Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-05
TIE ELECTION.
Incidents and Prosptcis-A Quiet
Day 20 Noon.

Election day opened quietly this morn.
ing at nine o'clock, with Thompson's ba-
loon riding at perpendicular altitude
over the Catholic church, and the Their
mometer standing at $50. and rather
rising from that figure in the glass.tube.
There was an early moving of the masses,
as if some great event were on the tapis,
in which ell were equally and mutually
interested. Sometime during the night
a company of the l4th United States In
fantry came down from Humboldt, and
during the morning they could be seen
in front of the station-house on Adams
street, carelessly awaiting for some-
thing to turn up that woud require
their services. But the sun rose higher
and hotter and still they were not needed
or sent for. 1t is understood that they
were brought at the instigation of mem
bers Of the Stokes party who was a little
shakey and felt a craving for body
guard.
The expected hordes of negroes did
not come on the early morning trains,
though on the Charleston road large
number were expecting to come on the
special cars chartered to bring them.
Mr.. McKenna, the truly loyal, martyred
County Trustee, went out in the six
o'clock freight train to be escorted back
by all the negroes in many miles of the
road from Colliervil!e to Memphis. But
his trip, somehow, was net as great sue
cess as his party anticipated.
Voting began as early as the polls
opened, and for several hours constant
stream of votes poured into the ballot
boxes. Many persons voted. who have
not attended an election since the regis
tration of Garland P. Ware was can
celled, and some who have been Illegally
restrained from exercising the franchise
privilege ever since the war until now:
The Radicals resorted to all sorts of
split-tickst strategems, as usual, in an
emergency. The Senter ticket was
adopted by some of the Radicals
with one change; for instance, Nat
Lows name appeared on printed
ticket where the Conservatives had Mr..
Cubbins for Senator, and Robert Nc Ken
ma had his name substituted on the Con-
servative ticket for that of Captain Il.
Townsend for the Legislature.
The Hamilton faction, not satifed
with deluding the poor African into
voting once for the negro candidate, in
duced them to violote the law aud vote
second time. The trick was managed in
this wise: The darkies generally, whe
were known to be "sweetly" loyal, hav.
ing had in their possession certificates
issued by Sears, were also furnished GER
tifcates issued by Williams. When q
batch voted on the Sears certificate at the
Fifth Ward "colorsd" precinct, then
went to the Seventh Ward "eolored
precint and voted on the Williams Ger.
tifcate. The Sears certificate is purple
and the Williams certificate green, and
by that means the. little trick was dis
covered. Several Conservatives who saw
the game played we're liberal enough not
to have the darkies arrested, knowing the
poor creatures we're lead sstrsy by the
Hamiltonians and Lewisites, land that
there is good time coming, when the
negroes are likely to have better sense.
They have been made tools long enough
by the meanest white men that ever came
iRto The world-at least into the State of
Tennessee,
IInto one o'clock Ho disturbance what
ever had occurred, and voting is going
on continuously at al the wards. A
very full vote will be polled, in cnw-
parison with any other since the
war. At those precincts where blacks
are in the majority, it does not appear
that the challengers appointed by the
Executive Committee are rendering very
efficient service, but in the white wards
everything is going on all right The Con-
servative Democratic ticket may have
been scratched In some instances by
Republican or doubtful supporters, but
when the general result is made known
we look for almost unanimous vote.
Senter and the ticket attached to bis
name will probably carry the county by
from 6ftaen hundred to two thousand
votes, white the local ticket of Town
send and Jones, and Cubbins for the
Legislature, will run slightly ahead OF
Senter. We shall see,
The Fall Trade.