Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-09-24


Magnitude.
The Republican state Committee Of Ala.
hama have prepared the following startling
address to tho country
When the Democrats came into power In
Alabama in 1914 they found AN election law I'm
force which provided proper Safeguards for
the ballot, and which was Just and equitable
with respect to the rights OF the two political
parties. The ballots were required to be mum.
bared doppositethen name ofthe voter on the poll
list; imtnediately after the close of the elcc.
ton the ballots were required 70 be counted
out and correct return thereof made, which
return, together with the poll lists and the
waided to the ofiice of the Probate Judge Of
the county, and there filed as public records !;
within n short time thereafter the Probate
Judge, Sheriff, and Clerk of the Circuit Court,
who were constituted Board of Supervisors
were required TO again make count of the
votes and to correct all errors, omissions, or
frauds of which the inspectors of the election
may have been guilty. II, aftcr the action Of
the Supervisors, any suspicion that fraud had
been committed, or error had been made, re-
mained in the mind of any person, the ballots
and the accompanying papers were always
forthcoming to answer for themselves in any
court where the question might be tried.
Those who desire the purity of elections
could ask for no better law. But the Demo.
cratic party was dissatisfied with it,. IL had
just trlumphed, but by Il meager majority. 1t
had been found necessary to inaugurate
reign of terror throughout the entire interior
of the State. Billings was waylaid and assas.
snated in Sumter County. shortly the mail
q train on the Alabama and Chattanooga Rail.
road was tagged in the same county In open
day, by band of armed men, and Mail Agent
lYeY was Iiddled with bullets for having de-
clared that the murderers of Billings shouldbe
brought to justice. At Spring HILL Barbour
County, the polling place was broken into, the
mob to shoot the Republican Supery isor Judge
Keils, his little fourteen year old son was
murdered The murderers have never
been punished or tried, but more than one
of the persons, whose public reputation II Is
to have been concerned in the murder, have
been honored by Democratic offices in the
Republican county thus made Democratic.
Armed bands of men rode through the streets
OF Mobile during all of the election day, as;
saulting and numbering inohenstve colored
men, and later Oh the terror caused by these
bands was supplemented by military guard
with bayonets and uniforms of gray at each of
the polling places. Notwith tanding these
facts, and others of a similar character
which could be truthfully enumerated. the
Republicans, white and black, had rallied TO
the standard OF their party, aud under the
most adverse circumstances had pOlled
vote of $4,000, vote which was standing
menace to Democratic ascendency.
80 1t was the consciousness OF this fact that
caused the Democratic party to enter upon
" reform " of the election law, to the end that
that which they had accomplished with so
much difficulty by violence, and which re-
manned so insecure, might be made easy, Ger
tain and secure by fraud. The statutes OF the
States of the Union may be searched In vain
for a parallel to the election law which was
then framed and passed by the Democratic
Legislature Of Alabama. It not only utterly
failed to provide safeguards where safeguards
were required, but it created opportunities,
and offered suggestions, which the most dull
witted could not fail TO comprehend. 1t was
provided that the Inspectors, after having
counted out the votes, should indorse the re.
turns, with one poll list, in one box, which
should be forwarded to the sheriff of the cOun-
ty, and that the ballots, with the other poll list,
should be retained by one of the Inspectorsfor
sixty days, and then destroyed, unless in the
meantime q contest should have been com
menced. IL will be seen that all check upon
dishonest inspectors is thus totally destroyed,
because their bare return is the only evidence
before the Board of Supervisors, and upon
which they are required to declare the result.
In the meantime the Inspectors have the evil
dence of their fraud in their own possession,
and have ample time to make the votes in the
box conform to the return which they have
made, should acontest be threatened Or, as
has been alleged In some cases where the boxes
were required the houses of the inspectors
may be broken into and the boxes stolen, or
they may be accidentally dropped into the fire
and burned; or the Inspectors, making mis-.
take as to the dates, may destroy the boxes a
few days before the law permits. For all OF
these misdeeds of, and "mishaps' to Inspect
ors, this wise" election law provides no pen.
