Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-10-31
THE REGISTRATION SWINDLE.
How Registrar Manufactures Votes
"A Legally Elected Justice of the
Peace Is Refused a Certificate.
L.. A

1 AAOU - AAN9ASNNUE NOkeS
"A Legally Elected Justice of the
Peace Is Refused Certificate.
From the Memphis Avalanche Oct. %.
MEMPHIS, Oct. %, 1S6S.-Have no fears
of our success in this district. We are fully
prepared to defeat Mr.. Sears in his fraudu-
ulent registration. A negro has been seen
with three of Sears registration papers in
his possession. That accounts for the
scarcely Of blanks that We have heard so
much Of But all that will avail him no.
thing. We will have an expert at each of
the boxes set apart for colored voters, who
will furnish each other every half hour
with the names of each voter. By this we
will be able to detect Mr.. Sears in his ras
| calily. That be is guilty of fraudulent
registration there Is no sort Of doubt He
has sent papers to negroes in the country,
while white men have paid their passage
on the cars to Memphis to register and
have had to return home without them.
Be assured we will be able to detect him
in his raseality, and he shall be held re-
sponsible TO this community for all his
dirty work. Yours
Il. D. BAUGH.
The foregoing is true. l want it pub
lished and will stand by it The conduct
of the Registrar, Mr.. Sears, is tyrannical,
arbitrary, unjust and infamous, and
l have no hesitation in denouncing
it either publicly or privately I have
observed that his mill grinds slow
when grinding out Democratic votes,
and marvelously fast when grinding ont
Radical votes. | know Of my own knowl-
edge, hundreds Of men, legally entitled to
vote, have been upjustly, and, in my opin-
ion, unlawfully deprived of their registra-
ton papers by the Registrar. l have no
language to express my Indignation at such
conduct, or my contempt for a man who
could be made such tool of for partisan
purposes. Thank God that day of retri-
button is IN store for that class of men,
MARYLAND L. PERKINS,
Fully coincide in above.
G.P. FoUTE.
From the Memphis Ledger, Oct. %.
Everybody knows the Radical clique ia
this city is full of fripOnnsrie; but no one
ever supposed they would 90 so far as to
seek revenge on an old Irish gentleman
like John Butler, because he was COM
PEELED to remove temporarily from the dis
trict for which he was elected Magistrate
in August last. Yet such is the fact. Il
appears Sears holds the certificate of cleo
ton from Mr.. Butler on the ipSe dirt of an
opposing candidate who was defeated BY a
large majority. Here is Mr.. Buffers state
ment, sworn TO before Justice of the
Peace
John J. Butler hereby certifes that. at an
election held at Memphis on the first of August,
1865 for the office of Justice of the Peace for the
fifth civil district of Shelby county, Tennessee,
be, John j. Butler, was duly and legally elected
by majority Of the voters of his district, as can
pc and IS shown by the returns Of the acting
Sherlh at the election. and also by the return
made by Captain Sears, Registrar. Captain
Sears WithhOlds said Buffers certificate of cleo
ton; owing to an sbjection made by one of the
not resident of the fifth civil district on the
day of the election. Mr.. Butler states and GER
tines that his nOn-residence in the fifth civil
district was temporary that he was compelled
by process Of law to leave his residence IN the
fifth civil district, where he resided for over ff
teen years that this removal occurred in the
month OF July, 1865 and that his return to his
own district and neighbOrh0Od was a few days
after the first of August, 1868. Mr.. Butler fur
ther states that he would not have left his dis
trict lthe tfth,) when compelled to move if he
could, ct the time, have procured a suitable
house in it, and that so soon as he procured a
suitable house he removed back to the fifth civil
district where he always intended to reside, for
the future.
The Sheriff of Shelby county will certify 10 |
the correctness of NJ. Butler regarding his be- |
ing compelled to move. Mr.. Butler thinks that |
the issuing to him Of his commission would be |
an act of justice which he doubts not would be |
awarded to him if his case was explained to and !
placed before the proper authorities.
JOHN j. BUTLER.
Sworn and subscribed before me. October 10. |
1868. S. A. MOORE, j. p.
The correctness Of this statement is GER
titled by Walter Joyce, Esq, respectable
citizen; and +. NJ. Yerger, q prominent
Darrlster, says Mr.. Butler Us entirely eli
gible, under well settled principles of law"
Still the certificate of election is withheld,
and the Radical clique seem to take 4 pride
in thus obtaining revenge Of an honest
Irishman. Dat upon such low-life tricks !