Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-08-01
The Nations Shame.

AT III oApous6 tO lu6 thA-pdyluS
portion of our people OF not less, prob
ably, than quarter of q million dol
lars, the Potter Committee, with head
quarters in Washington, and branches
in Florida and Louisiana, has gone in
to search for fraud ia connection with
the recent Presidential election. When
it Is remembered that the controversy
in reference to the result of the elec-
tion has been finally and amicably set
tied by an Electoral Commission, Or
ga1ized at the suggestion Of the Demo
cratic party, as u last resort when they
saw from the election returns that they
had been defeated, and approved by
the entire Democratic representation in
the United States Senate and House OF
Representatives, what will the nation
and the world think OF party and q
Democratic House that deliberately
reopens the question? of Democratic
House that orders an Investigation Of
the acts of the returning boards of GER
tain States and forbids an inquiry into
the methods employed to carry The
election in remote and unprotected dis
tricts of the same States? The Demo
cratic House and the Democratic ma.
jority of the Potter Committee know
that there are to-day large Republican
majorities in Mississippi, South Caroli-
ma, Louisiana, aud Florida; they know,
ton, that these majorities were defeat
ed by intimidation, secured by means
Of murder, assassination, and house
burning. Yet, with all their knowledge
of these acts, the Democratic House
and Democratic Potter Committee re-
fuse to allow any inquiry into the facts
OF into any acts OF intimidation cOm
mitted prior to the election, where
fraud really existed to An alarming eX-
tent, but confine the investigation to
the acts Of this returning boards.
The crime Of the dominant party In
the South is that 1t excludes the color
ed vote from the ballot box unless 1t is
given for the Democratic party. Had
this not been the case In all the South
ern States there would have been nc
uncertain sound as to the result of the
late Presidential election, and none are
more convinced Of this than the fraud
uleut party itself.
The great fact has been constitution.
ally established that sail citizens Oi
the United States, who are otherwise
qualified by law to vote at any election
by the people In any State, Territory,
district, county. parish, township,
school district, municipality, or other
territorial subdivision, shall be enti-
tied and allowed to vote ut such elec
tious, without distinction of race, color
or previous condition OF servitude, any
constitution, law, custom, usage, ol
regulation of any State or Territory, OF
by or under Its authority, to the con.
trary Notwithstanding" Yet the en-
tire colored vote of the South is pre-
vented from free exercise at the ballot
box by the bull-dozIng practices of the
Democratic party, which bids defiance
to all attempts to secure an honest
vote, and giories In its achievements
under which no cOlOred citizen Is al
lowed but at the risk OF his life to vote
unless his vote is for the Democratic
candidates. Yet these are the men who
are now searching for election frauds
under one-sided instructions from the
Democratic House. This Is Democrat
ic consistency.