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

he senate Chamber was nearly empty
to-day, but two or three senators sough
its solitude to bring up their arrears
correspondence. Away out en- the rag
ged edge of the Democratic side sat one
tall. ana OF "a military aspect 5voi
ac"n 70 the cnt of his clothes-whc
seemed to be an object of curiosity TO The
little groups Of spectators hanging abou
the doors. 1t was Gen. NJ. G. Butler
Senator from South Carolina. For near
ly twenty years prominent figure in hit
own State, since the day Of the Ham.
burg massacre, with which he had about
as little to do as his namesake Of Massa-
chusetts, he has been pretty well known
throughout the country. It has been his
fortune 10 be posted in the North as a
Bourbon and fire 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
cnd colored blockade runner Snalls
had little talk with him on mattcrs 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 messenger"
II should prefer" he replied, "to have
something more specific to answer. But
I 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-
Crme so nOt0rious"'
None in the world, sir, assure you,
except from hearsay evidence. / have
no doubt, however, that there were
frauds in South Carolina as in other
States, but believe less there than else
where. AS 10 the :;sste paper hal!nts,
never saw or heard Of such thing until
long after the election. Furthermore,
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 aud 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 barbccucs
and uniformed professions. The Re-
publicans scarcely went through the
form of opposition. You know very
we'll, suppose, that they made no nomi.
nations for State officers, and even al
lowed come Congressional nominations
70 go by default"
But how about Smalls, the Republi-
can candidate from your own district,
who disappeared under fifteen thousand
Democratic majority, although his dis
trlct 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 n little too much, even of the poor
darkics, to send man to Congress who il
a convicted and self-confessed thief, only
out of the penitentiary by suflernncc ?
Would you blame the people of rennsyl-
vania, for instance, for not voting for
such n man, or consider it surprising il
he were overwhelmingly defeated 2
Why, in one Of the districts Of your own
State l 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 rs the Democratic nominee in dis
trict with over three thousand Demo.
cratic majority, and yet was returned
beaten by reputcd ignoramus. Sup.
pose ask you now to account for that
or for equally remarkable reversals OF
majoritics in Maine and New York
wouldn't my demand be great deal
more reasonable than yours 2"
"Smalls did make n canvass, I sup.
pose |"
eyes, but what sort Of canvass was
it? Why, he never came into my coun.
ty at all, and it was scarcely known
among the negroes that he was running
In Barnwell the Republicans admit tha;
there are 1000 colored Democrats. In
Abbeville there would have betn no dis,
tribution of Republican tickets hnu no,
our people advanced tho money &c pay
the charges aIi'i &C: chem Oh. o! the ex-
press Office. Yes; there il great misrep
resentation about these matters. prom.
isc that the wiioie truth silaii bc known
AS to the tissue paper ballots and ballot
stutiing, have caused unsparing inquiry
to be mnde, and whatever the truth may
DO it shall be given to the public"
"But will the perpetrators of fraud bs
punished ?"
"Of course they will-to tie full ex
tent of the law, and if the la Y does mo-
cover the ground 1t is not -. fault
The election law was framed by Repub
licans, and we take it as VIC find it
They organized hell in South Carolins
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 oE complain. Hf any
irregularity has been filed with the State
board of canvassers. The President
however. claims to be very fully informed
and should like to know what he ha.
heard and who are his informants. NJ,
own opinion il that this QUERY :: but tn,
premonitory symptom Of morsment h1p.
;ng 10, its object the ultimate
DIsFRANcHIsEMENT OF THE NEGRO
as means of crippling the South. Yor
may think that will never be done, bu
strange things have happened, and tn,
Republicans must do something tc
abridge the representation of the Soutl
in Congress or their power will surel,
pass away. Why, in Texas alone we vii
nave over twenty members andeT d Ds~
reapportionment; other Southern an,
Western Democratic States will have
their representation increased, Will,
New England must lose. 1t is to the in
terest of the South, and it is also Gu
@ suffrage. e and whatever hot. headed hen M az an' .
indiscFeet people here and there may dc
we propose TO consult duty and interest
Rest assured that our vindication in thi