The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-16
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,

directing me to ascertain from personal
examination whether sufficient justifica-
ton existed for the arrests recently made
in the State of South Carolina for alleged
violation of the enforcement laws, have
the honor to report that abundant testi-
mony is at hand showing that sufficient
justification does exist for the arrests thus
far made, and that the number of these
arrests is not commensurate with the
violations of law that appear to have
prevailed at every polling precinct
throughout the State at which there was
8 contest between the opposing political
parties.
The circumstances surrounding the
elections in South Carolina on the 9th
instant, taken in conjunction with the
sworn statements of the Republican SUI
peryisors of elections, and of other sworn
testimony, give evidence of preconcer-
ted, rs we'll as ccnsummated action upon
the part of the Democratic managers of
elections, looking to the accomplishment
throughout the State of results favorable
to the success of the Democratic ticket,
without regard to the number or charac-
ter of the ballots cast, and without scru-
pie as to the means employed.
From the statements and the circunl-
stances above alluded to, it appears that
the Democratic voter had two distinct
forms of ballot tickets at the polling pre-
cincts in the State, except in counties
known to be Democratic and in counties
where no Republican nominations had
been made; that one form of these tick
cts was used openly and the other secret
ly, and that both contained the names of
the Democratic nominees; that one form
of these tickets was from three to FIVE
times larger than the other, being Of
plain, white paper, with the names Of
Democratic nominees for Congress and
other Offices printed in bold type, and
that the second form WAS of tissue paper,
about three inches long by one and q
half inches wide, the names of nominees
being the same as on the larger tickets,
but printed in fine type, and commonly
known as "kiss-joke," or tissue tickets,
specimens of which will be found upon
: Page 80, Exhibit ga" annexed.
Concert Of action in placing the "kiss
joke" or tissue tickets, seems to have
prevailed at all voting precincts in which
they were used.
The testimony is uniform that no such
tickets were in circulation about the
polls, but that at the close of the polls
they were found in large numbers in the
various ballot boxes, and it then became
apparent that they had been voted in
quantities of four to seven Mt time by
means of folding them within the larger
Democratic ticket, or that they had beer
placed in the ballot-boxes previous to the
opening of the polls. The testimony is
to the effect that both these illegal meth
ods we're adopted.
[See statements of Supervisors Thorne,
PIP. and 2; Ryan, PIP. 2 and 8; Field,
PIP. 6 and z; Young, PIP. 10 and II ;
German, PIP. II, and Paris, PIP. 19, Of
Exhibit A, herewith annexed; also PIP.
8 and 4, of Exhibit B, herewith annexed.
This method of procedure made in
every instance an excess of ballots in the
boxes greatly outnumbering the names
on the poll lists, reaching, in one in
stance, to the number of thirteen hun
ldred. In some instances the ballots
found in the boxes were counted by the
Democratic managers without regard to
the poll lists and against the protests Of
the Republican supervisors.
In other cases where the ballots in the
boxes were found to be in excess of the
number of names on the poll lists, the
managers directed that all the ballots be
returned to the boxes. One of their
number or the clerk was then blindfol.
ded and told to draw out one ballot at q
time, until the number in excess had
been taken out and destroyed, the num-
Der so taken out ard destroyed being
uniformly Republican tickets.
The manner of effecting this result ap-
pears to have been as follows:
The polls having closed the ballot
boxes were opened, and their contents
taken out for the purpose of counting
the votes. The count then took place,
not in accordance with the law, which
provides that the ballots shall be counted
before being opened, but by opening or
unfolding all the ballots before counting
them. =
This method was practiced with great
unanimity at the various polling pre-
cincts in the State, and the managers of
elections were thus Informed of the char
acter of each ballot as they were counted.
The Republican ballots were placed in
Sone parcel, the Democratic ballots in
sppother, and the tissue ballots in third.
$ This entire proceeding was in direct
violation of the local laws of the State,
providing that: Each box being opened,
the ballots contained therein shall be
taken out and counted unopened, except
80 far as to;ascertain, that each ballot is
single; and if two or more ballots shall
be found SC, folded together as to preserve
the appearance Of single ballot they
shall be; destroyed, if the whole number
of ballots exceed the whole number of
votes, and not otherwise" Revised
Statutes s. G., vol. IA, p. 40, sec. lS.
The proceedings in question were also
in violation of Section 5,5l5, Revised
Statutes United States, which makes any
and every unauthorized act performed by
an officer of election crime against the
United States, punishable by fine and
imprisonment, or by both.
The count having been made and the
excess discovered, the ballots were Or
dered returned to the boxes for the pur-
pose of having the number in excess
drawn out. To accomplish this drawing
in favor of the Democratic ticket, and
against the Republican ticket, the ballots
were SO cunningly refolded as to admit of
no mistake.
The Republican ballots were folded
lengthwise, this giving them the form of
paper six to seven inches in width.
The Democratic ballots of the large size
were folded cover and over" this giving
them the form of paper two-and-a-half
inches in length, by three-eights or one
half inch in width. The Democratic
ballots of the small size were thrown
back promiscuously into the boxes, in
many instances without being refolded.
These we're the "kiss joke" or tissue tick
cts, whose character could be readily de-
A. I'll