Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-24
south Carolina Election Frauds.

The Republican State Committee OF South
Carolina have recently issued an address set
ting forth in detail the methods used 10y the
Democrats of that state to obtain their pre-
tended majority of PA for Hancock
These methods are described with such com
pleteness and precision as to person, place
and time, that there ought to be no difficulty
in verifying or disproving the statements
made, whenever an honest Congress or an up
right court investigates the matter. 1t is
charged that in every county in the state,
with but few exceptions, the three managers
at each poll who conduct the elections were
all Democrats. In the few exceptional couu-
ties, the majority at each poll were Demo-
Gratis, and the one so-caled Republican was
selected without consulting tho Republican
organization, and was in nearly all cases in
competent or unreliable. There was no
chance therefore, for any Republican to
witness the voting or counting, or to guard
against fraud, excepting when a United States
supervisor was allowed to be present. But
at very many polls in all parts of the
state the mere presence of this one witness
was prevented, in violation of law. In Ak
en- county, at five precincts, the supervisors
were forced by mob to abandon their du-
ties and one of them was hunted through
swamp with dogs. In Edgefeld the supervis-
ors were driven away from every precinct.
In Laurens, the violence and threats of Dem
ocrats were such that no Republicans dared
to undertake the duties at any precinct. In
Barnwell, the same was true at two precincts,
and from these not single Republican vote
was returned. In Newberry, a supervisor
was arrested by State constable on the
morning of the election and taken away six
teen miles, and another was assaulted and
driven from the poll. Other instances are
given, and methods are also described by
which supervisors who tried to act were pre-
vented from witnessing the voting or count
ing. Throughout the state, at the most of
the polls, the ballot boxes, when opened were
found to contain more ballots than there were
names on the poll-lsts. Tho managers then
drew out the number OF ballots in excess, but
were enabled by the character of ballots vot-
ed to draw out Republican ballots almost ex-
clusively. At 81 polls not a single Demo
cratic ballot was drawn out though at one of
them as many as 1876 ballots were drawn. At
other places the excess of ballots was greater
than the whole Republican votes cast, so that
nearly the whole Republican vote was alb
stracted. Thus, at a precinct in Charleston
the excess was 1,07l, and out of 597 Repub-
lican votes cast all but five were drawn out.
table is given showing the exact result at
each of l21 precincts, where CO, 1Gl names
were on the poll lists, 10, 1874 ballots were in
the box, 10, S73 ballots were drawn out, and
1913 of these were Republican ballots. In
place of these, of course, corresponding
number of fraudulent Democratic ballots was
retained and counted, making difference to
the result of IA, 14G, or 20 per cent. of the
whole lawful vote.
The address, pamphlet of forty five pages,
sums up a great mass of testimony as to the
character of frauds already mentioned, and
as to fraudulent additions to the poll-lists in
order to admit the counting of the excessive
Democratic vote fraudulently cast. 1t main
tains that not less than 20, 900 names were
thus fraudulently added, and says:
Although the official canvass by the Board
of State Canvassers credits Garfield with only
| 5s,O7l votes, we have established the fact
that, according to the count made by the
Managers of Election, 60, 727 votes were re-
| turned by those officers for him, and we have
further established the fact that s, 1923 ballot,
| known to have been cast for him were de
stroyed without being counted, which in
creases the actual vote cast for Garfield tC
1860. And if to the latter figures we ado
the 1O, 900 votes estimated to have been cas-
for him and destroyed in like manner, the
vote actually cast for Garfield is increased tC
| IS, $50. In the calculations thus far made
no account has been taken of the fact tina
from five polls which gave large Republican
majorities no returns were ever received.
The facts in these cases are recited and
the address proceeds
Add to the vote of Garfield the number o.
Republican tickets in the five boxes jus
named, and the vote actually cast for Gar
field is increased to about 30, 900. Had thost
votes been counted as they were cast insteaC
of the State Board of Canvassers announcing
a majority of "a, 24l for the Hancock cleo
tors, they would have had to declare a ma
jority of 20, 900 for the Garfield electors, bu
the 80, 900 Republican votes which were cas-
for Garfield were reduced by the Managers o
Election to 60, 1927, and then by the county
canvassers to 5S,O7l, which figures were &C
cepted by the State Board of Canvassers. II
like manner the 10000 popular majorit,
which Garfield had in South Carolina wa
transformed by the Managers of Election int
43, 5Ol majority for Hancock, and then in
creased by the action of the county canvass
ers to "a, 24l. This vote actually cast for Gar
field in South Carolina would have been in
creased at least &c, 900 more but for the vic
lence and intimidation which prevailed il
many parts of the state.
On this point also mass of evidence i
presented. The entire document is crowde,
with proof that the so-called election il
South Carolina, from beginning to end, wa
conducted in violation of law, and in ute
disregard of every principle of justice. Whe
we remember that all this villainy-whieh
but sample of that disclosed in other South
ern states-was perpetrated in response t
and for the benefit of candidate who Gale
for "a full vote, free ballot and fair count,
the case assumes an aspect whose ludicrouI
ness is only eclipsed by its atrocity. We
may President Hayes call upon Congress t
protect itself and the country from the result
of such outrageous and reyolu tionary prC
ceedings
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what President Garfield VIII DO.
n