Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-12-05

Immediately following the election a
staf correspondent of the n. Y. Tribune,
who has the reputation of being one of the
most accurate and careful of writers, was
dispatched TO South Carolina to make In
quIries into the election irregularities in
that State. His letters have been singu.
larry free from any appearance of bias or
prejudice. aud yet the admissions of Dem
ocrsts with whom he has conyersed there.
show coEclusively the Infamous practices
that were resorted to for the purpose OF
carrying the election. The Tribune in an
editorial on this subject says:
The Democrats, a. rule. say little about
the last election; but the incidents of the
campaign. the methods OF the balloting
and The count. are notorious and undispu,-
ed aud II they are not much talked about.
except by the victims. Ii Is not because
there is any lack OF knowledge on the sub
ject. A. n South Carolina gentleman OBJ
served TO another. 10 the confidence of a
loud public conversation in "A smoking-car.
the tissue-paper ballots were used "all over
the State. Although IL was a little crook
ed, ii wasn't very wrong after all. We had
10 do Il. or ICE should haze been beaten e"
hich settled the question, OF course.
Two aspects of the case are presented
wildly In our correspondents letters. One
Is the systematic Intimidation of the ne
groes before the election the other is the
systematic and enormous Ratification OF
the vote afterwards II l. an unworthy
mockery TO speak of the election in south
Carolina as quiet" and TO protest that no
blood was shed in depriying the colored
voters of their rights, when the whole mil
tsry force of the red shirts" was employ
ed for weeks before election day 10 break
up the Republican meetings and TO terriiy
the t'Ou' neeG-peoplc with the notion e'-,.
impending massacre. Certainly the terror
ism which i inspired by companies of in
iantry, cavalry. and artillery. psrading In
front OF the negroes political meetings the
best men" all well heeled." aud the can
non osteniaiiously loaded with tenpenny
nails, Is no less real than the violence
which draws blood or leaves broken bones
Northern mud-sils are incapable of appre-
ciating the fine flower OF chiyAlry which
can thus detnean itself toward the ignorant
aud helpless. But Whist the gentleman
said OF stuf,ing b.llot-boxes. he would pro-
badly say Of pointing artillery at obstinate
voters We had TO DO il. or we should
hsye been beaten"
Further details are given about the use
OF the tissue-paper tickets. or kiss jokes.
or "Hampion's little jokers." They seem
10 have been furnished In unlimited guam
titles from some central authority. aud to
have been quite generally employed. either
folded IN with the regular ballots. or in
some cases boldly crammed into the box
by the handful By highly ingenious ar
rsngemeut these fraudulent papers-for
which il was impossible that there should
be any honest use-were made 10 count
double. The law provides that II the bal
lots, on being counted, are found u exceed
in number the names on the poll-li,ts. they
shall all be returned TO the box aud the
surplus shall be drawn out at random, after
which the count shall 20 on. or course,
wherever the little jokers" were used a
great excess appeared. But IN counting.
the canvassers took the precAution To Law
the Republican and Democratic ballots in
separate piles. and when they were put
back into the box the Democratic tickets
always went in first. with the Republican
tickets on top. Thus the surplus to be
drawn out came almost entirely from the
Republican vote. aud every Little Joker"
not merely added one fraudulent vote 30
the Democratic total, but involved the de
siruction of one genuine vote cast for The
other side. Upon the whole. the disappear
ance Of the Republican majority in South
Carolina may be said 10 be pretty complete
Is explained. The gentlemen in red shirts
have been asking Us what We are going to
DO about il. We think the question with
honorable Americans now ought 10 be-
What is Wade Hampton going TO do about
It: