The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-09-19
fFrom tho Milwaukio News.

TFrom the Milwaukee News.
We received call yesterday from
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 informa-
tion were therefore unsurpassed, and ne
makes to US this plain statement of facts
within his personal knowledge:
The ELECTIONS held there were an utter
farce throughout In making the regis
try the registers were expected to reject
white men at option, and to enrol every
negro who presented himself. After the
first registry, the lists were revised, and
as many names were stricken off as itwas
thought necessary to secure a Radical
success in the State, or for individual
Radical candidates. There were three
registers on every board, all of whom
subsequently acted as judges at the cleo
tion, and all of them who desired to be-
come so, were candidates for Office The
election judges travelled about the coun-
try taking votes, and were occupied seven
days IN the business. No man could vote
whose ballot the judges thought proper
tc reject Our informant states it to be
known to himself, and to be notorious
fact, that where the success of the Radi-
cal candidate was doubtful, through other
frauds of the character mentioned, ne
groes were imported from another juris-
l.
the deficiency. While the negro vote
was thus doubled in many cases, the total
number of white votes disfranehised in
the states were tens of thousands In
electing themselves or other candidates to
office, the registers were amenable to no
authority that would recognize the act of
fraud. In brief. the work of carrying
the election, regardless of the will of vot-
ers,. was deemed by the registers as part
of their official duty, and a proof of 10y
atty TO Congress and the military authori-
ties present, and any other course would
have subjected the registry officers to sus-
pieion and prescription. In the division
of the Offices, candidates were elected to
the Legislature who never saw the coun-
ties whence they were chosen, except as
members of the registry board, who will
never return to the counties they repre-
sent, and who do not know white man
among their constituents As for the
negroes, the mass of them took no active
part in the elections but to deposit the
votes furnished them by their white Rad.
ical leaders.
Our informant is a graduate of Geneva
College, a gentleman OF recognized prob
ity and intelligence, and was always a
Republican until driven from the party
By sheer disgust at the mockery he was
compelled to witness as one of It's agents
IN the reconstruction scheme. His name
viii be furnished to any one who is curl
Gus on that point. He tells US that he
was offered the position of State Senator,
and that he would have divided the spoils
with others, who seem to relish the pro-
ceedings, and do not hesitate to partake
of the fruits of the moekery and fraud ;
but he preferred to live and die an hon.
-estman to 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
stupl0ity oI InoSe NOFtnern hepuDHcans
who seem to believe that these proceed
ings have any other object than the gov
ernment Of the South, and the nation al
so, by a regularly organized system of
fraud and force. If it is the intent of
Northern Republicans to assist in degrad-
ing republican institutions aud obliterat-
ing popular rights, their ambition ought
to be satisfied: but otherwise tbey are vro
fully blind to passing events, and the de-
moralizatiop of the institutions under
which they live.