The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1880-05-06
r.r,nernE,ectiou Frauds.

Northern Election Frauds.
Shortly after the development of
Republican frauds in the last Presi-
dental election, which threatened to
bury the party beneath load of oblo-
guy, few of the Senators belonging
to that party conceived the idea OF
counteracting the popular current by
unearthing frauds practiced by the
Democrats, and to that end procured
the appointment of special commit
tee, with Senator Teller as chairman,
and instructed it to proceed to several
of the Southern States and examine
into the conduct of the elections there,
care being taken to keep it out of
Louisiana and Florida, where all the
frauds in the South that have been
proved took place. When the Demo-
Gratis obtained power in the Senate
they reorganized the Committee and
enlarged its powera, authorizing 1t to
INQUIRE into to conduct of the elections
in the North as well as in the South.
A very thorough examination has been
had. In South Carolina few irregu-
larities were discovered, but not of
such magnitude as to yitiate the elec-
tions or to call for extended comment
or make political capital. In Now
l. - ,h hok hns vaAc nj
qualified electors had been deprived OF
the suffrage through the bulldczine OF
Commissioner John I. Davenport, and
the facts were duly reported to the
Senate. The researches of the COM
mittee were pursued into the good old
New England States of Rhode Island
and Massachusetts,, and the report OF
the majority of the committee was
submitted to the Senate on Monday
Attentions is called to the fact that q
system Of bulldozing has been prac.
ticed there by which thousands ol
voters have been deprived of the free
exercise of their privileges on pain oi
dismissal from employment in case
they should refuse to vote the ticket
designated by their employers.
Though the committee has added
nothing to the store OF knowledge al.
ready in possession of the public, il
has done service in calling official
attention to it. The working people
/ of Rhode Island and Massachusetts
have long been in q condition but little
removed from absolute serfdom. They
receive starvation wages, and are ex
pected to vote at all times as theil
masters require or be thrust penniless
upon the cold charity of the world
In many instances they are in faI
worse condition than the slaves of the
South in ante-war times, for they are
owned, body and soul, by their en-
ployers. In addition to this there are
many intelligent men who are denied
the privileges of citizenship through
the operations of the property qualifi
cation and poll.tax laws, who, if per.
mitted to vote, would speedily change
the political complexion of the State:
indicated.
The committee sees no remedy fol
the evils to which it refers save the
creation of public sentiment which
shall compel the legislatures of the
States to provide by statutory enact
ment for the better observance of the
equities in the distribution of electoral
privileges. 1t holds that the federal
government has no jurisdiction in the
premises, as it has no such thing as
voters, they belonging to the States
not to the federal government. This
is broad assertion, and a timely one,
of the doctrine of State rights-the
right of State to govern elections as
it may see proper, even though it may
be in the wrong. 1t is an assault upon
the pretensions of the Republican
party of the right of the federal gov
ernment to control so-called national
elections and to punish the restriction
of the suffrage upon any excuse what
ever. 1t is little singular in this con.
nection, however, that the only pun
ishments Inflicted under the federal
election laws have been of those who
endeavor to prevent ignorant negroes
from voting at the dictation Of corrupt
carpet-baegers, while in the enlighten.
ed New England States intelligent
white men have been bulldozed and
driven frem the polls simply because
of their poverty.-[St. Paul Globe.