The New York herald., 1879-01-03


country to be expected that the city vote would
be swollen above the usual proportions" Had the
200 negroes from st. Andrews and St James Grove
Creek who the city because of the action of
the Legislature in aboshing the voting precincts III
their localities been allowed to vote. there is no
doubt the vote of the city might have been increased
to that extent though that would not have accounted
for the increase of 3l52; but Mr. OConnor can
ayers of election throughout the city absolutely
fused against all law and justice to receive the votes
OF these people except in very Few instances HAD
since they brought to the city by the republi-
cans. that their votes would have swollen the re-
publican vote; but it the democratic vote that
swollen from 1T in 1876 to TO- 600 i'll 1873, while
the republican vote was less than it was two years
ago. owing to the fact that the managers of election
throughout the city arbitrarily rejected hundreds of
republican votes upon one pretext and another The
increase of 4423 in the democratic vote OF the city
this that of 1876 taken in connection with
the increase of 352 in the aggregate yote shows how
and by whom the vote was swollen.
MR.. o'CoNNoRs FRAUDULENT MAJORITY.
Mr.. O'Connor apparently conscious Of the fact
that the majority he obtained over me in the
city of Charleston was clearly the result OF fraud
says that even throwing out that majority he was
elected because my majority i'll the country precincts
of Charleston county only ga fraction over 0O0
less than anticipated he intimates. While fail
to see how this suggestion viii tend to re-
fute the charges OF fraud that have been
made i'm in regard to the elect. election di9 IN TINS aus
that the frauds committed not sufficient
to change the result of the election If tho frauds
confined to the city of Charleston. But tho
frauds committed III the Second Congressional dis
trict were not confined to tthe city of Charleston.
They extended throughout TIE entire district,
perpetrated every county composing the district,
and practised ut fourfths OF the polls within
the district They were SO great as to transform
large republican majority actually cast at the polls
into large democratic majority returned on pa
per. How my majority III the country precincts
of Charleston came to be only "a fraction 2000.
shall explain, first calling attention to the fact.
however that it even less than Mr.. OConnor has
kindly allowed me out OF the abundance OF his own
1900 majority the returns OF the managers from
these country precincts give me only 1872 majority
do not mention this fact to show that Mr.. OConnor
could not have examined the returns. the correctness
of which he has undertaken to defend; but simply to
prove that the frauds committed in reducing my ma
jorties in the country precincts were even greater
than Mr.. O'Connor was aware.
UNIFORM BALLOT srUFFINc.
One thing be said in lavor OF the frauds at the
country precincts. They were uniform. The same
system adopted and practsed ut each poll where
the frauds committed, showing that the instruc
tons how to consummate these frauds came from
one fountain-head The plan was as follows:-From
one hundred to five hundred small tissue ballots were
surreptitiousy placed in the ballot box, in
quenceof which the number OF ballots III the box ex-
ceeded the number OF names on the poll list At the
close of the poll when the box was opened, all the
ballots were taken and unfoided to enable the
managers to perceive which were republican ana
which were democratic tickets. They were then all
counted, and as 1t was ascertained what was
the excess OF ballots in the box over names on the
poll list the ballots all still unfodcd were returned
the box and OF the or clerk drew out
and DESTROYED number of ballots equal to the
amount of the excess The managers and clerk,
being all democratic at each poll nauaYeu OF course,
to draw out republican tickets mostly. AS the
tissue ballots very easily distinguished by
the touch very few OF them were drawn out.
the person who did the drawings invariably feeling
for the large republican tickets. Every republican
ticket drawn not only republican vote lost,
but as tissue ticket allowed to remain and be
counted in it's place it added one to the democratic
vote, SO that ut every pole where 100 republican
tickets drawn out the republican vote was re.
duced to that extent and the democratic vote in
creased the extent and change Of 200 votes
thus made in the result This the plan adopted.
not only at the country precincts in Charleston
county but ut every precinct in Orangeburg county
A sTAKrL.ING RECORD.
