The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-11-12

TEE CHARGES MADE BIZ TIE hADIcALs in
REGARD TO- THE LATE ELE0TEoN--- Their
Baselessness Established. &c Charges have
been made and repeated by the dissppointed
Radical office.seekers Of this city thaG at Tue
late election, the Fcofored voters were sup.
jected TO such unnecessary delay at some OF
the precincts that when the sun went down
and the polls were closed large number ol
that class of suffragans had not deposited
their ballots, though they had stood for hours
in waiting. The third, OF Jefferson Ward, Is
one of the precincts designated as the scene
of this alleged fraud upon honest voters,
and we have been at some pains TO OBTAIN
from Captain Hagan, the Judge at that pre-
cinct, true statement Of what there trans-
pfred. ,.r- ,-.
Captain Hagan says the voting pro-
ceeded at his precinct just as fast as posi-
BILE, considering the many attempts made
by the negroes to vote when not properly
qualified. The best proof that no unneces-
sary questions were asked, Is found In the
fact that in every instance where q man 8
vote was challenged inquiry into the truth
of his pretensons established that he was
illegally attempting to vote. Some were not
only non-residents of the ward, but were
citizens of Henrico county, and had doubt
less voted there. Others were attempting to
vote under assumed names, or with fictitious
residences, and it was found that one fellow
was trying to vote on the name OF negro
who, since the registration, had been sent
to the penitentiarv. He had gotten the
name, residence, &C., OF the convict by
heart, but had forgotten his age. The SUBJ
stitute gave in his age as twenty-fcur,
whereas the registered voter, who had pre-
ceded him to the penitentiary, vas forty
eight.
4Lrk,
the Judge and his assistants by these ras-
cal clerk, the voting did proceed, according
to Captain Hagan, quite rapidly; nor did
either the United States commissioners, the
United States marshals, nor Mr.. Chandler,
nor Mr.. Gtllis, nor Mr.. Burgess, who were
about the polls during the day, complain
of any unfairness. On the contrary, the
commissioners always sustained the judges
decisions and voluntarily testified that it
was as fair an election as they had ever seen.
Colonel Parker. the United States Marshall
was there several times, and every sugges-
tion of his was acceded to by the gentlemen
conducting the election.
1t was only when the time for the closing
| of the polls drew near, aid the negro vote
appeared to he so far behind, that ReDub-
| lican candidate asked the judge to receive
| two votes at time, q request SO preposter-
Gus that we can hardly believe that o
sensible man can have made 1t. But ad-
mitting all that is charged to be true, it is
| foolish to say that the negroes were more
aggrieyed than the whites by the delay
necessary to determine who were legal
voters, for there were not less than 16O
white men registered at this precinct who
did not vote, or to state it differently, q
larger proportion Of the colored than of the
| white vote was polled. Moreover, 1t is
strange that no complaint is made of the
conduct of the election at another precinct
of the same ward, where there were actu.
ally more white than colored voters in wait
ing when sunset came and the polls had to
be closed. .
The truth is, that Captain Hagan deserves
commentator for the strictly impartial,
and yet exacting, manner in which he dis
charged the arduous and thankless duty
of judge of election, and if there had
| been more of such men on duty we would
have had less fraudulent voting. He made
himself familiar with the voters in his dis.
trict before the day OF election, and found
that not less than one hundred and seventy
| five illegal votes had been cast at his pre-
cinct in the May election, and this caused
him to be more viglant. All good citizens
should commend such faithful officers in
! their efforts to protect the purity of the
ballot-box, instead of throwing difficulties
| in their way.