The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-12-19
THE ISSUE ABOUT ssTISsUE."
What Senator Butler Has to Say on the
Subject.
WASHINGTON. Dec. Z


Subject.
WASHINGTON, Dec. z.
The Senate chamber was nearly empty
to-day, but two or three senators sought
its solitude to bring up their arrears Of
correspondence. Away out on the rag.
ged edge of the Democratic side sat one
tall, and of o military aspect even
down to the cut of his clothes-whc
seemed to be an object of curiosity to the
little groups of spectators hanging about
the doors. 1t was Gen. NJ. c. Butler
Senator from South Carolina. For near.
ly twenty years a prominent figure in his
own State, since the day of the Ham
burg massacre, with which he had about
as little to do as his namesake of Massa'
chnsetts, he has been pretty well known
throughout the country. 1t has been hi;
fortune to be posted in the North as
Bourbon and fre-eater, while consider.
ed at home almost too progressive and
liberal for his own good. Remembering
that he comes from one of the districts
sacred to the memory of tissue ballots
and colored blockade runner Smalls,
had little talk with him on matters Of
current interest.
General, you, if anybody, are entitled
to speak in the name of the Democrats
in South Carolina. What defence have
your people to make against the charges
made in the Presidents message?"
"I should PREFER" he replied, "to have
something more specific to answer. But
have no disposition to dodge the issue,
and will talk with you frankly. If such
frauds were committed as are charged
they invite most searching inquiry and
the punishment prescribed by law"
THE TISSUE BALLOTS.
"Have you any knowledge of the tissue
paper ballot operations that have be-
come so notorious?"
"None in the world, sir, I assure you,
except from hearsay evidence. l have
no doubt, however, that there were
frauds in South Carolina as in other
States, but believe less there than else
where. AS to the tissue paper ballots, |
never saw or heard of such thing until
long after the election. Furthermore, l
know that to carry the State or any dis.
trict by fraud of any kind was no part OF
the plan of the campaign committee OF
my party. They did not authorize any
such tactics, did not connive at them or
even know of them. If ballot boxes
were stuffed it was both wicked and un-
necessary, aud it cannot be that it was
done to any considerable extent. There
was no trouble about our having things
our own way except the difficulty of get
ting our own people out. For this pur-
pose only it was necessary to resort to
such campaign resources as barbecues
and uniformed professions. The Re
publicans scarcely went through the
form of opposition. You know very
we'll, 1 suppose, that they made no nomi-
nations for State officers, and even al
lowed some Congressional nominations
70 go by default"
SBut how about Smalls, the Republi-
can candidate from your own district,
who disappeared under fifteen thousand
Democratic majority, although his dis
trict was supposed to be strongly Re.
publican, and always heretofore voted
that way?"
"There is nothing surprising in that
when you know the facts. Isn't it ask
ing little too much, even of the poor
darkies, to send man to Congress who is
convicted and self-confessed thief, only
out of the penitentiary by sufferance? :?
Would you blame he people of Pennsyl-
vania, for instance, for not voting for
such man, or consider it surprising if
he were overwhelmingly defeated? !?
Why, in one of the districts of your own
State I understand there were some re-
markable political revolutions, much
more astounding. There was Governor
Curtin, a man whose integrity, ability
and popularity are unquestioned. He
ran as the Democratic nominee in a dis
trict with over three thousand Demo-
cratic majority, and yet was returned
beaten by reputed ignoramus: Sup
pose I ask you now TO account for that,
or for equally remarkable reversals of
maiorities in Maine and New York,
wouldn't my demand be great deal
more reasonable than yours 2"
"Smalls did make canvass, l sup
pose |"
"Yes, but what sort of canvass was
it? Why, he never came into my coun-
ty at ali, and it was scarcely known
among the negroes that he was running.
In Barnwell the Republicans admit that
there are 1000 colored Democrats. In
Abbeville there would have been no dis
tribution of Republican tickets had not
our people advanced the money to pay
the charges and get them out of the ex-
press Office. Yes; there is great misrep-
resentation about these matters. / prom
Use that the whole truth shall be known.
As to the tissue-paper ballots and ballot
stufing, / have caused unsparing inquiry
to be made, and whatever the truth may
be it shall be given to the public"
"But will the perpetrators OF fraud be
punished ?"
"Of course they will-to the full ex-
tent of the law, and if the law does not
cover the ground it is not our fault.
The election law was framed by Repub-
licans, and we take it as we find it.
They organized hell in South Carolina
and expect US to keep it straight. But |
call your attention to the fact that, not
withstanding all the charges that have
been made by partisan newspaper cores
pondents, no protest o. complaint Of any
irregularity has been filed with the State
board of canvassers. The President,
however, claims to be very fully informed,
and I should like to know what he has
heard and who are his informants. My
own opinion is that this outcry is but the
p-en,onitory symptom Of a Increment hau-
ing for its object the ultimate
DIsFRANcHIsEMENT OF THE NEGRO
as means of crippling the South. You