The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-11-23
ABOUT FLORIDA.

Judge J. T, Bernard, one Of the COM
missioners to the Centennial Exposition
from Florida, was conversed with at the
grounds yesterday touching his political
knowledge of the State and the Ultimate
tendency of its Presidential vote. The
Judge, though by birth Virginian, has
lived in Florida for twenty seven years
and ispretty thoroughly acquainted with
the manners ofits political manipulation.
II was under the impression" said he,
that the State would go Republican by
small majority, but when read the
Associated Press dispatches and private
kilograms from that section my opinion
was changed at once, and have now no
doubt whatever that a neat Democratic
majority has been scored. The counties
thus far heard from are what are called
the niger counties. They lie along
the line of the railroads that lead to the
capitol, and of course the result of their
elections are the first to be received. The
territory which embraces these counties
runs contiguous. too some of them, to
the State of Georgia. Their population
is made up strongly of colored people,
and in the registration lists the blacks
were but few behind the whites On the
other hand, in the counties further off
are very few negroes. In Poke county,
tor instance, three or four Republican
voters in population OF 5ooor 600. In
some of the white counties they have
abolished the precincts in the country,
thus giving to towns where the negroes
predominant the benefit of the entire Re
publican VOTE For this, and the reason
that the negroes are apt to enter the cap
itol in arms during the canvassing OF the
votes, and that the whites will without
doubt do the same thing, | look upon
the call for troops as an absolute
necessity. They are needed even
nowI dare say, to keep the public peace
and, revent collision
" pit fact that the Democrats control
the Returning Board2'
"Oh, my, no; that Board is entirely in
the hands Of the Republicans. 1t is com.
posed of the Secretary of State, State
Treasurer and Attorney General. be-
lieve them to be fair men, however, and
have no doubt that fair count will be
made. William r, Cock will probably
be admitted to assist the board. He is
Democrat, and is trusted by the people.
Cock voted for Grantin "a and for the
present Republican Governor, but took
the stump at the outset of the past cam.
paign for Tilden. 1t is my belief that
the days of ballot box stufing in the South |
have passed, and though | am Repub-
lcan concede the election of the Dem
ocratic ticket in Florida The great in.
Aux of negroes from Georgia lately led
men to suppose the State would go Re-
publican but as they have already done
their best in the district IN which they
have made their home, | am not in doubt
the ability of the white coun-
ties to overcome their vote al make the
State Democratic by at least 500. AS
for Key.West, it is made up principally Of
Cubans who voted the Republican ticket
in IA and the Democratic ticket the 9th
er day. To prevent this latter result a
Cuban was appointed Postmaster of Jack
some time ago, but this had no
effect whatever.
Under the law thirty days are allowed
the Inspectors to make official returns,
and 1t will probaly be the middle of next
week before anything of a definite char
acter is learned. From Dade county the
returns must travel to Key West dis
:ance of sixty miles; thence to Cedar Key
4 distance oftwo days from the Capitol.
Nothing authentic will be known, there
ore, until twelve days have elapsed from
he day of the election. The negroes of
Ieorgie come to, Florida because they
ire afraid of the Democracy. They dread
is doctrines, because they believe they
mean the same as slavocracy, and when
hey enter Florida are wont to bless their
tars that they are in a free country, From
hese sources Jacksonville and several
,ther towns are increasing in population
apidly. Before the war Jacksonville had
wenty thousand population; to day it
las fifteen thousand.