Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-11-05
now RADICALS CARRY ELECTIONS.

HOW RADICALS CARRY ELECTIONS.
With the registration machinery under
heir control, the Radicals have found it
ather an easy matter to carry elections in
his State. The men who have had charge
If the registration business have been
that it was their first and high
EST duty to issue a certificate to every
man who would vote the Radical ticket,
without any regard whatever as to his an
tecedents, or whether he was citizen
Of the county, within the meaning Of the
law while Democrats who were fairly
entitled to certificates under the franchise
law, were denied the same upon some
frivolous pretext or other. 1t has become
notorious that irresponsible parties have
hawked certificates about on days Of cleo
ton to be given to parties who would vote
for a certain candidate. But it seems that |
the material upon which these political |
gamblers have been operating is becom-
ing exhausted, and so they have set their
wits to work to obtain new supply. The
Press and Times, one of the Radical
organs in this city and one of the official
journals for this Congressional district,
charged, during the tendency of the
municipal election, that negroes were
being imported from Kentucky by
'the ring" to vot3 in that election
for the present Radical Mayor of
this city. 1t seems that this pactice is
not confined to the Radicals Of Nashville.
Their brethren in Memphis have resorted
to the same trick. The Memphis Ap-
peal of the Sd inst, says:
A prominent citizen of Memphis is
responsible for the following statement,
which under his word, we vouch for:
Yesterday morning, while about thou
sand negroes were gathered in the street,
on the steps and in the hall around the
registrars Office, an ancient-looking, cot
recovered, mellowed old darkey, came
into the hall, and showing his way through
the crowd, cot into the Office, and asked
for Gen. Smith Our informant, who
happened to stand near him, asked him
what he wanted with "the General"
and the answer was that Smith had
promised him a dollar for every niger
that he brought in from Mississippi to
register and vote for him. Pve got five
here wild me-" said ancient Africa, and
wants de money" Whether he got his
money or not, our informant was unable
to say, but at the last accounts he was
being registered along with his importa-
tions, by Sears, the Smith Registrar"
A number Of outrages were committed
on negroes in Marion county, Arkansas,
by band Of desperadoes few days be-
fore the election, and the Memphis Ap-
| peal states that the opinion prevails that
the band who committed these outrages
were sent over by the Smith wing of the
Radicals in Memphis to terrify thenegroes
into leaving their homes and coming to
that city that they might be secured to
vote for Gen w. J. Smith, the boiling
Radical, for Congress. The Appeal
says:
ave are prepared to prove that this
band of murderers are the emissarieS OF
W. j. Smith and his party; and more
over, that over five hundred negroes have
left their homes and fed to the city,
where they will be manufactured by the
Smith party into voters for their ticket"
Thus we see that one wing Of the
Radical party at Memphis have been
drawing largely upon Mississippi and
Arkansas for the material out Of which
to manufacture voters for the late election.
This will probably explain why Smith
got so large a vote over his Radical COM
petitor. What are the honest, straight
forward people of Tennessee, Of what
ever party, to think of Registrars who
use their official position to carry out
such corrupt practices But these
Radicals did not stop with importing
voters. They sought to have the police
and sherif's posse enjoncd from interfer-
ing with or arresting their DULLES on the
day of election, and Judge Hunter, o.
the Criminal Court, actually granted al
Injunction on the % inst. restraining
Police Commissioner Beaumont and
Sheriff Curry from the performance o
their duty on election day. Fortunately
for peace and good order, this injunction
was quashed by Chancellor Smith in tht
following sensible endorsement:
The injunction granted above and is
sued this day, is hereby dissolved fol
want of equity on the face of the bill
A court OF Chancery cannot be used fo
the purpose Of rendering sworn officer
of the law, whose duty it is to preserv'
the peace powerless, on the &c Parj'
affidavit of one person, that they ar
about to abuse their powers. Should
these officers abuse these powers, as tn
bill charges they are about 10 do they
will be responsible to the individuals il
legally arrested, and to the laws Of tn
land. The bill is without preceden
in this or any other country, as far a
my knowledge Of the law goes.
WIN. N. SMITH Chancellor
2 November ,, 1868.
1t appears from a card issued by Messr:
, Curry and Beaumont, that leaders Of tn
| Smith wing of the Radicals had told thei
negro dupes that they had right to bea
3 arms and use them against the swOr
r officers of the law, if the latter attempte
! to interfere with them. From the ear
% nest manner in which these officers en-
deavor to impress upon the negroes tn
= important fact that the laws Of the Ian
forbid the carrying of arms ito the tel
Tor Of any person." and that they shout
! enforce these laws, "let the cost be whS
1 it may" it is evident that the peace
e the city was seriously mensCed by tn
negro dupes OF General Smith. Thes
=, officers are Radicals, and their statemer
if shows the desperate character OF I'll
d leaders Of that Party-men who will NJ
e scrupIc at any thing TO carry an election
. They charge that the injunction granite
! bv Judge Hunter was for the expires
r purpose of bringing on a collision, an
e there is every reason to believe thu
:, Memphis escaped a scene of rapine an
t1,--,,,l Oh, a