The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-01

names OF sixteen only were gwen. Ihe
same mistake was; made, in; the; several
statutes in some other counties. ..I.
Ia II several er IL other counties provisions
we're made for frotn fh9fh two to four Voting
placesinitheycountyr seat usually called
the Cont House}s as saAbbevllle Court
House. in, the, county Of, the same name y
but in all these Instances they were care;
fully specified as Nos.'1,, 2, 8 and a" Pre-
yious tothei election; the commissioners
of, election, for ,thisreounty, havingono
manner of power by, law in the premises,
! in addition to the voting precinct proyi
ded III, the sstatlte at oAbbeville Court
House, ordered another precinct to be
esta.blishedyin the1samei town calleda No.
2. This action was. protested ,against, by;
the Democratic member of the board Of
co5nmisssiodneers,, who also took the opinf6n
Of counsel, and presented it to- his associu
ates; setting forth such action to bedllegal.
and unauthorized; but the ;tw Two Y .Repnbli,-l
can commissioners persisted, and: the ,yo
ting place; was established; 1882 votes
we're there cast for the Republican 'elec-
tors, and 10 for the Democratic electors,
giving a majority Of 422 to the Repuhli-
cans. The committee are. of the opinion
that this voting place was Illegal and un-
authorized, sands that no votes cast there
should, be received or eountedao:snl 71:,a:
The committee show that an attempt
was made by the Board Of. State Canvas,
sierrs to COUNT the votes alleged to Have
been given at Robbins precihct.~ 90 Fhe
return, which 7wasr sent to- the Secretary
Of State and produced by him among the
genuine precinct returns, was signed BY
only one Of the managers and another
person never appointed sas manager and
By eaRepublican supervisor. This return
gave the Republican. ticket i, ,3lE votes
and none for the Democratic Ticket
II? only manager signing it. could not
be- obtained as a Witness although many
efforts were made to procure his attend
ance. The vote cast yat Robbins in 1874
was 366, and the supervisor; at that, ,elec-
/ ton certified that this was the fnll vote
| of2both parties IF the GE,SN votes
claimed to .havesbee cast at the; Robbins
poll are added, ito, the vote of the county,
there will be about 800 more votes cast
than there we're voters in the, county in
1875. The committee are satisfied that
no,voteswere cast eas claimed andgthat
no second polling place was, opened, and
that the whole return was q fraud gotten
up to insure the election Of county and
State candidates on the part Of the Re-
publicans: Il The committee say: - r7s -
Before South Carolina claims through
her representatives TO help make ml laws for
the people of her sister States OF through
her electors to participate in the election
of President ofithe republic; she ought
in; justice to be-; held to comply with the
provisions of her own constitution to Sc
| cure q Just and honest election. Every
consideration Of public policy, where the
|, very existence Of a governinent'like ours
must, depend 'onlpreserving the purity OF
the ballot, would require that any cleo.
| ton held in willful violation of a consti-
| tutional provision made only to secure
honest voting, should be treatednas void
and Of no.efect.r.:i1o ban ..,raR .,,2i
! That the recent election i'm South. Car
olina was held in violation Of the consti-
/ tuition is clear that it vas So held that
the party in power might better retain
I its, hold, on the government the committee
have no doubt. That. great. fraudsrwere
committed there by reason Of such, ,refu.
sal to set up the. great safeguard Of regis
tration, the committee jthinkfit equally
clear. -! .i'!t aj37:m ri .~Gc:;.E .
Under these circumstances, it is for the
House. of Representatives TO consider
what effect is to be given to an election
sor held. aaa--Hi !G@'"' ,"'-"''''l''''
| The committeeladd that if troops were
sent to South, Carolina without, any. legal
and justifable cause, for political pur,
poses, and to overawe portionof the
voters, clearly an election held under
such circumstances'should not stand fol
a moment. To-: uphold it would. be al
war with all sense of right, and would
shock every fair mind. An election to
be valid must be free. ~
The committee review the proceedings
of the State Supreme Court in the habeas
corpus and quo aOarranto cases. The lat,
ter, in favor of the Democratic elector;
against the Republican electors, has Re
Gently been dismissed d.oH.s''JifGc7 - :
There was. also petition, for man.
damus at the relation OF William Wallace
the Speaker Of the Democratic House o
Representatives, against the Secretary o1
State, to order the delivery Of the returns
of votes for Governor and Lieutenant
Governor to him, as provided for by thu
constitution, he claiming to bethe Speak
er Of the only legal House, and that the
other House was an illegal body, without
authority as part of the General Assem-
bly,.
The court decided that Wallace wa!
the Speaker of the only legal House, ane
that the other body was illegal, with nj
authority as a part, Of the General as
sembly; in fact usurpers. Before tht
service of process, however, the votes hae
been delivered to the Speaker of theille
gal body claiming to be the House; tha
House had counted them, rejecting thl
votes from two counties entirely on e;
parte affidavits, and declared Chamberlail
elected, and on such declaration he wa
inaugurdted and kept in Office entirel.
by the authority and power Of United
States troops. CO "a ''3.!'''. Z! 49,. 49,.
I The committee think that the efnploy
ment of soldiers for the purpose of sus
tanning a usurping Legislature and EX
ecutive against the Judgment Of tn,
highest court Of the State one of th
gravest crimes which can be committed
under government like. olirs, and tha
it cannot be condemned in terms sufi
ciently strong.
The committee have: no doubt from
the evidence, that much larger, numbe
of. blacks were kept from voting th
Democratic ticket by the threats yiolenc
4 and intimidation Of people Of their towl
j : race than were prevented from Voting tn
Republican ticket by q resort to liz