Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-10-08
REGENERATION FRAUDS.


come announcement "Well done,
good and faithful servants.
REGISTRATION FRAUDS.
At the judicial election on the
9th of May, 1869, Judge Marland
Perkins and Judge II. S. Lee we're
candidates for Judge of the Law
Court of Shelby county, the latter
being the incumbent of the Office
and he was declared elected by a
majority of 185 votes. Perkins
contested the election on the ground
of frauds and illegal voting. The
case came up before Chancellor
Somers at Memphis on the 9TH inst.
The matter to be decided was
whether the contestant showed that
there were such Irregularities and
frauds practiced in the election as
would warrant the setting aside OF
the same by the court. The elec-
ton was held by Williams, who had
been appointed registrar for Shelby
county by Gov. Brownlow, and in
his evidence he swore that there
were $3.50 certificates issued to
whites and 1906 to colored people,
making an aggregate of 1880,
Chancellor Somers said he took the
trouble cf examining the registrars
books, and he found that there were
recorded 1892 certificates issued to
whites and 6,741 to colored, which
shows a deficiency of 922 as
compared with the recorded cer~
tifcates. Those 922 certificates
were fraudulently issued. They
wero evidently issued without be-
ing previously passed upon by the
proper officer. Under the franchise
law, voting done upon these corti-
| fcates was clearly illegal. 1t APP
pears they were issued in blank
and filed up by incompetent par
| ties. 1t cannot be ascertained how
many of these certificates were yo-
ted on, nor for whom these illegal
votes were cast. Taking all these
facts into consideration, the Chan,
cellor declared that there was nc
other course for him to pursue, than
| to set aside the election as being liz
legal, and therefore null and void
| 1t is stated that Judge Lee acqul-
esces in this decision, and q new
| election will likely be ordered by
the Governor at an early day. L
| will be remembered that this fel
| low Williams stoutly resisted thu
right of Gov. Senter to remove him
and the Radicals made his a tes
case. 1t had been charged repeat
edly that Williams had issued larg
| numbers of certificates in blank t.
be filed up and handed out to suct
men, white or black, as would vot
| the Radical ticket, while he refused
upon various pretexts to register
men who clearly came within tn
provisions Of the franchise law. Blu
this made no difference with tn
Radicals; on the contrary, it seem
ed to operate as recommendation
| in his favor. Here we have the ties
| timony of Chancellor Somers, VIII
, | took the trouble to examine til
registrars books, that Williams ha
issued over nine, hundred frauduleI
certificates. He was therefor
| guilty of a "wilful and intentions
violation" of the franchise act, TO
which he should have been punlsl
cd as the law provides. The Radi
I Gals have had a great deal to sa
about frauds committed by regis
, trars appointed by Gov. Senter, bD
! they have nothing to say abou
) frauds committed by the registrar
appointed by Gov Brownlow, VIII
were endorsed by Maynard and h
co-protestants. In the one ca;
they make assertions; in the othe
returns in the Secretary of State
: Office and the records of courts e
tablish fraud and irregularities
the part of the registrars appoint
@ by Gov. Brownlow.
=
ITNnrp Radical Tufa the State