Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-01-19
John Walsh, Undertaken,
BAL Second st., next p~ostofice. lis
NONRESIDENT + E
The Property Qualifications aud It's
Abuse.

The Property Qualifications and It's
Abuse.
To the Editor of the Ledger:
Mr.. W. L. Vance publishes a card in
last evenings LEDGER in which he says:
"a statement is current on the streets
that | decided some property in the Sew.
enth ward to secure votes against Judge
Flippin for mayor. Many OF these parties,
though doing business in the city slept
outside of il and could not vote. Desir.
ing to defeat Mr.. johnson, l made the
conveyance for that purpose. / voted
for Flippin; have always been for him
against johnson, and hoped the parties
to whom | sold the property would do
the same, as they had pledged me, or the
deed would not have been made until
after the election"
In the humble judgment of the writer
this opens a question Of serious import
to the citizens Of Memphis, and deserves
further notice at the hands Of the press, as
the fearless champion of the rights of the
people.
1t is now quite immaterial which can
didate it was intended, through the pecu-
liar device, to defeat. The morale of the
transaction would be the same whether
Anderson, Flippin, or johnson got the
votes.
The object was, as Mr.. Vance alleges,
to defeat Johnson "or the deed would not
have been made till after the election"
If such was the purpose how could O
deed made after the election" have any
such effect2 This must be "one Of those
things no fellow can fad out" The facts
are these: A number of city railroad
employees voted at the Seventh ward poll
for John Johnson for mayor. They ad.
mitted that they we're non-residsnts of
the city, but claimed the right to vote BE-
cause they owned real estate within the
corporate limits. AS evidence of this
each enc, 10 presenting his vote, referred
to a deed in the possession of Captain
Barrett, who promptly produced and ex-
hibited the deed to the judges Of cleo
tion. The deed was dated December q,
1877, and signed by VIM L. Vance, and
conveys to some tweaty Of these men by
names O piece Of real estate fronting ten
(lO) feet on Beal street and running
back $50 feet between parallel lines. The
consideration expressed is $25.
All the names Of the men who voted
by reason of this qualification were in
the one deed. An eqral subdivision
gives each man six inches front on Bsal
street-room for an inch board fence on
each side, with an enclosure fronting
four inches on said street.
Every n Of these votes was chal.
lenged by Judge Flippin's friends, but
the judges decided. against the earnest
protest of DR.. Porter, DR.. Clarke and
others, that the deed was sufficient evil
dence of the ownership Of the property
described, and that each man named in
the deed was thereby qualified to vote.
Attention was called to the fact that the
deed was not recorded, but the judges
decided that that was immatsrial, and
about twenty of these votes we're polled.
If the ruling of the judges was cor
rect, aud this property qualification law
can be thus abused, it should be at once
amended or repealed.
If the attention of the proper authori.
ties is hereby directed to this abuse Of a
law, right in principle, and the proper
remedy is applied, the object of this COM
munication will have been fully accom-
plished.
1t is certainly one Of the most unique
methods yet devised for carry ing a ma.
nicipal election-althOugh in this incipi-
ent attempt it proved abortive,
SEVENTH WARD,