The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-11-09
The Vote.

According to the official report OF the
Board of State Canvassers, as stated by q
Columbia correspondent Of THE NEWS, the
total vote cast, at the State elections Of the
10th ultimo, was l34, 579, of which the Radi-
cal candidate for Governor received "a, 475
votes, and the Reform candidate so, l04
votes. At the constitutional elections Of
1868 the total vote was s7,846, and at the
election for Governor y92, $50, but in the
Presidential election, two years ago, the en-
tire vote was 1OS, l53. The vote cast las.
month is, therefore, 26,426 votes in excess
OF the highest vote ever haiarn oast in this
State. According to the census taken last
year, the total number Of voters in the State
was l4S, 7l6, viz: 59,3Ol white and s9,415
colored; 30 that, assuming that every vote
was deposited by person qualified to vote
and who had not already voted, (Which Isl con-
trary to both knowledge and belief, there
were $4,000 voters who did not go to the polls.
Making allowance for the repeating and bal
lot-box stuffing, which the Radicals are
known to have practiced, it is probable that
20, 900 legal votes were not brought out by
the stirring canvass Of 1870. These figures
make one point clear, viz: That the white
strength, while steadily increasing, is not
yet fully polled, and that the colored people
are not, as was suggested, disposed to re-
frain from exercising the privilege OF the
suffrage secured to them by the laws OF this
State and of the United States. In future
elections, therefore, where the canvass is
active and thorough, the whites and blacks
will poll within. ten or twelve per cent. Of
the full,legal vote.
The entire number Of votes cast for
Judge Carpenter, the Reform candidate for
Governor, was so, l04. This is the highest
vote ever cast in the State in opposition to
Radicalism. Against the constitution Of 1868
only 27,2sS votes were polled, and in the
same year the Democratic vote was only
45,237. The anti-Radicals have gained,
therefore, in round numbers, 5000 votes
since the elections held two years ago. At
that time the lines were plainly drawn be-
tween Radicalism and Democracy; the Dem
ocrats offered the negroes nothing more than
qualified suffrage; the Democratic plat
form declared that the Reconstruction acts
which were then the guarantees to the freed
men that they should be the political equals
OF the whites-were unconstitutional, revc-
s.lutionary and void" With all these draw
backs the Democratic party polled only 5000
votes less than are polled in 1870 by the
Reform party-which makes no political is
sue, which recognizes the civil and political
equality of whites and blacks, and which de-
clares that the amendments Incorporated
into the State and Federal constitutions
since the war, are accomplished facts, hav-
ing the force and obligation OF law. The
Reform party, was supported by the white
people, as body; it was led and defended
by the ablest of our younger statesmen and
by the soldiers whom the State most honors
and trusts. The platform of the party gave
the colored man guarantee of all his
rights and privileges; colored men help
ed to define that platform /; colored
men were candidates for Office on the
county tickets the two races worked
together, as it seemed, with the one object
of obtaining capable and trusty represen-
tative government for the State The result
is gain of 5000 votes in the year, while the
Radical party, in the same period, gains
more than 10000 votes. The Radical vote
at the Presidential election in 1868 was 62,
916; it now is 81, ATS.
Up to this point we are treading on firm
ground and draw plain conclusions from un-
mistakable facts. When we go further we
can only estimate and surmise. Neyerthe-
less, we venture the expression Of the opin-
ion that the vote at the elections, whose re-
suit is about to be officially declared, estab-
fishes these facts: l. That the few whites