The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-10-09
CHARlEsToN, SOUTH CAROLINA.

/
read now from Brights Election Gases, page
COS, in note;
Perhaps there 10 no better proof of the extent
to which the principles of civil and political lib
erty have passed from the remembrance Of the
American people than the fact recorded In the
| daily newspapers, without comment that at the
municipal election Of the city Of Charleston, held
on the I'd Of August 1871, six years after the close
| OF the civil war, q body OF Federal troops were
stationed at each precinct to prevent violence.
| And this without SHADOW Of authority and with
out It's exacing the slig ltest emotion In the ciu-
Gems of what is claimed to be free country.
SOUTH CAROLINA.
Judge Thomas ]. Machey thus describes what
he saw at the November election In 1876 at the
polls Of the town In which he resides:
was called upon on the TIN of November, 1876,
| while the general election was being held in the
State for State officers, members OF tho Legisla.
ture, members OF Congress. aud Presidential
Electors to interpOse my official authority TO
ehect the interference OF the military and deputy
| marshals with the voters On the afternoon be-
| fore the election there arrived in Chester de.
tachment Of about forty men OF the Eighteenth
Infantry United States Army, and coincident
with their arrival q number OF persons, number.
| ing twenty nine or thirty appeared at the mill.
taFy encampment about tcur hundred yards of.
Several OF Lno deputy WHTBnhlb were engaged
| In distributing ticket, and charged the COlored
persons having Democratic tickets H. their hands
and In line with the whites with belIaytng their
race, All the deputy marehals, with one exCep.
| tioD were c0lOIed men. Their instructions were
signed by the United States Marshall the words at
the head of their commissions being "Stard BY
your party" The witnesses saw in three or four
instances Democratic ballots destroyed by these
officers,
VIRGINIA.
It is said also by leading gentleman from vir.
ginia, Mr.. Tucker:l
have myself seen subalteru Of the army en-.
| ter court OF justice In Virginia and delSVer
military order tU the judge upon the beueh 10 en-.
ter judgment In t'vOr OF party TO case on
| his docket had myself, as a commissioner Of
the court TO sell land, be ordered by the mill
taTy to refrain from doing so, which order re-
fused TO obey, and learned that for public avOw
| al In court OF such refusal was threatened with
| COurt.martial
Mr.. G4rneld-In what wear was that2
| Mr.. Tucker-I was about the year 1865.
The troops fent to control the election Of No.
vember 7, 1876, at Petersburg, Virginia efficiently
performed the work of intimidation. A ballot
protected by Federal troops is advocated by Gen.
| eral Grant in his RDecial message Of December H.
1876, Executive Document No. 5, Senate, seeOnl
Bession,) thus:
These Enclosures will give all the Information
called for by the resolution, and confidently DO
ieve will Justify the action taken II Is well nn'
derstoOd that the presence Of Un ted 5tstes troops
at polling places never prevented the nee e4er
else Of the franchise by any citizen, OF Whatever
| political faith. H. then, they have nau Any eL
feet whatever upon the ballot CAST ~ mas 9een 70
insure protection TO the citizen casIng " ln CIV.
| ing It to the candidate OF mis- unolaseu 2holCe
without fear, and thus securing the very essence
NJ liberty. II msy be the presence OF tWenly'Iour
United States soldiers under the command Of
captain and lieutenant qnartered In the custom
house at Petersburg Virginia, on the 1th OF No.
vember, al a considerable distance from any
polling place, without any Interference on their
part wbatevtr and without going near the polls
during the eectioo, may have secured a different
resnlt from what would have been obtained II |
thev had not been there 10 maintain The peace u |
case NJ riotl on the face Of the returns. But II
mch 10 the case It is only prof tina, In this one
congrsssiona district in the state of Virginia the
Legal and constitutional voters have been able to
r tnrn AZ elected the candidates Of their choice.
- 'ui" W. ..IltOttl U. 8. GRANT.
Executive Mansion, Dec a. 1876.
The order OF General Sherman, dated Dec. II, |
1875 in which he orders troops to Petersburg, Va,
similar dolnga we're enacted in Louisiana, Geor- |
Ria and West Virginia.