Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-11-17
Southern Violence and Fraus.

every mail Of the wholesale frauds, violence
and practical defeat Of Republican govern
ment in various Southern States, are sa
and startling reading. These accounts CON
from responsible men, who, in most case
sign their names to their letters and d.
spatches-and they show the deliberate pul
pose to make a solid South for Tilden, b
any and all means requisite for that end,
utter defiance of the will of the majority
We compile some of the facts Of the case, 6
shown by these statements.
In the parish OF East Feliciana, Louisiana
there was by the Census of 1870, a colore
population Of 9, 1893, and white populatiO
of only 4,l06. At the last previous eleetio
the Democrats had S47 and the Republican
,6sS votes, yet new Democratic despatche
assert that ,743 registered votes wer
polled. of which Hayes got three and Tide
the rest" Gov. Kellogg asserts that tb
Registrar was driven out Of the parish, an
that no legal election was held, Democrat
voting as they pleased, while "nO Republi
can ticket was allowed to be put in tn
field" In Ouachita parish the population
was : ,S23 colored and $3.50 white, and tn
vote in 1874 was 1904 Republican and 16t
Democratic Here the Democrats nov
claim ,010 majority. But the official re-
port, by the army officer stationed thert
mentions the assassination Of the leading
Republican of the parish, and asserts thai
during the election the United States Mar
shall in charge of one of the boxes was shot
and the box destroyed. Similar method.
were pursued, Gov. Kellogg asserts, in More
house, West Felicians, and East Baton Rouge
| These parishes all have colored population
greatly in the majority, have registered more
than twice as many colored as white voters,
and have hitherto given heavy Republican
msjOrities. Now the Democrats claim ma i
critics of 52S in Morehouse, 465 in West
Felciana, and COO in East Baton Rouge.
The Democratic reports, which admit that
the Republicans gain largel y in the colored
parishes in which the election is admitted to
have been free from violence, show that the
eolored population is quite as strong as ever
in its attachment to the Republican party,
wherever it has been permitted to vote. Yet
in face OF this plain fact the impudent claim
Is made that the five colored parishes which
gave 3 1884 Republican majorily in 1874 have
now given 4,4lG Democratic aiority,
scarcely Republican vote having been
polled in either OF them.
The New York Tribune gives tables Of the
population and Of the votes and mai,ri
according to Democratic count in 1874,
compared with the maj0rities now claimed
by the Democratic dispatches, and adds
editOrially:
Is it rot manifest that, as the five Red
River parishes were conquered by fraud
assassination, and massacre. so five Others
have now been seized and the actual will of
the people defeated Elsewhere the Repub-
licans have maintained their strength or
made gains wherever there is q colored
majority. In these five parishes the Cow
ernor publicly declares that no free and
honest election was held. Yet the Democrats
telegraph to their friends at the North, as @
basis for the claim that they have carried
the State, assertions that in these five
parishes they have gained 8 400 upon their
Own count in 1874. Is it possible to ex-
plain such gains there, and there alone, on
the sgpposi;ion that there was legal and
fair election? II not, we ask the candid
citizen, be he Democrat or Republican. if he
wishes to have President elected hy
fraud. force, or assassination ?
In Florida, the frauds appear to have been
chiefly perpetrated since the election The
accounts received show that for twenty
four hours after the election, the State was
conceded to the Republicans, by all well in
formed Democrats. On Wednesday after
noon, however, says a correspondent of the
New York Times, Mr.. A. S Hewitt. the
Chairman Of the Democratic National
Committee telegraphed 10 the State Com
mittee that Mr.. lilden was not elected if
Florida hsd gone Republican. At the same
time he telegraphed to many prominent
Democrats, begging them to secure the
votes Of the State for Iilden.
They Immediately began to claim the
State tor TIlden and to take measures to
make their claim good. In many counties,
the officials in charge Of the returns were
Democrats. To these, men were at once !
sent ut,with instructions to make the Dem
cratic vote in them as large as possible |
Tins was on ednesday afternoon. On the 4
anne evening Governor Stearns sent out a /
pecal train with a number Of Republicans /
IN board, with instructions to visit the pre- |
'incts under Democratic control and do all |
Il their power TO prevent the contemplated /
rauds. The Democrats heard of this, and |
our miles from Tallahassee the train was
un of the track by tearing up rail, and
wrecked. OF course, the Republicans were
lnable to proceed, and the Democratic en-
ssaries reached all the remote POLLING places
rom twelve 10 twenty-iour hours in advance
4 them. The result, it Is believed has been
large fraudulent count. Mr.. Peter Jones.
secretary of the Republican State Commit
&c, telegraphs from jacksonville, November
9th
The Democrats are telcgraphing results as
thclai, from counties not Yet heard from,
nd are sending dispatches through the
ountry based IN pre-arranged frauds Dem
cratic agents have been sent in all direc-
ions to increase the msjority in the remote
ounties. The Deputy Marshal and Super
is0rs from jackson county report to-day,
hat the Democrats destroyed the ballots IN
We precincts, and accepted the votes OF two
undred men from Alabama. False eertif-
ltes have been detected in the canvass Of
lay county. Democratic frauds are re-
orted in Hillsboro, Hernandez, Volnsia,
nd Washington counties. There has been
general discharge Of colOrcd mes who
oted the Republican ticket
II all the Democratic frauds are exposed,
Ie Republican majority will be three {
lousand. The North should understand
at Florida is not doubtful. The canvass c
i'll show an increased Republican vote, and
majority clean over all the frauds. c
Another Florida despatch says !
The Democrats are boastful as well as des- /
rate. The more intelligent Of them. how :
er, privately admit the loss of the State
le leaders everywhere are continually urc- a
z them 10 desperate measures, and in {
any places military organizations are form o
2 and arms are distributed. Nothing but Il
sr Of and the actual presence Of the mill a
~ restraints them from open rebellion. Tor u
lich there is an actual and quite general IL
eparatien, not confined to Florida, how Il
sr, a. the North should bear in mind s.
In South Carolina, outrageous frauds and 81
Hence are reported from four counties. A lt
lumbia despatch Of the 10Th SAYS The Ii
ocities of the rifle-clnb campaign in Edge ca
d, Barnwell, and Aiken exceed ANYTHING ir
asserted" 1t is asserted that hundreds Of ca
repeaters clme over from Geor- Ii
and rode from precinct to precinct in an
lgs, voting at each. In Anderson county gu
Democrats have gained teenfy- tlro hun
d, in Eigefeld county thirty ssren hun tn
d. Does any one pretend to doubt that OF
Sc Democratic gains, aggregating nearly n r.
thousand in two counties. are the result oil
system of fraud and terrorism mi
rom Raleigh, North Carolina, General
son Fitzpatrick, in letter to the New tie,
k IimeI, describes the operations in
C of the precincts. lie says
he rebels-for such they are in spirit "
t guard over the polls. They admitted no,
rs one by enc, and whenever a Republi- D.
approached the ballot boxes challenged ne
harrassed him with questions. In this cal
they consumed time, and, in every pre- ing
t 50 far heard from, when the sun /
t down it was found that numbers Of Tho
nblicans had been challenged and talked n =,