The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-11-23

lsing to count Democratic votes in Newton
county, and of the throwing out of Conser.
vatiye boxes in Copiah county. BY such
means am outrage i to be perpetrafed
upon the voters of those counties, and
men placed In Office who have been re-
jected by the people.
Fortunately for the elected candidates
and for the voters themselves, there is a
method to prevent this great wrong, and
to make those who have attempted to
perpetrate it suffer the consequences of
their wrong doing.
The Registrars we're appointed by the
Radical candidates for Office in their Off
cial capacities of Sheriffs, Chancery
Clerks and Presidents of Boards of SUI
peryisors. The majority of the Boards
of Registration belong to the Radical
party, and in Copiah county they
are kinsmen of the Radical candidates
for office, and of the officials who appoint
ed them.
In Newton county, we are informed,
the pretext-for pretext it can only be
called-for the refusal to count the Dem
ocratic votes is that the voters were not
legally registered that they were sworn
| by the first and third members of the
Board of Registrars, and not by the
second member, as the Law provides. In
Copiah county the pretext for counting
| in the defeated candidates and counting
out the chosen candidates, is that the
Inspectors of Election of one of the
boxes at Crystal Springs, the one at
which the Conservatives voted, were not
properly qualified to act until 10 o'clock
ON the day of election, and that before
that hour many votes had been cast.
Grant that in both cases these errors were
committed. They are but technical OBJ
jections, at best, and should not be per-
mitted to weigh against the accomplish
ment of the known will of the citizens of
those counties, nor should they be per-
mitted to work Acknowledgement of num-
bers of legal voters.
The majority of the constitutional vo-
tiers of those counties have decided
against the Radical candidates for office,
and in favor of the Conservative and
Democratic candidates Is the will of
the voters to be thwarted because the
Registrars of Newton have not prop
erly registered the voters, and be-
cause the Registrars of Copiah have
not seen that the inspectors of Election
appointed by them were dul y qualified at
the proper time? Whose fault is this !?
Who has committed the error and vio-
lated the law? Are the voters, who had
no power to compel these officials to act
according to law, and who had right to
suppose in Newton county that the Reg
istrars knew their duty and were per-
forming it, and in Copiah county
that all Inspectors of Election were
duly qualified, to suffer the conse-
quences of the errors or intentional mis-
deeds of Radical officials +? And are the
candidates who had the appointing of
Registrars to receive the benefits of the
errors or misdeeds of their appointees
If such is the case, then the innocent
are to suffer for the crimes of the guilty,
and the accessories to the wrongs are to
receive emoluments and honors instead
of punishment for the part they have
taken to suppress the will of the voters
as expressed at the ballot box.
Fortunately, as we have said above,
there is a remedy for these outrages if
they are insisted upon. The remedy is
provided in the Enforcement Act of
Congress. 1t may not have been the in
tention Of the authors of that act to have
it used to compel Radicals to perform
their official duties honestly and impair
TALLY, but nevertheless it will cut both
ways, and the Radical who violates its
provisions can be made to suffer by it as
well as the opposer of Radicalism who
disregards it.
The act meets exactly the necessities
of the cases in point. Section Third of
that all-powerful law of the General
Government provides against the mana
ayers of elections taking advantage of
wrongs perpetrated by them under the
guise of law to defeat the expressed will
of the legal voters
To its provisions we call the attention
Of the Registrars of Copiah and Newton
We advise them to pause and
reflect upon the consequences before they |
wilfully refuse to s'receiUe, count, certify, |
register, report or give effect to the UOte of
any citizen of those counties who are
entitled under the Constitution of the |
United States and of the State of Mis-
'issippi to exercise the right of franchise.
We also call the attention of the gentle
men who have been chosen by a majority
If those entitled to exercise the elective
franchise to hold the offices, and who the
Registrars are attempting to defeat by
allure to count the votes cast, to the same
ection of the law. In it they viii find
heir protection.
To the voters whose rights are thus to
'e trampled upon, we have this much to
ay. You are entitled to vote under the
Constitution of the United States and the
'tate of Mississippi. You have attempt
d to exercise the right thus guaranteed
D you peacefully, orderly and legally
BY no wrong of yours have these, said to