Wilmington journal., 1876-08-11
lliImlngtoll ! 1yovuna!.
WILMINGTON, N, G.,
FRIDAY, AUGUST H., 1876.
~ SO E~gka1VEN'E FRAUD AT
sssslE BALLOT BDN.

|ssy SO E~IsEVENE' FRAUD AT
EssE BALLOT BDX.
fhe sixth article Of the ConstItn~ |
b relates to suffrage AMI eligibility |
|b1l;ce.
It Is needless 10 tell any sane sem
BE- man that, IN a country In which
|arr,nents rise and fall. according
ttla viii of the people as expressed |
the ballot box, IT is of prime I'M
|tnnee thaL iTnu,iulant voting shall
prevented. Freedom of elections
Il the purity VI Tie ballot box are
|znlutciy essential 20 the long con-
IA. .yd cXistpnca nf Democratic gov
|lmant arll Tins is what the amend
INT Ia tt,e article Of the Constitution
~ in s;,.Gnr". There are two changes
ne iy this amendment; She first re-
,r,s IL residence of uILcty days III
!; county To enable q man to vote,
|3t.,sd of thirty ng the law now
.nIa. Tha second prohibits any man
jIu voting who shall have hereafter
|l.nit any infamous crime and who
nij he convicted thereof.
TIE first change, that which requires
nrtY days residence III a county be
|rr Il man can vote, instead Of thirty
heretofore. was proposed to pre-
Eft ~ nat III these latter days is known
colonizing. Not one election, we
Enaurc to say, has been held since
imposition Of the Candy Consti-
b Eiipn IN which there has not been
ore ur less ''coIonizjng" done by the
|.s:t""I party III 1872 negroes were
Fongi,t as fax as from Washington
:tE tn vote the Radical ticket Ill
|",th C4roiinn- Nor was there any
LlrR to prevent their coming from
altn Cf:foIina AMI Virginia for the
Em.5 Purpose. Nor was this partlcu-
/ kiu1 of fraudulent voting confined
j 3fers imported from other States.
/ closely contested counties the com
l.as .,Ilct4ca has been to Introduce
t,..u.,5 Just before the election from
-.Uijca IN which there were large
!, 20 majoritica, register them and
,5fn thaTn. THIS is especially easy
hong the lines of The various railways
J tire state; blIf that 1t has nOt been
.oulmed to them alono, the county OF
oit is 4 notable aud we'll known ex-
uHpia The evil was n great and
;1levous one. 1T was to this cause
D .st oIlt friends attribute the loss of
H. county of Mecklenburg In
llc election Of delegates to the
Constitutional Convention last year.
st.t we all remember the ans
.cr Oi the poor ignorant negro a
CIV years ago IN this city, who, whe1i
.srtod by the poll holders where he
lal voted the year previous, openly
sal,i that GIN the morning he had
tnf"d ut Northwest and i'll the evening
le had voted in the First Ward, the
first Ward being in New Hanover
,o},uty ana Northwest precinct being
u Brunswick county. 1t was to pro-
-act the baiiot box from fraud of this
,u:trHctcr TINT the proposed amend-
urnt3 require At residence Of ninety
tuys. Other States haze found itnec
r--..,f'y to adopt the same precautiOn,
:! .ysncimsotta, for example, having
.sono ST. far rs to require six months
lustoad of ninety days residence in 6
t-ounty before permitting it's citizens
voto. No man familiar with the
history Of elections in North Carolina
-saco 1868 can truthfully say the
change was not needed. Yet only one
Radical member cOuld he induced tC
vote for it.
The other change simply prevent:
Ihicvca and other felons convicted o1
Infamous crimes hereafter committed
from exercising the right of suffrage
1 HIT tticIt Ctt'}lbtiItS 2iS bfICSC uIO ulIiIi
10 have any voice in the control of the
un3or which honest mer
nre to live, would seem to be a plair
proposition. As the law now stands
inc pick pocket and the house breaker,
Inc forger md the perjuror, can kill
biz votes OF tho best, purest, most
honest and most Intelligent men
IL the whole State. Such ought not
10 I've the law and yet of tho fifty nine
Rotical membera of the Convention
puly five could be found with courage
2nough to say, by thoir votes, that
convicted thieves and pick-pockets and
.urgcrs and perjnrers and barn-burnere
ought not to go to the polls will
honest men. 1t speaks badly for f
}arty that It's leaders are thus afraic
to make any distinction between roguef
ma honest men ut the ballot box.