Daily Republican., 1880-08-05
kEPURSICAH TICKET.
Can the ssBlOndy Shirt be For
gotten.

Cam the sBlOOdy Shirt Do For
gotten.
One Of the most commendable sent
ments in General Hancock's letter c
acceptance was that in which he OK
pressed himself in favor of ga full vote
free ballot and fair count" Full
free and fair, three is, a most excellen
sentiment to which no Republican ca
find objection. So far as General Han
cock ia concerned he is no doub
sincere and actually meant what h'
said, but II he meant i. as an express
ion OF Democratic principles it fails Il
pan ont right. II General Hancock Ii
elected at all, he will be elected by tn
Southern States, SO far as their solit
vote OF one hundred and thirty elgh
electoral votes are concerned in addi
tion to forty-sevsn more from the NORTH
for which heaven and earth will bt
secured we hope in vain TO get. As the
General is the most dependent on the
South for his election he must Of course
have meant that there must be "a full
vote, free election and fair count IN
that section" As a party must be
judged by its actions by the record OF
the past let us see what the South has
hitherto done in favor Of free elections.
In 1872 the Democratic party Was
we'll organized in every Southern State.
And yet strange to say the vote in Ala
bama was only 10000 less in that year
than II was in 1878. The following fig
ures will throw some light upon the
kind Of fair, full and free ballot that
we may expect from Hancock, backed
up by Democratic Congress In 1872,
in Alabama the Democratic vote was
70, ,444, and the Republican vote 9O,272,
Republican majority, l0.S28. In 1874,
the year which might be termed the
period of the bloody political history
of the SouGh-the year Of the rule Of
Ku-Klaxism, and shot gun rule--the
vote in Alabama was, Democratic l07,-
11S, Republican SO, ,928, Democratic
majority, 3.l90, making a change Of
msjorities in two years, "a 0lS. In
1876, after the bull, doing plan had
been put effeqtually into operation, al
though it was . Presidential election
year, the Democratic vote was lc2, O02
and the Republican vote GS, go, Demo
cratic majority, 33,772. In every North
ern State where fair elections are
held, and the candidates are pop
ular, the total vote is generally
increased over the vote Of the year be-
fore 1t, but in Alabama it falls behind
30, Sl4. In 1878 the Southern plan was
reduced to such perfect system that
there was no need for the casting Of
more than S9,57l votes, or in other
words only that number Of Democrats
thought it worth while to vote at all,
while the Republican vote was entirely
#. crushed out, they not thinking it worth
willie to ruu ticket. There is the
record of eight years only, and it is a
question OF interest to know what has
become of the Republican party of Ala.
bama in that time. The Democrats
have not absorbed it and it 10 hardly
reasonable to suppose that they would
voluntarily SO unanimously quit voting.
Democrats always keep on voting in
Vermont and Iowa, and Republicans
always keep on voting in Maryland and
Missouri. Why is it different in Ala
bama II was because it was unsafe
for them to vote and when they did vote
there was no certainty of their votes
ever being counted. It was because
the Alabama Republicans had been
taught by midnight murders and
whipping, by shot gun murders, and
by the tyranny Of employers
that the less they had to do with
politi ,s the setter. This Il III kind Of
full voting and fair elections the
Alabama Republ' cans have enjoyed
and this i5 the kind that must elect
Hancock If ever elected. We suppose he
must have had Alatama in view when
hs pennei his letter. Hlncock's letter
was published more than week ago,
several days b,fors the Alabama cleo
tion was held on Monday. The Demo-
oracy of that State had ample time and
opportunity to read it AMI digest it.
They knew what he promised, and
what has been their responss' The
record Of Mondays election though not |
marked with bloodshed and murder
Ike 30 many held before, has no par. |
allel in fraud and dishonesty, and as
the immost truths of that election are
laid bare to the public Il 9 nation may
we'll pause and ponder aod the p7ople
may we'll ask, whittier are we drifting |
The history of Alabama ia but the
histor Of all the Gulf States, aud
South Carolina in the matter Of a "full
vote, free ballot and fair COUNT during
the t eight years. In Mis-.