The New York herald., 1879-01-03
.SOGYH CAROLINA ELECTIONS
E. W. M. Mackey Makes Out the
Republican Case.
GLARING FRAUDS.
How the Democrats Destroyed Re-
publican Votes.
THOUSANDS OF "JOKERS."
A Statement That Can Be Met
Only BY Facts.

In your issue of the Goth inst. appear number OF
letters from prominent democrats Of this State in
gard the late election All of the letters from
residents of the First Congressional district except
one from Mr. NJ. p. O'Connor. who claims to have
been elected from this district. the Second
As Mr. O'Connors letter evidently written in re-
sponse to the charge made by me that gross frauds
committed throughout this district at the last
election respectfully request the privilege of reply
ing it, in doing shall not only endeavor to
establish the fact that frauds, sufficient to change the
entire result of the election committed but
shall also endeavor to satisfy every unbiased mind
that the defence set by Mr. OConnor in his letter
is and incapable Of standing the test of nves
tigation
VOTING LIGHTNING SPEED.
In published letter under date November 7. 1878.
charged inter aia that the ballot boxes in the two
voting precincts of ward 8. in this city. had been
stuffed with democratic tickets, printed very small
slips Of tissue paper in diamond types in case with
400 tickets and in the other with over 120O,
and these two polls thus made to give Mr.. OConnor
majority Of 4,392 out of vote Of 6556-the total
vote at poll being 1850. and at the other 1887.
To vote 1860 or 9S7 persons ut any one poll
during the - hours 100 minutes the polls
opened, I declared to be o physical
impossbility where the managers sworc each
voter separately and in many consumed three
pied considerable time in challenging and rejecting
others. In endeavoring to explain how it was
possible to vote such numbers Mr. OConnor asserts
that the managers swore "half'a dozen or moro
voters at tho time" While in two
instances-very rarely, however-the managers may
have two or three voters at one time. chal-
lenge Mr.. O'Connor to produce single reliable wit
ness who will testify that the mapagers a rule
swore "half dozen voters at the
time AS matter of fact nine-tenths Of the persons
voting at the two precincts in question sworn
separately.
Mr.. o'coNNoR's STATEMENTS REFuTED.
Mr.. O'Connor further attempts to account for the
enormous vote at these two precincts in ward by
saying that the to the polls in wards l. 2. s.
Z and choked up with q stream Of negroes
throughout the entire day. rendering it almost inn
possible for white democrat to reach the boxes in
either of these wards and vote. This necessiated
very large number Of democrats living In the pre-
cincts that thus blocked to repair to ward and
| there cast their ballots" If Mr.. O'Connor's
PLANTATION be true that it almost impossible for
white democrat to reach the polls in
| either wards /. 2, 8, 8. because to
them choked by stream Of negroes. which he
declares in this connection the ''enemy's plan
of battle" how then will he the fact that
at ward poll the democrats received 547 majority;
| ut ward poll, G25 majority; at ward poll 242
jorty while ut ward poll they cast 442 votes out Of
900. nearly one half. and at ward poll they cast
323 out Of 7sO. Either Mr.. OConnor's assertion in
regard to the polls being blocked up is without the
slightest foundation in fact. il 1t be true
| then it is conclusive evidence that the
managers at the polls in wards s. and 8
committed great frauds in returning such
large democratic majorites at polls WHERE according
to Mr.. O'Connor. it almost impossible for
| white democrat to reach the boxes and vote" Mr..
OConnor and the democratic managers at those polls
can settle the question whether the statement of the
former is correct tho returns of the latter are
false While frauds were committed ut the polls in
wards g. and s. as I shall prove further on yet the
truth is that the to neither these nor those in
wards l and was choked up by negroes to
prevent the democrats from reaching tie boxes
and voting, but, on the contrary, ut each
of them, excepting ward 2, where the falling OFF
was about the same both sides, the democrats
voted their full strength. AT ward the democratic
vote about the 1t was in 1876; in ward
it l5l more than in 1876; in ward it was 357
more and in ward 4S2 more. II, then. the demo-
at three out of the Ave polls mentioned by Mr..
OConnor cast larger vote than they did before.
can he reconcile his statement that they were forced
to repair to ward to vote with the fact that tho
democratic vote largely increased in these very
! wards !?
| VALUABLE UsR OF THE ''JoKERs."
Another proof il Mr. OConnor's assertions be true.
that the managers at the polls in wards g. and
! committed gross frauds in swelling the democratic
vote at these polls beyond what was honestly and
tually cast And this Is Just what the managers did
as will presently show. But even deducting tho
amount of tissue ballots stuffed in the boxes the
democratic vote actually cast at these three polls was
about the same it In 1876, showing conclu-
siyely that large numbers OF democrats not
forced repair TO ward to VOTE and the attempt to
explain the enormous vote Of that ward upon any
such theory will not bear examination. Even
were we to admit that. instead of large numbers.
every democrat who voted in 1876 ut the polls in
wards l, q g. and s. with those also who voted in
ward g. cast their ballots this year at the two pre-
cincts in ward 3. yet the combined democratic vote
of these six wards including ward .. cast in 1875.
is actually less than the democratic vote cast there
this year. SO much for the frauds at these two pre-
cincts. for which some better explanation must be
found by those who desire to apologize for them
than the offered by Mr.. O'Connor. But these
not the only polls i'll the city of Charleston ut
which frauds were committed. At the First precinct
OF ward and at the polls IN wards 5. 2 and g. the
ballot boxes were stuffed with the same kind of tissue
tickets used In ward 3.
POLLS 3, AND y.
. At wari poll the ballots in the box exceeded tho
names ON the managcrs' poll list by over 125 This
the democratic managers themselves will not deny.
This excess caused by the tissue ballots which
had been stuffed into the box and in consequence OF
this thus frauduently created number Of
ballots equal to the amount OF the excess were drawn
out and destroyed republican tickets which
had been lawfully voted. In their place
reptitiousy placed in the box. BY this means
the republican vote actually cast was reduced
to the extent At ward poll 4lG tissue ballots
stuffed in tho box. and although numerous false
names placed the poll list in order to make
correspond with the number of ballots stuffed in the
box yet at the close of the poll there were AZ moro
ballots In the box than there names the fal-
sihcd poll list. At ward poll there 49l
tickets IN the box than there the sup
ervisors poll list Notwithstanding this discrepancy
all the ballots found In the box counted and the
poll list OF the managers afterward made to
spond. Among the ballots counted were exactly 900
Tissue ballots which had been fraudulently placed in
the box.
FIVE THOUSAND LOCKERS" IN rouR rnEcrScrs.
AZ the First precinct of ward there 323 tissue
ballots stuffed in the box and in endeavoring to In
the poll list for The ballots thus stuffed
in the box ~ more names were inserted on the list
than there ballots In the box. At the four pre-
cincts just mentioned. together with the two pre-
cincts in ward s. the number of small tissue ballots
stuffed into the ballot boxes 5000 by which
means the vote of Charleston city was swollen to
1888 including the S65 cast at the Washington
| engine house. which counted because of
the destruction OF the ballot box In order to prove
that this excessive vote not the result of fraud
Mr. OConnor asserts that "the vote OF the city In
the last election Is very nearly the that II
in 1876. the difference being very slight way
tho other" AZ the vote Of the city Ia 1876 was IL 3S6