Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-29
VIOLATIONS OF THE FRANCBlsE
LAW-CAsEs FOa GOV. sENTER.

A dispatch to the Louisville
Courier Journal from ClarksVille,
Tenn, dated May q, contains the
following statement:
@Tbe judicial election here to-day was
an immense fraud. Hundred of negroes
were imported from Kentucky Regis"
tration certificates were drug on the
market, and every negro had his pockets
full, Negroes swarmed in during the
dav. heavily armed, voting early ana
often These frauds make the election
doubtful between carpet Dagger Petfer
and Mr.. Rice but it is hoped the counties
not so near the Kentucky line will over
come the frauds perpetrated here
Something of this kind was APP
pretended by citizens of Mont1
gomery county, and an effort was
made to have Gov. Senter appoint
new registrar for that county, but
friend of the Governor, who was
himself candidate at the late elec-
ton, that thepresent registrar would
faithfully discharge his duty. The
sequel shows that the Governors
adviser was either interested or very
badly posted. This is case which
peculiarly calls for prompt and de
cisive action on the part Of tho
Governor. 1t is his duty to see that
the laws be honestly and faithfully
executed. We are told that hun
dreds of negroes were imported into
Montgomery county from Ken
lucky to vote for the Radical can
didates; that registration certif-
Gates were a drug, and that negroes
were seen with pockets full of these
certificates. This is but repeti-
ton of tho outrages that were per-
petrated with impunity under the
former administration. The people
of the State expect better things of
Gov. Senter. He should at once take
steps to ascertain whether these al
legations are true, and if so, to apply
the remedy. We must have a fair and
honest administration of the law.
Montgomery is not the only
county in which the registrar has
used his official position to favor a
particular candidate and against
other candidates. Gov. Senter can
get ample evidence of this fact in
this city. Hundreds of citizens
who were entitled to vote under
the franchise law, failed to get GER
tifcates to vote in the late election,
because the registrar was satisfied
they would not vote for his favor
lite. He could have easily issued
certificates to nearly all entitled 10
them if he had been so disposed. |
Of this Gov Senter can easily sat
isfy himself Does the Governor
propose to sanction such conduct
as this by permitting it to be done
with impunity? The people ask
that the registrar shall SO far lay |
aside his political predictions as
to discharge his duty as laid down
in the franchise law, and that he
will register every man who comes
within the provisions of the law.
II the present registrar will not do
this; if he quibbles and throws
impediments in the way of
those entitled to vote who
apply to him for certificates en-
titling them to vote, and puts them
off so as to defeat their object-as
it is charged he has done, and of
which the Governor can easily sat-
isfy himself-he should be made to
walk the plank at once. There are
perhaps a thousand white men in
this county who are fairly entitled
10 vote under the franchise law,
who have been deprived of the
exercise Of that right through the
whims and caprice of the registrar.
They were anxious to vote in the
ate election, and hundreds of them
appeared with their vochers at the
Office TO procure certif-
Gates, but that functionary made
.os+o an slowly "a to disappoint |