alties Should these subterfuges fail no great
harm is done anyway. The fraudulent return
has subservt d its purpose by giving the certif-
cate of election to the Democratic candidate,
for in Democratic Alabama, no greater impos-
sibtlity could be conceived than for a RepuDH-
can to successfully contest in the courts the
right of Democratic candidates to offices to
which they have been declared elected. The
! law was found TO have one defect, however. In
feuefhl eleCtlOnS the feIelul courts nuVe lur-
tsdiction OF election offenses,a these courts,
taking advantage of the unsuspecting election
managers, had reached forth their hands un
eNpectedly, and by means of their process
taken possession of the ballot boxes, with the
ballots, and held the same to be used as evil
dence in the prosecution OF indictments for
election frauds. An unsympathtzing Grand
Jury had found indictments on the evidence
thus presented, and several hundreds of
our best citizens from the four quarters Of
the State were dragged from their homes to
the courts OF Montgomery, Mobile and Hunts
Vile Some even were convicted by these
"alien courts" of an "alien Government"
and were made TO suffer the ignominy of inn
prlsonment in the common jail, and the hard
shipofrestaurant fare paid for by a sympathiz
ing and admiling people (Which afterward re-
warded many OF them for their martyrdom
with offices OF trust and protit).
How to remedy the defect which made this
Invasion of the rights of the citizen possible
wns the question which was presented at the
next session of the Legislature. 1t was then
. and there determined that the law which
provided for the numbering of the ballots did
not comport with the theory of the secresy of
the ballot, aud law was enacted that the
ballot should no longer be numbered. Lest
some vile and seditious wretch should still be
tempted to invade "the sacred secresy of the
ballot by putting some mark or brand on
his ticket, by which means he might thereaf-
ter identify il, or by showing its absence bring
the sell sacrificing gentlemen who acted as
election managers TO grief, IL was further pro-
vided that the ballots should be ON plain
white paper, not shorter than five inches, nor
longer than seven, nor narrower than two
inches, nor wider than two and one half inch
es, and that il should have no mark or device
whatever on it, All ballots not conforming
strictly to these requirements were TO be re-
iected MS void. The debate ON this measure in
the state Senate and House of Representatives
ut the time of its passage would be interest
ing reading for the Northern people.
Some tmid souls there were who suggested
that the law provided for an election by the
Inspectors, and not by the people but they
were oVerborne by the advocates of the meas
ure, who decaimed about the 'sacred seeresy
flf tllah - la N % n N q N
noeent men away from their homes on the
testimony of ignorant and corrupt negroes
that they had voted contrary to the ballots III
the boxes purportihg TO be theirs.
such travesty OF law and of government OF
the people was never before presented.
The foregoing constitute the chief altera-
tiOns made in the election law by the Demo-
cratic party since it acquired power IN this
State, although there are innumerable minor
changes, necessary TO the smooth and easy
working of their scheme of fraud, which point
to their determination TO distranchise the
black man as plainly as those which have
heretofore been Indicated. -
A few instances not intended as' an enum-
Grafton, but as simple examples of that which
occurred all over the State OF Alabama at the
election of the I'd of August will show that the
spirit which actuated the Legislature and the
Governor, in the pnssage of these iniquitous
election laws, II alive and active in all classes
of theDemocratic party, and that there is no
division in that party as to the proposition
that the negro shall not be permitted TO have
a voice in the governments Of the country
of the late Democratic census returns will
show that he IS largely used TO swell the basis
of representation.
1t should be promised that majority OF the
Republican county officers who have been
elected at previous elections have been forced
from their positions by the laws which re-
quired them to ind bondsmen within the linn
fs of their own county, Il law which was de-
signed for no other purpose than that which
it accomplished. No good reason can be giv-
en- why officers should not be permitted to
make their bonds in whole or in part any
whore within the limits Of the State, except
that by combining them TO as small an area as
possible, such of them as were Republicans
would, in some localities, be subjected to the
mercy of a class of property holders who are
hostile 10 them and inimical 10 theirretention
IN office. ... . rI ...s
At MoGehee's switch. in Montgomery Goun.
~, the Republicans polled 672 votes by actual
count, the Republican voters receiving their
tickets from one man, giving him their names,
and going straight from him to the polling
place. holding their ticket In view to enable
him 20 soc that they deposited the same tick
\ ct they received, These precautions were
adoptedin order that the number of Repub-
lican votes polled there ON that day might be
fixed and aHcertained beyond all doubt be.
cause at the election for member of Congress