Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-03-11

O., THURSDAY,
yesterday said in his speech, that they intended to
carry the election if they had to do it by force and
violence; and if they undertake that we will meet
them" The undersigned replied that he hoped
no violence viii be used" The contestant who
was also seated in the car replied to Mr.. NJ, 'hat
is not So" Mr.. NJ rejoined Il was not at the meet
ing, but heard this from several gentlemen who
were present, and I believe It." The contestant
replied "That remark was not made" To this,
some gentleman, who was seated Immediately in
rear of the contestant and who was stranger to
the undersigned, and whose name be does not now
know, replied to the contestant, "You are liar,
sir; that remark was made--I was present and
heard it myself" The contestant then said, "Well,
if it was said, I did not hear it" To which this
gentleman replied, '"That will not do, Esquire
Wallace-I was some twenty yards away from the
speaker and heard it; and you we're seated imme-
diately by the speaker on the stand, and you must
have heard it." The contestant made no reply,
and the matter dropped The persons present
were W. B. Metts, COL W. B. Wilson, Of York.
vile; the Rev. Mr.. Boggs Rev. David Todd, the
person before alluded to as having replied to the
contestant, the contestant, and the undersigned.
Charge 26 states that an extensive combination
and conspiracy of persons, residing in different
parts of the State, was formed during the Spring
and Summer of 1853, for the purpose of compel
ing the electors of said State to vote for the can,
didates supported by said combination and eonspi.
racy The democratic party Of South Carolina
met several times IN convention during the Spring
and Summer of 1868, in Columbia. At one OF
these Conventions, an Executive Committee, COM
posed of some of the first men in the State, was
appointed. At the opening Of the Presidential
and Congressional campaign in the State, under
the advice of this Executive Committee, the demo
Gratis of the different Congressional Districts as
sembled in conventions in different portions of the
State and nominated candidates for Congress.
The undersigned was, at no time, delegate to
any one of these conventions; but he was honored
with the nomination for Congress from the Fourth
District He accepted the nomination and was
elected by large majority, (some forty-dve hun
dred,) which majority no doubt would have been
much larger, but for the frauds and deceptions
practieed upon the ignorant and deluaed colored
voters, by the partzans and friends Of the contest
ant, by means of leagues, midnight conclaves and
oath h-bound organizations, which were made use OF
to control and influence the election, and by which
hundreds and thousands of these ignorant voters
were induced to cast their ballots for the contest
ant, without knowing, even to this day, th2t there
is such person in existence as Mr.. A. s. Wallace.
These meetings of the democratic party consti-
tute the conspiracy to which the contestant aludes
and yet the contestant himself was put IN nomina-
tion for Congress by Convention of the party to
which he belongs assembled under the same cir
crmstances, and for the same purposes, as the one
which nominated the undersigned To the other
matters embraced in said charge, the undersigned
knows nothing and has no reply to make.
Specification q charges that at each and all Of
the election precincts in each Of the counties, all
and every one of the fraudulent and illegal votes
cast in the entire election were cast for the under
signed If this be so, it is the first election Of any
magnitude, which have ever taken place upon this
Continent, where such result has happened, e..
g., that all of the fraudulent votes should be cast
on the same side. The undersigned supposes,
that in all probability, there were some illegal
votes cast in this election, as there are in almost
every election; but by whom, how many, and
where, the undersigned has no means of know
ing He will not be so reckless, however, as to
hazard the conjecture that if any such were cast,
that they were all cast on either side.
Specification % makes the statement thatit would
be unsafe for the contestant to 60 to some portions
of the Congressional District for the purpose of
taking testimony to sustain his various charges.
The undersigned knows of no danger that the con-
testant would encounter by taking that course nor
does he believe the contestant would be molested
in the least The further statement is made that
the contestant was the only legal candidate, and
that he secured a majority Of the legal votes cast
in the said election. The undersigned differs in
opinion with the contestant upon these points
AS to matters embraced in charges numbered in
contestants protest. from eight to twentyfour, in
elusive, in which it is alleged that large quantities
of arms were imported into Union county, and
other counties, to be used to intimidate electors
that armed bodies of men patroled said counties !;
that threats of violence were made; that houses
were broken open that colored voters were shot
at and driven from their homes ). that said elec-
tors were prevented from exercising the elective
franchise, and especially from depositing their bal
lots for the contestant; that armed men attended
the precincts; that ballots were opened and
changed, by the friends and partzans Of the under
signed; that bar-rooms were kept open on the day
of election; that the managers of certain precincts
and in certain counties were not sworn; that the
friends and supporters of the contestant, were pre-
vented from voting on pretence that their names
could not be found on the registration books that
ballots cast for other parties than the undersigned
were yet counted for him; that persons who would
vote the democratic ticket and for the undersigned
were allowed to vote, whether registered or not !;
that the students of the Lutheran College at Wal
halla, whether residents or not, were permitted to
vote; that all these means were resorted to by the
friends and partizans of the undersigned, for the
purpose of illegally influencing the election in be-
half of the undersigned; and that by these means
numbers Of persons in each of said counties, who
would have voted for the contestant, were kept
away from the polls, and prevented from casting
their votes for him; and that numbers of illegal
votes were received by the managers for the under
signed, some of them being deposited by said man
ayers themselves and by other parties who were
allowed to act as managers especially at one ofthe
precincts at Union Court House.
The undersigned states that he has denied hav-
ing any knowledge in reference to these various
charges, and all others therein embraced, if any be