The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1871-09-14
instructions TO the Onicers of
Elecffona O.
GOVERNOR S OFFICE,
AUSTIN, Sept. 6, II.

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following instructions for carrying on
the same, are issued to the n. istrar
and judges of election in the several
counties.
1. The registrar and judges of
election are hereby instructed to re-
port TO the Governor all violations of
the 'tCircular" issued by the Cow
ernor, dated August 8, 1871, and
providing regulations to the end that
there may be no disturbance or in
timidstiOn at the registry of voters,
and about the polls at the coming
election. If any of the "regula>
tons or orders in that "circular"
are disregarded, or if the authors
ties and police, or military appointed
to enforce the said Circular" are
prevented therefrom, by laWless COM
binations too strong to be suppressed
by the said authorities, the registrar
and judges of election are instructed
to report to the Governor and Sec
rotary of State the number of voters
who have thereby been prevented
from the free exercise of the right to
vote, and the names of persons so
prevented, as nearly as they can be
ascertained; also, the names of the
candidate or candidates for whom
such persons would probably have
voted, had the election been allowed
to be conducted in the manner re-
quired in said "circular." The regis
trar and judges of election are also
instructed to report to the Governor
the names of the persons who have
violated the regulations provided in
that "circular, " so that such persons
may be arrested and held for pun.
ishment under the laws of the Uni
ted States, and of this State, pro.
vided for the securing of free cleo
tons.
2. As a further measure to secure
fairness at said election, the judges
of election are directed, previous tt
the opening of the polls, to select
one we'll known and respectable citi
zen of each political party, who shall
be permitted to be present in the
room where the election is going on,
and remain during its entire progress
and during the counting of the votes
These citizens shall also be permit
ted to examine the seals placed Oh
the ballot box at the close of each
day as provided by section thirty
two, of the act entitled can act tC
provide for the mode and manner Of
conducting elections, making returns.
and for the protection and purity o.
the ballot box" approved August Is
1870; and also, again, to inspect Sht
same when returned the following
morning to the judges Of election
But further than as above specified
said citizens are not IN any manner
to be permitted to interfere in the
election or in the matter of receiving
and counting the ballots.
3. The attention of registrars il
called to the circular from the Office
of the Adjutant General, State o.
Texas, dated Aug. 1, 1871, where il
is provided, that in case no officer o.
the state police or special police il
put in charge of the special police by
order from Austin previous to the
election, then the special police art
to be under the supervision and or
ders of the registrar. In suct
case the registrar is specially charged
with enforcing the regulations of the
above mentioned "circular" of Au
gust 9, from the Governor. He will,
if sufficient number of special pc,
licemen have not been appointed,
select others, not to exceed twenty
good men in all, who will be sworn
to act as special policemen during
the registration and election. The
names of persons so selected will be
sent to the Governor, with a state
ment of the number of days served
by each. If an emergency should
arise demanding a stronger force
than is at hand, of either State or
special police, the registrar is author
lied to call upon the nearest officer
in command of State guard Tor of
militia in the absence of State guard)
for detail of sufficient force to secure
the enforcement of the regulations
provided in said "circular" from the
Governor.
4. The Constitution having pro-
vided the secret ballot to secure per-
feet freedom in voting, any attempt
to evade that provision by having a
private ballot box apart from that
established by law, or any other de-
vices for the purpose of prying into
the votes of citizens, and by intimi,
dation to prevent free exercise of
the right of suffrage, are forbidden
and must be suppressed, and such
private ballot box is to be seized and
destroyed and the parties guilty of
such attempts must be arrested and
held for punishment under the said
law of this State, approved August
Is, 1870, and the act of Congress of
the United States for the "enforce>
ment of the Fourteenth and Fif>
teenth Amendments" approved May
81, 1870. EDMUND ]. DAVIS,
Governor.
The Brownsville Sentinel says
the people between the Nueces and
the Rio Grande have become so ac-
customed to being robbed, that they
hardly consider it worth while to