The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-01-18
Republican Te.tiInony

4
Mr.. Saltonstall is one of the first
citizens of Massachusetts, and went II
Florida at the request of Republicans
to be present at the counting of votes
of that State for President. lis pic.
ture of Il State under the rule of sham
| American to contemplate. Florida is
| republican ia form, but not 80 in spirit
| or substance. He says of its Govern
ment:
The constitution aud laws of Florida
have lren adrOit1y framed, with a
view of lerpettatipg the power Of its
present oppressOrs. The Governor and
Lieutenant Governor are chosen for
four Years. No State Officers are cho-
sen except coistables. The Governor
has the app,iutment Of his Cabinet, ns
it Is called there, consisting of the OIL
GERS around him: the State Treasurer.
Controller, Secretary of State and Al
torn-y- General. He has the appoint
ment of the Judges OF all the Courts
he HIS the appointment of sheriff..
Clerks of the Courts, County Commits
siOfIers, Justices of The Pei,.e, aud all
the officers in the State, from the high
est Ia the i0west--at the last ele,.tIoI
numbering .96, exclusive OF ,ouat:,-
bles. You see IL g yes him Il com, ,Iett.
control of the State. It j. Il oue-,i,an
power. He can do as he plcases. He
has through his County Commissions
ers tfor they are lIis) the appointment
of Inspectors of Election Precincts.
These precincts are so carefully ar
ranged that in some Democratic dis
tricts there are no precincts at all.
They have to travel iorty-i five or fifty
miles through the wilderness of Flor
ida, where there is no rail and some
times no rOad at all. to get to u precinct
tn vote. In Republican districts, which
are negro districts, where there are few
white people, and where the few white
people live in terror of their lives,
they have precincts, sometimes two of
them in the same building, for the
purpose of properly manipulating the
votes and rendering returns To suit
their own purposes. Now, then, the
three Inspectors OF the precincts are
appointed by the County Commissions
ers. i was assured by several ger;tie-
men who came from remote parts of
Florida that in their district they were
obliged To travel fOrty-five miles to |
vote, and that 1t took them three days
to go and deposit their votes.
That is the kind OF Government |
y
Zach Chandler, Morton q Co. To fasten |
indefinitely upon the people of Florida. |
Zach Chandler telegraphed November I
Sth to Governor Stearns Florida |
must be made Republican. Troops and
money will be furnished" Troops and
money were furnished to continue
Florida as it has been for years, the
disgrace of modern Republicanism.
Whether this scoundrelism will sue
ceed remains to be seen. AS to the
effect of such Government on the
industrial and material interests of the
State, Mr., SaltOnstall says:
The distress and poverty of the white
race in Florida exceeds belief. have
heard of carpet-bag Government and
have read of it, but never until going
10 Florida did conceive the length
aud breadth of the infamy of such
No words can describe
the depression, the poverty, the suffer-
ing of our own race in Florida. The
negroes themselves, as u consequence,
are poor. The stock has about disap-
,eared from the farms. There are no
,xen, no cows, nor sheep, no horses,
nor swine to be seen in a greater pOr-
ion of the agricultural districts of ,
Florida. What mules there are are
,oor, miserable skeletons. The fences
ire destroyed /; the buildings are tum- {
bling to pieces and going to decay the |
residences In and about the
.ities are dilapidated aud uninhabited
Ii many instances. In Leon County,
he County. of Tallahassee, where the
asst census but one recorded 35, 900
wine, the last census gives but $500,
nd from the appearances of those in 5
he street and about the residences, y
hey are not fat enough to fry them !.
elves. And all this in country that
J 20 rich that it only needs to be Il