If. upon opening ballot box and counting the
votes therein it is ascertained that the ballots in the
box are largely in excess OF the number of persons
recorded hSving voted. is not that fact sufficient
proof that that ballot box has been stuffed with
fraudulent ballots? And yet those who claim that
fraud was committed in this district know full well
that at the following polls IN Charleston county out
side Of the limits OF the city, in pursuance OF the
plan have just described the ballots i'll the box
ceeded the the poll lists OF the managers to
the extent stated below
At Mount Pleasant the number of names on the
poll list G20; the number OF ballots in the box
/, ,163, excess of 543.
At the Thirty two Mile House the number of names
on the poll list 549 the number Of ballots the
box $50, or an excess OF S4l.
At Hendersons Store the number OF names on the
poll list 1914; the number Of ballots in the box
269, excess OF rs.
At the Twenty-Five Mile House the number of
names on the poll list was 6O4; the number Of ballots
in the box s34. or an excess of 23O.
At Cooper's Store the number Of names on the poll
an excess of 135.
At Hickory Bend the number of names ON the poll
list $780, the number OF baos in the box 39l. or
excess OF G2.
At strawberry Ferry tho number of names on the
poll list GIL; the number OF ballots III the box
At Stephens the number of names on the poll list
512; the number Of ballots in the box 6l2,
Not one of the democratic managers at any of the
polls above named will deny that the ballots i'll the
box exceeded the names the poll list to the extent
SfataI IN Of an
created by stuing the ballot boxes ut the above NEIL
toned polls number OF ballots corresponding with
the at each poll drawn out and destroyed
REPUBLICAN TICKETS DRAWN OUT.
As tissue ticket took the place of each republican
ballot drawn out. how many votes the democrats
gained and how many the republicans lost by this
operation will be by tho number OF republican
tickets drawn out and destroyed at each Of the
above named polls. The number OF republican
tickets drawn out at each of those polls is fol-
lows:-Mount Pleasant, 372; Thirty-two Mile House.
31j; Henderson's store, 10; Twenty-Five Mile House,
lCI Coopers store. IS; Hickory Bed ~; Strawberry
Ferry, 1lO; Stephens, about ~. Making total
OF l,2G9. to which extent the republican vote
ut these polls was reduced. while the democratic
vote was Increased to the same extent, and these
eight polls. which really gave republican majority
,YS2, wcre by this process OF suing the box with
tissue tickets and then drawing republican tick
ets returned having cast 565 democratic majority
by such frauds as these was republican majority Of
450O in the country precincts OF Charleston county
reduced to 1.372 and by the same system Of frauds
a republican majority in Orangeburg county trans
formed into u democratic majority
CHARLESTON COUNTY VOTE.
As argumentin favor OF the fairness OF the elec
ton Mr. OConnor refers to the fact that the entire
vote OF Charleston county for Congressman this year
was less than that of 1876 by 900 votes
the exact number 50G 1t is true that In this county
the vote returned is COG less than it 1876; but
il to the votes returned be added S65 votes actually
cast at tho Washington engine house poll and not
counted because of the of the ballot box.
We find that the vote OF 1878 exceeds tn I
of 1876 by $50, Notwithstanding the fact that
the polling places in many localities had been
abolished and tho voters lett without place to cast
their ballots and that the total number OF polls had
been reduced from fity-fve to thrty-two, nearly
one-half. Moreover, Edisto Island which usually
less than $50 votes the poll not opened
although the voters remained around the polling
place nearly all day awaiting the arrival OF the
ayers Had this poll been opened it ought to have
becn the this year would have exceeded that of
1876 by LOO. IL with twenty three polling
places abolished and one not opened aud the votes ut
another not counted, the county OF Charleston could
poll this year within hvo hundred votes of the
number cast two years ago. what stronger evidence
Is needed that fraud must have boon committed to
bring about such result? Yet the country is asked
to believe that the frauds charged in this county