Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-05

shSm-"hat cbHhiOf tOu0fcr EaVa OF tle
Frauds In Fiorida-someihing for Petriots 70
Read and Ponder.
A correspondent of the New York
Tribune, writing from Sumter, S. c.,
says that before he left Kingstree in
that State he had conversation with
native southerner and Democrat
upon affairs there in which he ad.
United that, while he would like to
see northern people of wealth and
enterprise settling in the State, he
could not advise them to come unless
they came in colonies, for no matter
how reputable they might be they
would be socially ostracised. The
correspondent turned the converse
ton upon politics and asked him
what chance there was in his comfy
for fair play between the parties.
lie replied that he was Demo-
crat and believed that it was better
tor all concerned that the white peo.
pie should rule. " The Democrats
carried this county at the last cleo.
tion,' he continued, shut am afraid
it was not fairly done. Our people
say that the negroes voted the Demo
cratic ticket secretly, but l don't think
enough did so to turn the county over.
There is place up the railroad called
Graham's Cross Roads, where there
are great many wild, rough young
men living, and on election day after.
noon crowd of them came down on
the o'clock train, and when thew
reached Kingstree there was quite a
disturbance. They crowded about
the polling-place, drove off the United
States supervisor and really took
possession Of the place. / believe
that the election managers admit that
The box was out of their possession
for time, and that they do not
know what was done with il. II is
said that it was then Stuffed. The
negroes were on hand early that day,
and voted in the morning, ana it was
understood all day that their majority
was about rs large as usual; but
when the box was opened the Demo-
Gratis were eigbty-eight ahead. |
know nothing whatever about it, but
| have heard one or two indiscreet
remarks dropped which convince me
that the box was Stuffed / was
anxious to have my party succeed,
but ! am in favor of fair play"
as there no legal remedy for such
fraud, if 1t vas committed %
1T is very doubtful Our court is
overerowded with business; and If it
was not, | don't know that anything
could be done"
"What kind of business is it that
takes up the time Of your court ?"
"Crlmlnal business. There have
been numberless prosecutions of Rad.
ical officers in this country during the
past few years---they have been al
most prosecutions At every term of
the court some of them have been
indicted, but only on one or two oc.
casions have convictions been secured.
The grand jurIes are generally COM
posed Of white men, but there are
always negroes on the petit iuries.
These prosecutions arc set Oh foot by
a few people, aud are generally for
the most trivial offences. OF course
It costs the Radicals something for
their defence every time, besides
much annoyance"
THE SOUTH CAROLINA FRAUDS.
Senator Conover, whose term of
Office expires next 4th of March, was
the Republican candidate for repre
sentative in the lower house, aud was
defeated. He was in New York a
few days since, and told reporter
of the Tribune the following startling.
story of fraud:
"The Democratic legislature of
1877 passed an amended registration
law which made it the duty Of the
county commissioners to erase from
the registration list names of such
persons as are known, or who may
he shown to the satisfaction OF said
county commissioners, to have died
or ceased to reside permanently in
the county, or who are otherwise dis.
qualified to vote Whether this law
was intended to be used for partisan
purpose or not it has been made 10
serve that end. Under this provision
the Democratic commissioners dis
iranchised Republicans in the most
outrageous manner. In Leon county.
in my district, they illegally erased as
disqualified to vote 1900 out of 1000
Republican voters. In Jefferson
county they struck off in a like man.
ner 900 Republican votes, in Gads.
den county 700, in Escambia county
500 This violent exclusion applied
to members of the Republican party
only. 1t tells fearfulIy against the
heath, morality and prosperity of a
comfy when, in such short time
1900 out OF 1900 voters die, or be.
come otherwise disqualified to vote.
give these figures from the best
authority, and have no doubt of their
correctness and the proportion was
about the same in all other counties.
Ny complaint is not againss the law,
but such a monstrous administration
against its provisions as deprived
thousands of honest Republicans of
the right of suffrage. Then, too, 9th.
err election laws were equally ignored.
All kinds of obstacles were thrown in
the way of the proper registration of
Republican voters The law provides
that the county commissioners shall
hold special meetings TO hear com.
plants and put on the lists names
that have been improperly omitted.
They allowed only three days for the
clerks to register and issue certificates
to the thousands of those who had
been left off the lists. This time
would have been inadequate had they
remained in session every hour of the
day instead Of only few hours. They
refused to allow colored men to swear
in their votes, and performed such
,,,lations OF law as would bring q
blnsb % the cheek of the vilest carpet
bSgger N, 4 ever set foot on southern
soil. :a :.
"Other frauds were e9mml'tea .