Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-07-31
L inn aud gispateE.
FRIDAY. JULY 81. ises.
largest CirculatiOn in CITY and State.
RADICAL ATTACKS UPON TIE
ELECTIVE FRANCHISE.

4
Radical appetite for Office and plunder
1t is far easier to drive lot Of ignorant
negroes to the polls and 60 through the
mere forms Of an election, than TO meet
the keen and intelligent criticism Of edu-
Gated freemen. This fact constitutes the
foundation Of that plan Of negro voting
which has been forced upon th5 Southern
States by the despOtic and revolutionary
party now in power. They hate all white
men whom they cannot use as tools, and
hence thousands Of ignorant negroes are
enfranchised at the expense of the purity
Of our elective system, while white men
are prevented from having q voice in
local, State or national affairs.
From the South this attack upon the
ballot has been imported into the North,
and in all directions efforts are being
made by the Radical party to disfran1
chise certain portion of white men
In Pennsylvania they enacted a registry
law which laid the ak at the root of
free ballot, and imposed upon citi zens
obligations Of an unusual and onerOus
character, which must be complied with
as conditions precedent to their exers
cising the elective franchise. This bill
was so mOnstrOus and indefensible in its
meaning and provisions, that the Supreme
Court declared it unconstitutional. But
that fact has had no effect upon the Rad>
ical party, and they are still importuning
the Governor 10 call an extra session of
the Legislature for the purpose of carry
ing out their scheme upon the freedom Of
the ballot in that State. In Connecticut
a like bill has been passed by the Legis~
lature, which, owing to the infamous dis
tricting of the State, is in the hands of
the Radicals This bin is directed prin>
cipally against the cities Of Hartford,
New Haven, Middletown and Bridges
port as the Pennsylvania act was
pointed at Philadelphia Section four
of the bill provides for making list
Of voters in each town, three weeks be-
fore the election, and also list Of perr
sons to be made" The list of those
to be made is taken from those who for-
ward to said Registrars a written notice
that they shall apply to the seleotmon
10 be made electors Persons to be nath-
rallied must make the same application.
These lists in all, except the four towns
above mentioned, shall be filed with the
town clerk three weeks before the elec-
tion. The fifth section provides for the
meetings of the Registrars to take testi-
mony on application to add names to the
list and to erase the same Rejected ap-
phcants may appeal to the selectmen Of
the town, upon giving notice to the Regis
trars, and not otherwise, and must bring
Witnesses to prove their claims Sections
ten, eleven, twelve and thirteen provide
that only those registered shall vote
that the Registrars shall appoint the
counters and box~tenders-tha the Sc
lectmen shall hold meetings, for the pur-
pose Of making electors, but shall hold
no evening sessions. Section fourteen
provides that every person who shall fail
to send, or have sent, at least three weeks
before the election, a written application
to the Registrars, stating his age, the
place of his birth, when he commenced
his residence in the town, State and
United States, and when he will be of age,
shall be absolutely disfraRchised
The New Haven Register truly says
this act should be entitled "An act to
prevent poor white men from voting in
Connecticut All the impediments that
ingenuity can devise to prevent laboring
men from reaching the polls have been
thrown together in one bill Application
must be made to Registrars who will be
parusans of the most ultra character.
They can put upon the list or reject the
name of any citizen, and in some instan~
ces have the power to disfranchise with
out appeal from their Judgment In
addition to this, the Registrars arc to ap-
point counters Of the votes and box
tenders, and thus they will be able to
surround the elections with Just such
tools and agents as have manipulated the
vote Of the South The object of this
movement in Connecticut cannot be mis-
understood Ii is 10 reduce the anti-Radi
cal vote in that State Hendricks ofPoor
men will fail through want OF time or a
proper understanding of all the require
monts Of the registry act &c it should be
come law, from being placed in con.
dition to deposit their ballots ON election
day, and thus the Radicals viii gain their
point 1t is time the people would look
at this current at opposition to a free
ballot for poor white men, which Is How
ing over the land from that fountain OF
misrule and corruption, the Radical junto
at Washington No just man objects to
proper safeguards being thrown around
the ballot-box. But the Radicals have
stolen the livery of heaven to serve the
devil with, and under the guise Of re-
spect for the purity Of elections, mean to
sap the foundation Of our whole republl-
can system This is a legitimate OF
spring Of Radical rule
THE LAW as To TELEGRAPH.