The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-02-27
KINDRED HUMAN NATURE
DOING IN RHODE ISLAND.

The New York World has reporter who has
been very successful in exposing bulldoElng by
Republicans In the States of Massachusetts, and
Rhode Island. He presented the proofs to show
that at the last Massachusetts, election factory
hands and others In the employment OF Republi.
cans were given to understand that II they voted
against the Interests of their employers" they
would have TO look for employment elsewhere.
And tickets were gotten up Of such shape and
character, so marked that 1t could not b5 known
whether the employer voted them or not In
some localities clerks were stationed at the polls
who kept tallies of the names Of the workingmen
who voted and what ticket they voted.
In Rhode Island the bulldoEng is even worse
than In Massachusetts,. An EX -OVernor Of the
former State said TO the Reporters correspondents
"A Republican capitalist who controls q large
number of aboreTs controls their votes Of course.
The men can not afford to lose their situations at
this time He gives them to understand, through
his superintendent or overseeT, that he conscien-
tously believes that II is for their good and the
welfare of the State that the Republican ticket
should be elected, and that be personally desires
that they vote that ticket, How many Of them,
do you suppose, will go contrary to these implied
instructionsY The Ex-Governor, on being asked
II he knew of any cases where that kind Of bull
doing had been Systematically carried out, said
there are plenty of them but referred the report
er for fuller particulars to the Ex Chairman Of
Of the Republican State Committee. He was
sought and confessed that the EX Governor had
told the truth, He said:
managing elections in this State is trade that
can't be learned in day. You see, we have here
q respectable class of citizens who believe that
no man should vote unless he is q property
holder. They are mostly Republicans. Many Of
them have strong religious prejudices. They con-
scienhously believe In the Republican party, and
think II Is right to insist that those VINO are de.
pendent upon them should vote that ticket or
look elsewhere for employment, They no doubt
conscientiously believe that most of the laboring
classes are not competent to decide for them
selves what ticket they should vote. The large
property owners in this little State are many OF
them connected by family ties and possess great
inf ence when united; hence affairs have been
so managed that their united Interests have been
subserved by the Republican party, How this
has been done I need not specify. They have
been led to insist that those who were In their
employ should vote the Republican ticket. will
not attempt to controVert the statement you have
quoted that II Rhode Island had the same laws
as Massachusetts, or New York the Republicans
could not carry the State at any election. 1t is
true. But the Republicans are in power here and
they don't intend to lose It,"
The superintendents OF the mills will search
the employees for Democratic tickets and then
subsequently take them to the polls In covered
wagons, followed and watched until they depos-
tied their ballots, In other cases men were
marched in gangs to the places of voting, accom-.
panied by their OverseerE, and were not allowed
to put their hands In their pockets lest they
should change their tickets In one instance the
overeer in charge Of a gang distinctly gave the
order, Hands outW
That is the way Rhode Island is kept Republi.
can Besides the bulldozlng in the way described,
no foreign born citizen is allowed to vote unless
an owner of real estate while the colored citizen
can vote whether he owns property or not. Hu.
man nature in Rhode Island is not superior to
human nature elsewhere, and 1t might not be
amiss for the Senate Investigating Committee un-
der the Blaine resolution to extend its inquiries
beyond South Carolina for instances Of bull.doz-
ing,