The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-04-08
THE CONTESTED ELECTIONS IN THIS STATE
FACTS CONCERNING THE ATTEMPT TO DE-
PRIvE THE WHITE PEOPLE OF REPRESEN-

y As the true state of facts, concerning the COM
bined efforts Of the Radical cohorts to deprive the
white people of the Third and Fourth Congression-
al Districts of their rightful representation IN
Congress, may not be generally known, we
propose to briefly recapiulate the facts and incl
dents connected Herewith, and expose the base
and fraudulent schemes of the Radical leaders, by
which they seek to overthrow the will OF the peo-
ple and foist upon unwilling constituencies their
chosen tools of perfdy and unmitigated scoundrei-
ism. The So called cont ntestants. HoG1 ana WAL
LACE are actuated by the meaaest of motives IN
seeking TO represent persons BY whom they are
copremned and de.psed; and yet these worthless
are only fit exponeats of their party, at the head
of which is the chief Executive Of the State, Gov.
r. K. Scorr, whose slanderous allegations against
the white people of the up country can only be c1-
celled by the unbushing efrontery of his own con-
duct in regard the contested elections from these
Congressional Districts, and which will be fully set
forth in the statement We are about to make.
Further, it will be seen that the Governor has been
ably seconded in his nefarious transactions by
other great lights of the Radical party in this
State, and that the villainous conspiracy entered
into by them embraces the boldest of premeditated
crimes by palmng Of upon the Congress base
forgery in writing And all this to subserve their
unworthy ends, and gain the control over people
whom they cannot intimidate by their threats or
influence by their usurped power. This much by
way of preliminary, and we proceed TO state the
facts
BY ain Act passed by the Legislature Of South
Carolina in September last the Secretary of State
Comptroller General, Treasurer and Attorney Cen
eral were constituted Board of State Canvassers,
whose duty it was made to receive the consolda-
ted returns of the Boards of County Canvassers OF
of the election for Representatives in Congress,
Presidential Electors, and the several State OH
GERS named in the Act. 1t was also made their
duty, by consolidation and comparison of the re-
turns made by the County Canvassers, to ascertain
and declare, ON or before the 18th Of December,
1868, who we're elected by majority of the votes
cast TO the several Offices named, and upon such
ascertainment, to furnish the several parties with
n certificate of their election, and to publish on
official certificate and declaration of the result of
the canvass in public newspaper. 1t was made
the duty of the Secretary of Stale to furnish each
of the persons 80 declared elected with separate
certificate of the fact, duly attested by him. In
pursuance of the provisions of the aforesaid Act
the Board Of State Canvassers, on the End of De-
cember, 1868, having completed the work imposed
them, furnished to the Hon. J. P. REED formal
official certificate, under the seal of the State, that
be had been duly elected, by majority OF the
votes cast, Representative in the 4lst Congress
of the United States from the 3rd Congressional
District Of South Carolina, and 10 the Hon. W. D..
SIMPSON certificate of like character, that he had
been duly elected Representative from the 4th
Congressional District of this State, These gen
tlemen were each furnished, in. addition, with q
separate official certificate attestsd by the Secre-
rary under the grea, seal Of the State, and coun-
tersigned by the Governor (of the same aae, End Of
December, 1863 in which il was not only declared
that they had been duly elected, but in which they
were formally commissioned as Representatives in
Congress for TWO years from the 4th of March,
1869; and on the 9Th day of December, 1868, the
Board of State Canvassers caused to be published
in g newspaper in the city Of Columbia, IN official
statement of the canvass and declaration of the
elections, rs required by law, in which it was
shown that Mr.. REED had been elected by ma
iorty of over three thousand aud Mr.. SIMPSON by
majority of over four thousand pOtes These papers
rendered the credentials of Messrs. REED and
SIMPSON in every respect perfect, in conformity to
law and are precisely The as those upon which
B. F. WHlTTEMonE and C. c. Bowen have been ad-
mitted to their seats and allowed to serve as MEM
bers of the Fory-6rst Congress from the lst and
L2nd Districts of South Carolina.
On the End of January, 1869, Messrs. REED and
SIMrscN were each served by their respective COM
peti,iors, S. L. HoGE and A. S. WALLACE, with
notice that their election and right TO seat in
Congress would be contested, upon snndry grounds
therein stated and on the lst Of February, 1868,
they were served with notices that contestants
would on the 18th day Of the same month, COM
mence taking testimony in the contested election
cases, in which "you (REED and SimPsos) hold
the certificates of election, and We (HooE and
| WALLAcEl are contestants" Under these notices,
the contestants have been engaged in taking depo-
sitions to sustain their protests, and REED and
SIMPSON likewise engaged in taking testimony to
sustain the validity of their elections, and if truth
and justice could avail, secure verdict in their
favor upon the issue joined
twill be seen by the foregoing statement that
Messrs. REED and SIMPSON were not only in fact
dulv elected and properly commissioned rs Rep
res.nra,yes from their respective Districts, but that
their election and commissions were distinctly
recognized and admitted by their competitors rs
la,e as the first of FtGruury, 1863 Under these
circumst ances, the surprise of the members elect
upon their arrival in Washington Mt ihe opening Of
OF the 4lst Congress, may be imagined Wien tHey
ascertained that their contestants, who had Gsen
defeated by so large majority of votes, and had