The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1868-06-09

II unlawful oatbs are deemed unlawful conn
binations. 1st Russ on Crims. 277- 8, 2sl. 3
/ Theexercise of the elective franchise is
| allowed by law to all qualified eleeters,1 free
from threats, intimidation, compulsion, or
| illegal com binatiorf The Intention of the
laws is, thateyery eleetor shall vote accord
| ing to the dictates of his own free will. -,
Under our form of government the elec-
4 tive franchise is considered the most yalua-
bic of all public rights, and persons unlaw-
fully interfering with the free and nnpreju-
| diced exercise of, the same, are held to be
terminals of high character. The offer of
Gifts or reardYds to ihfluence the vote of an
-eleetor, is punished with disqualification for
4 any office of profit or trust, exclusion from
I suffrage and Imprisonment in the penitentiaryi
not more than two years., or in the county
Jail one year, or fined thousand dollars, or
both at the discretion of the court. .ll Code
4 519, art g.. That the managers OF the Loy-
| al Leagues have committed this crime, on a
most gigantic scale, there can be little
doubt. The fact that they have sworn. all
the feedmen in their lodges to secresy, and
Threatened them with criminal prosecutions
| If they divulged the secrets of the order,is
evidence of criminal intent-that they were
4 promised forty acres of land and a mule
and other rewards before the Convention
i election is a matter of confirmed notoriety.
i Our statute provides as follows: Art. 80.
i '"Whoeyer shall procure, or endeavor topro7
I cure the vote of any elector, or The influence
LOT any person over other electors, at any
H election, for himself or any candidate, by
| means of violence. or threats of violence, or
threat of withdrawing custom or dealing in
\ business or trade, or of enforcing the pay
ment of debt, or7of bringing a suit or GRIM
lnal prosecution, or by any other threat or
| injury to he inflicted by him, or by his
means, shall, upon conviction, be forever
disqualified to- hold any office or place of
| trust, honor or profit, under the laws or con-
CfIf IL q
| frage and be punished by Imprisonment in
the penitentiary. for a term not exceeding
two years, or in a county Jail, not more than
one year, or by fine not exceeding one thou
sand dollars, or by both such fine and inn
| prisonment.ad ne hielt1 ratoJ4ll l4i-i4- il
/ By. our statute it is further provided 'fthat
| II any person shall offer or give reward to
another for the purpose of Inducing him to
persuade, or by any other means, not amount
ing to bribery, procure any person to cote at.
any election, for or against any person, the per-
son so giving or offering, and he who shall
receive such reward, shall, upon conviction
| thereof, be imprisoned in the common iail
for not more than one year, or fined not more
| than five hundred dollars, or both, at tine
discretion of the court.'5 Rev. Code, page
| 579, art. 80. That this statute fully covers
the gigantic frauds of the Loyal Leagues, in
| the elective franchise. there can be no
/ reasonable doubt. That they procured the.
Il
| false promises of rewards of political and
| pecuniary nature, to vote for the Radical
candidates and against the opponents at the
j Convention eleetion,l and that they have
perfected this scheme and enlarged its Grim
inal proportions for the election on the 22d
inst, is fact ofwhich they publicly boast,
| and no reason is perceived why Gen. Gillem
should not break. up the lodges and disperse
the conspirators - "a 81 --If.rfqg .r4l.-...a
| CONVENTION CoNMITTEp oIr SIryrI,S
| AT SEVENTY DOLLARS PER DAY. =
In addition to- the Loyal Leagues estab-
lished allover the State, the,late Convention
| appointed committee of fve--increased.
now to seven, as we are informedAwitb paw
of $40 per day. This committee are author
lied to appoint three commissioners for
each county, at the same wageso of registrars
TO attend The election in each county, and
report to the committee. Inasmuch as Gen.
Gillem has sole charge of the election, with
| his military force, and has made ample pro
vision for the same, this committee and
7 commissioners of the Convention have no,
lawful duties to perform. They are not au-
thorized by the acts of Congress, nor by
military orders. 1t is fraud on the public
! treasury of this State and is manifestly
plan OF the Convention to aid the Loyal
| League IN casting the negro vote for the
& Radical candidates The only duty requir
ed of these commissioners is to "attend the
election" SS'be present at the counting of the
votes, and forward the result of the same to
the chairman of said committee, within
three days thereafter" '-'tt'7i' iil32a ID
ONE. HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE
| COMMISSIONERS OF ELECTION, AT =
M Sl:09S, PER DAY. Isst
There are three Commissioners for each
county at So per day-with no time specified
Il when these offices shall end and no duties
to perform IN which the public have any
interest whatever. 4-@ --+Al* s".i =
Tere are sixty-oue counties in the State
three Commissioners for each makes one
hundred and eighty-three Commissioners at
So per day, amounting to (Sl098) one thous-
and and ninety eight dollars per day for an
indefinite period of time : cfU
GEN. GILLEM REQUESTED TO PROTECT
~ uE8s FREEDMEN. aus 81 lllaa
The attention of Gea. GiIlem. the Presi
i dent and Congress, is called to this whole
subject with the hope that they will see the
proprlety of protecting the freedmen from
the VOLTS embrace of the Loyal Leagues
tue State of Mississippi and the United
States from the public disgrace of permitting
so abomlnable a fraud on the elective fran-
ohise, and the people of Mississippi from t he
seizure OF their government and revenues.
WOULD DEMOCRATS BE ALLOWED TO
FORM SUCH A LEAGUE.
II II oucu NdSG anu well organized 7cOQSplr-
: acy to corrupt, ihtimidate and control the
entire negro vote of the State, existed in
II the Democratic party, would it not be regar-
ded criminal offence-would it not be
considered as an unlawful attempt to pre-
vent some fifty or sixty thousand voters
from free exercise of the elective franchise
i I-of what value is the elective franchise to
the negro if he can be kidnapped by the
Loyal League and sworn to support their
party and vote only such tickets as are put
into his hands by the agents of that party.
Did Congress confer the right of suffrage
: on the negroes in order that few corrupt
and designing men might direct their votes
, to accomplish any selfish and corrupt pur-
yose of their own s9 ese as3e& H7n .
1t is known that the members of. the late
: Convention were elected in this manner by
the negro vote, and this alone should con-
: denim their work.
- - "a sFtfE sr ss6l8 ca aaistatg Of gEgEse
APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT, TO CON.
r. 9GRESS AND THE COUNTRY. ana
| Will the Commanding General allow the
! same wicked farce to be enacted at the COM
| iun Will dor ,fs Il,