The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-10-03
The City EIsetion-A Triumph 81 Rtdis
cal Haacality and F,FsudsS {ssaS

Theg following account Of the city
election held in Charleston: on Wednes-.
day. for Mayor ind Aldermsna and
School Commissioners. is condensed
from the report Published in the News
and Courier:
The one.eidod process which has been
miscalled municipal election came to
an end last evening; and of all the cleo.
tions that have been held in Charleston
since the advent OF Freedom" this was
certainly tho greatest burlesque upon,
the right Of popular representation.
For the first time in the history of re-
publican governments, the people were
kept in profound ignorance of the
whereabouts of the polling precincts
until after the polls had been opened.
The board. after the first list which they
had prepared was made public on Tues.
day afternoon, changed the precincts.
While the adherents of the Radical
ticket were represented on the Board of
Managers, and we're kept thoroughly
posted on the subject, all information
was wilfully and shamefully kept from
the.reproser tatives of the citizens Con
servative party.
When the polls were opened, at S
O'Clock, yesterday morning, it was
scarcely daylight, and the managers aud
rallyipg committees of voters had 10
use lanterns to light them OH their way.
The Conservatives in the city, by good
fortune and extremely early rising, ma
naged to find out the locality of all the
precincts, save two, and were on duty
promptly to see fair start Most of
the managers permitted the Conserva.
tive working committees to examine tho
ballot-boxes and poll.list books b ,fore
opening the polls, and in this way some
little confidence was established The
polling places were twcnty-one in num-
ber, distributed in the varions wards.
AS has been already stated. the ma
nagers in the city proper generally
acted with some degree OF fairness I.
was ut the country precincts that tho
dirty work was done, and done in SO
shameless aud villainous q manner as to
excite the disgust of every decent man
in tue community, white aud biack.
In little shanty at the corner Of Moul-
tris and Rutledge streets, near tho Race
Course, o polling place was opened Sc
cretly, at 5 o'clock in the morning, and
as nobody know of its location, nobody
was present except the Radical mana
gers and their friends. The ballot
boxes and poll-lists were not examined
by any of tho Conservatives, and whe-
ther it was full or empty when the bal
lotiIg began, it is. of course, imp possible
to say; but by the time the Conserva-
tivos heard of the opening Of this poll,
and put IN On appearance, tho managers
had managed to receive some 500 bal
lots good sound Cunningham ballots
such as no manager was bound to ask
any questions about. In q radius OF
half mile from the polling place, there
are not probably more thnn about
seventy five or 100 resident voters.
Viewed with a knowledge of these
facts, it may be considered good
thing. This, however, was not all. In
a little shed on che Meeting street she'll
rond, some distance above Payne's
farm, another convenient precinct was
started. Nobody but the Radicni ma.
nagere knew Of the establishment of
this precinct, and by 8 O'Clock they had
managed to poll about $50 Of thoes
carly mythical votes, and then their
business lulled, and during the rest Of
the day they polied scarcely fifty more
ballots. 4 remarkable part OF the per-
formance at these precincts Was that as
soon as q few white men put In an ap-
pearanco, tho votes fell off, and did not
como in SO rapidly.
At oil the precincts, there were no
end of. Radical deputy shsriirA, dcsig-
mated by a badge OF yellow ribbon.
These gentlemen were variously armed
with bludgeons. clnbs and "persuaders. {"
and amused themselves by voting the
Cunningham ticket and persuading
others to do the same. They ontnnm-
bered the police at most Of the pre-
cincts. In almost every instance, the
adopted white citizens were compelled
to produce their naturalization papers,
and men who had voted for twenty
years 10 Charleston we're sent back home
fer their papers. OF the average colorcd
voter, no questions were asked. He was
simply requested to hold up his right
hand and swear.
At about hali-past o'clock, yesterday
morning, the steamer NJ. S. Allison
arrived in the city from Elisto, having
on board about 200 negroes from that
island. They were landed on tho wharf
and taken in charge by some Of the
deputies or rallyers, and al once act
about the business for which they were
imported. They voted early aud often.
Captain Toglio. the commander of the