Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-16

ming last spring as the Liberal candidate for
The State Senate in one Of tbs PhiIadelphia
districts, be said, two days preyiods to the
election, 81 shall be elected By. the legal
votes, but the Radicals win count me ost.n
They did count him cut. He proved the
fraud, however, before a committee Of the
Legislature, and the facts were SO unan-
swerable that he was admitted to the seat.
Col. Mcclure made some speeches in North
Carolina before the late election in that
State, and the opinion Of so close an OBJ
server as TO the result there Is worth some
thing. In recent interview with report
er of the Philadelphia Telegraph, Col. Nc
Gure expressed his conviction that Merri-
man has been elected Governor of North
Carolina BY at least 5000 majority, and
that, although the certificate of election
via be given to Caldwell, the Legisla-
ture win investigate the matter and
give it to Merriman. '.The returns
first cent by the Grant men from the strong
negro counties" said he, aelected Merri
man, but from day to day they sent revised
returns, and had 10 Increase the msjorities
three or four times to count Caldwell In.
Five Of the eight members Of Congress and
both branches. Of The Legislature, securing
a Greeley United States Senator, would be
q substantial victory Tor the Liberals, even
II the Governor had been fairly lost By
few hundred, after the Radical majority of
nearly 10000 In the State last year, but
with palpable fraud added to palpabie de-
feas, the causeof Grant is now hopeless, not
only in North Carolina but in the whole
South, excepting probably South Carolina"
Now let us see how the developments justi-
fy Col. Mcclure in this opinion. s@
Like the boy who must have the wood
chuck because they had no meat in the
family, says the Philadelphia Ags, the re-
nominaticnists must have North Carolina
to prevent breaking up Of their party at
the very beginning ofthe fight. No matter
how the result was obtained they could use
it to keep up the spirits of the GRANTEES in
other States, and prevent stampede to
Greeley. In order to reach this result a
regular system Of frand was mapped out in
North Carolina, and competent men ap-
pointed TO carry out the details. They had
money from the United States Treasury,
and processes from the United States Courts
TO aid them in their attacks upon
the ballot-box. Those who would not
yield to money, were threatened with
arrest and Imprisonment for imaginary
crimes. The thumbscrews of political
power were used in the most unheard- of
manner, and all for the purpose Of aiding
Grant by the return of Caldwell. The
election, adds the Age, took place under
such circumstances, and TO the amazement
of the GRANTEES, the gains, even in the
strong negro counties, were steady and un-
form for the Democrats and Conservatives
over the election of 1870, when the Demo
cratic candidate was elected by near five
thousand majority. a day or two after
the election dispatch was received from a
revenue officer at Raleigh, claiming that
the Republicans had carried the State,
and this government official re-afimed his
first statement upon the succeeding day.
This was the first intimation that there was
something rotten in the State of North Car
olina. Then came the report that the cleo
ton returns were being raised, making a
material change from the first returns.
This was followed by reports from other Re-
publican sources that the Republicans had
carried the State and the revised returns sent
forward showed some astonishing results.
In several counties, without any reason be-
ing given for the. change, there were
large Republican gains. They could
not be explained. But they were
on paper, and claimed as true. In some
cases the returns from one county were
altered six times, and each time there
was gain for Caldwell. To this fraudu-
lent act must be added the wholesale colo
nizstioa of negroes in some sections Of the
State. In 1865, when Gen. Grant carried
the State by over 1900, Northampton
Halifax, Granville and Warren counties
bordering on Virginia, gave him 1900 ma
jority. Now, by the colonization scheme
they have increased the majority there to
$500. The increase in these four counties
covers nearly the entire majority which
they claim in the State. From present ap
pearances the full returns will show that the
Rat icals have swollen their vote and major
ties in the counties bordering ON Vir
ginia and South Carolins by the importa-
ton process. In Halifax county, with q
population of only 20, 406, there are return
ed 5,S07 votes, as having been cast at the
recent election. This is one vote to foul
persons, and it occurs only In the strong
negro counties which were manipulated by
Grants ballot-box suffers. Take the
strongest Conservative counties and we find
at this same election that no more than one
vote is cast to every six inhabitants. Dup.
lin, for instance, gave us majority fol
Merrimon, and increased its auti-adminis
tration vote from LAP year ago tc
1,750; yet the total vote is only 2,7S5 out
OF a population of 1882. Catawbs
gives S35 majority for Merriman, cast:
1887 votes, and has population of Is, 1884
1t is only in the counties controlled by the
negroes that we find the natural proportion
exceeded, and this we find in three or four
other counties besides Halifax. In such
counties it is more than likely that every
negro boy of eighteen or thereabout voted
If he wished. They do not know their
ages, and were put upon the Registry by
the GRANTEES, and voted in all locations
where 1t could be done without too much
attention being called to the fraud
In Bladen county the voting strength
Is put down at 2,610; the number Of
votes actually cast is 1856. In Cumber-
land county the voting strength is pit down
at 1882; the number of votes actually cast
is 3,773. In Franklin county the voting
strength is put down at 2,270; the number
I e =