The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-10
The Vote.

From Brick POmeroy'S Democrat.
There Is little doubt that the full returns
from the different States, and counting in
Virginia. Mississippi, and Texas, which were
not allowed to vote, will show not only heavy
gains to the Democracy, as we intimated on
Saturday, but popular majority for our
ticket, and grand army of two millions aud
half of men, still in the field, and ready to
struggle right on, with the same heroic spirit
as in the past for the restoration OF free
government and white supremacy over all
this land.
Then, in addition, there is to be taken into
the account the disfranohisement of white
citizens in many of the States, which in Ten
nessee and Missouri is heavy, but we think
not as great as has been stated by some of the
papers in the other Southern States. This
habit of making figures lie, which 80 con-
spicuously prevails in certain journals, indi-
Gates very bad political and personal morals,
and does great harm to the party whi jh is in
any way made responsible for ii.
The election returns were badly "doctored"
in the late canvass by certain merceuary,
prostituted sheet, falsely claiming to be Demo-
cratic, whose statements were so wild and
reckless as to seriously reflect upon the char
acter of the party, and impair confidence in
even fair and honest Democratic authority.
Upon the question of the extent of the dis
franchisement in the South we have no deli
mite information. 1t is bad enough in all con-
science, when the truth ia stated, and the case
requires no exaggeration to show either Jaco-
bin villainy or the strength of the white mans
party in this country. In Tennessee we be-
ieve it is about ninety thousand. Why does
any fool want to lie it up to Ia S67l The
very fact that somebody is so particular as to
bring the numbers down to tens and units, to
which minuteness nobody has any knowledge,
shows on the face Of the statement that it is a
fa1.. .ars d do ak ~
five thousand. Though it is enormous in that
State, we have an impression that this is an
exaggeration. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia,
Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina,
and West Virginia are given total disfran-
chisement of 22l $50 white voters. We think
this is overstated. In Arkansas every man
before he is allowed to vote is obliged to swear
that he believes in negro equality, which ex-
eludes nearly the whole white population,
unless they swear falsely, and we think there
is some approach to this in Alabama; and in
West Virginia there is a shameful political
ostracism; but we do not understand that
there is a very large disfranchisement in the
other four States named. We wish some
friend in each Of the Southern States would
give us accurate information in this matter,
that we may publish reliable statements.
But what shall we say of a statement pur-
porting to show the opposition strength, which
first claims that the Democrats would have got
1877 966 had an election been held there, and
then adds to that 81 SS3 disranchised persons,
making a grand total of l95, $40 And this
in the face of the fact that question arises, and
ne line can be drawn, between persons who are
and those who are not disfranchised, the whole
State being disfranchised and under military
rule. The incorrectness and absurdity of this
way of getting at the facts appear when it is
seen that the whole vote of Breckenridge,
Bell, Douglas, and Lincoln, in 1860, was
only 167, 223-2S, 626 less than it is claimed
that the Democratic vote alone would now be.
And since then West Virginia, which
cast 33, 500 votes in 1864, has been torn from
the Old Dominion. Taking this out, it would
reducs the whole vote of what remains OF
Virginia to 131, 704 Now this political bum
mer has the folly to put forth a statement
that Virginia would have given, if permitted
to vote, "a, l45 more Democratic votes than
the whole vote which the same part of Vir
gnia cast in 1860. He treats Mississippi and
Texas in the same way, first counting the
whole vote, which he claims, and then adding
an arbitrary number as disfranchised, wher
all are disfranchised alike. Democrats, al
much as any class of citizens, are interested
in exposing and denouneing such blunder
ing, reckless puppy, for they, more than any
body, are injured by such false and ridiculous
statements being put forth apparently in the
behalf. aa ,s.a.