Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-08-04
From the Milwaukie, [wis. News.1 ! How Elections are Carried in the south.

[.
 the south.
 We received call yesterday from a gentleman direct from Arkansas, who went to that state in January, 1867, as northern radical republican, and who was appointed to oficiate there under the reconstruction laws as chairman of the board of registry in the county where he lived. His opportunities for information were therefore unsurpassed, and he makes to us this plain statement of facts within his personal knowledge
 sThe elections held there were an utter farce throughout. In making the registry the registrars were expected to reject white men at option, and to enroll every negro who presented himself. After the first registry the lists were revised, and as many names striken of as it was thought necessary to secure radical success in the state, or for individual radical candidates. There were three registrars on every board, all of them, who desired to become so, were candidates for office. The cleo ton judges travelled about the country taking the votes, and were occupied seven days in the business. No man could vote whose ballot the judges thought proper to reject. Our informant states it to be known to himself, and to be notorious fact, that where the success of the radical candidates was doubtful through other frauds of the character mentioned negroes were imported from another jurisdiction in sufficient numbers to supply the de- fciency. While the negro vote was thus doubled in many cases, the total number of white votes disfranchised in the state were teus of thousands. In electing themselves or other radical candidates to office, the registrars were amenable to no authority that would recognize the fact of fraud.
 In brief, the work of carrying the election regardless of the will of the voters, was deemed by the registers part of their official duty, and proof loyalty to congress and the military authorities present, and any other course would have subjected the registry officers to suspicion and prescription. In the division of the offices, candidates were elected to the legislature who never saw the counties whence they were chosen, except as mem. bers of the registry board, who will never return to the counties they represent, and who do not know a white man among their constituents. As for the negroes the mass of them took no actual part in the elections but to deposit the votes fur. nished them by their white radical leaders.
 Our informant is graduate of Geneva college, gentleman of recognized probity and intelligence, and was always repub- lican until driven from the party by sheer disgust at the mockery he was compelled to witness as one of its agents in the re. construction scheme. His name will be furnished to any one who is curious on that point. He tells us that he was offer. ed the position of state senator, and that he would have divided the spells with others, who seem to relish the proceedings and do not hesitate to partake of the fruits of the mockery and fraud ,; but he pre- ferred to live and die an honest man tc the acceptance of honors and emoluments which he can but regard as the price of absolute crime against God and man. He naturally wonders at the stupidity of those northern republicans who seem to believe that these proceedings have any other ob- ject than the government of the south, and the nation also, by regularly organ ized system of fraud and force. If it is the intent of northern republicans to assist in degrading republican institutions and obliterating popular rights, their ambition ought to be satisfied; but otherwise they are wofully blind to passing events, and the demoralization of the institutions un. 4 der which they live.