Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-14
RADICAL FRAUDS IN ALABAMA

The Radicals in Alabama resorted to
every species of fraud to secure a suf-
fcient number Of votes to ratify the pro.
posed constitution for that State, and the
Conservative papers are exposing these
frauds in a merciless manner If Gen
Meade instructs the officer it is reported
he will send to Alabama to investigate
the circumstances connected with the
recent election, to act impartially, he will
discover an amount of fraud perpetrated
by the Radicals truly appalling. The
Mobile Register of the 9th inst furnishes
the following
A black slave, with the collar of the
league on his neck, presents himself to the
Judges OF the sixth ward precinct, and is
challenged on the ground of non-registra
ton. The lists are examined, and his
name il not found. His vote is refused.
A pirate standing near tells the rejected
voter, GO to johnson at the guardhouse,
and he will fix you up" Sure enough he
goes to johnson, and comes back with the
full piratical ticket, at least foot in
length, on the back of which is the voters
name and the name of D. G. johnson.
That is not satisfactory to the Judges, and
the slave is again rejected. Next comes
an order, of which the following is a copy:
AT OFFICE, NOZZLE, Feb. 5, 1S68.-The
Judges of Election at the Mississippi Hotel
will receive all ballots Endorsed by the
voter and my signature. The certificate of
voters is in my possession.
Respectfully, d. q. JOHNSON,
Reg. Dist No. l."
After this the Judges feel bound to re-
ceive all ballots with Johnson's and the
other negro's name on the back of it,
Thus johnson makes votes after the regis
traton lists have been closed by military
order and johnson virtually nullifies the
proper functions of the Judges to decide
upon the legality of voters, and conducts
the election in his private manufacturing
bureau. There never was perpetrated
rascality 40 bare faced, brazen and shame
less.
The Selma Times and Messenger states
that, in Greensboro, the negroes confined
in Jail for criminal offenses were taken to
the polls and voted, and that one of them
was known to be under twenty years of age.
At Greensboro, committee was appointed
by the Conservative to challenge voters
known to he illegal, but the bureau election
officers wonId not permit them to perform
that duty. The Montgomery Advertiser Of
the 18th inst. says:
We know of many instances in this
city and county in which negroes
were frightened from their homes by
threats. that they wonld be put in the
penitentiary if they did not "vote for ratif-
cation and the regular ticket" 1t is calcu-
lated that over five hundred negroes voted
in this county whose names were not on
the registry lists. In the counties on the
eastern line, negroes from Georgia voted
and openly boosted of it. A large majority
Of the registers and judges of election were
Radicals of the blacklist die, and, if there
had not been hundreds of votes illegally
allowed would have been rejected.
Among the various items in the Mobile
papers relative to the election, we find the
following: Every means was resorted to to
bring up the negroes. They were threat
ened with violence and told that if they did
not vote they would be put back into
slavery. They were bribed, lied to and
threatened; and even negro wenches were
employed to grab up those who had the
sense TO keep away from the contamina-
ting Influence of the renegades, and caiOled
them to the polls.