that every item of property shall be disclosed and 

 valued, and proper penalties shall be imposed so as 

 to prevent the escape of any property liable to taxa- 

 tion from being listed and taxed as to its value like 

 all other property. 



We are opposed to placing convict labor in compe- 

 tition with free labor in this State. 



We are opposed to the national bank system, and 

 demand its repeal. 



We favor an expansion of the currency to not less 

 than fifty dollars per capita, with every dollar re- 

 issued a legal tender for all public and private dues 

 and demands, and that all shall be based on a sub- 

 stantial foundation of value, with the National Gov- 

 ernment in control of its issue and management. 



We favor the free and unlimited coinage of silver. 



We favor the protection of the colored race in their 

 legal rights, and should afford them encouragement 

 and aid in the attainment of a higher civilization and 

 citizenship, so that through the means of kindness, 

 fair treatment, and just regard for them, a better un- 

 derstanding and more satisfactory condition may exist 

 between the races. 



We demand that the State Railroad Commission 

 shall be elected by the people. 



We demand a graduated income tax by the Nation- 

 al Government. 



During the two months remaining between 

 the date of these conventions and the August- 

 election the contest was renewed with increased 

 vigor. No nominations were made by the Re- 

 publicans, a majority of whom probably gave 

 their support to Kolb. The latter claimed the 

 legal right to have at every polling place one in- 

 spector of election favorable to his candidacy, 

 and intimated that in the counties where the 

 county officials were supporters of Jones they 

 intended to appoint only Jones Democrats as in- 

 spectors. The State law requires that two of 

 the three inspectors shall be "of opposing politi- 

 cal parties," and, as Kolb and his supporters 

 still claimed to be Democrats, there was a plausi- 

 ble, if not valid, reason for ignoring his rights. 



