Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-08-11
An Eye-Opener.

The state of Alabama held its election
last week, which resulted in a Democratic
majority, as reported, Of from fifty to sixty
thousand. And yet our Democratic journals
and orators are as quiet as lambs over it,
hardly giving it passing mention. But
once let the Republican majority of Yer
mont or Massachusetts, be reduced, even II
but a single thousand, aud our Democratic
organs would instantly bring out their jubi-
liant ROSTERS and their imposing head lines
to blazon the result far and near. Why are
these things SO ? 1t is by no means diff
cult to frame an answer. The truth is, the
Democrats know very well how it is them
selves and while they are quite willing to
reap the fruits of such victory as they
have Just achieved in Alabama, they are
ashamed to make of it matter Of Boosting.
They know full well that an election in Ala
bama in these days is little better than
farce. The fact that she has now given
Democratic majority Of fifty TO sixty thou
sand is no evidence-not even sign-that
the Democrats of the state outnumber the
Republicans by any such figure, or by any
figure at ALL 1t simply shows that the work
of intimidation and counting out was thor
oughly done. And the Democrats know it.
Hence their shamefacedness over the result.
In 1879, when the reaction after the war
had become complete, and the Democratic
party was well organized throughout the
southern states, the Democrats of Alabama
cast seventy.nine thousand votes within
ten thousand as many as they cast in 1878
while in 1872 the Republicans cast over
ninety thousand, or majority of nearly
eleven thousand. But in 1878 this magnifi-
cent Republican vote had entirely disap-
peared, with Democratic increase Of only
ten thousand What became Of the Re-
publican party in Alabama in 1882 Is it
said that they ran no ticket because defeat
was inevitable? Are parties in the habit of
doing this Do Democrats give up voting
in Vermont, or Republicans in Missouri ?
1t was because the Republicans of Alabama
had been taught by midnight murders and
whippings, by social ostracism, and by the
tyranny of employers, that the less they had
to do with politics the better. This is the
kind of 4" free ballot and fair count" the
Alabama Republicans have enjoyed. And
how much better they have Jared in the
election Just held, under the new system
which combines cheating with bulldozing,
is easily told. General Weaver, the Green
back candidate for the presidency, has just
returned from a canvass of the state He en-
tered upon the canvass with high hopes, and,
as he thought, with fattering prospects. But
he comes back with " flea in his ear" As
member of an entirely distinct political
organization, he has no motive in ex-
aggerating or concealing southern out
RACES, and he does not hesitate to say, in
most unequivocal language, that Gin the
stories of bulldozing and frauds in the
southern elections, the half has not been told"
A prominent Republican citizen of Missis
sippi told General Weaver that if General
Hancock was elected, such an impetus
would be given to the spirit of hatred and
intolerance in the south that he (the speaker)
did not believe he could live in Mississippi
day. A week before Weaver spoke at
Montgomery, Alabama, Republican meet
ing had been broken up by a mob, and after
the speakers, one of whom was General
Burke, collector of customs at Mobile, had
been driven from the stand, the Democratic
solicitor of Montgomery mounted it and
shouted "G-d d-n them, they can out
vote us, but we will count them out every
time
Greenback representative De la Matyr of
Indiana, also, has just returned from Ala
bama where he, like General Weaver, has
been canvassing the state with good pros
poets, as he supposed, of carrying the state.
He knows now, what every Republican
knew before, that no opposition to the Dem
ocracy would be permitted to elect its ticket
even if it had a majority Of votes. He says
that leading Democrats admitted to him
that on fair vote and honest count the
Democratic majority is not over $1,000 in
Alabama that he was kindly received and
listened to, but that the Democratic orators
did not pretend to answer his arguments.
Their speeches were simply appeals to the
passions of the southern people to unite to
defeat the Republican party of the north
and thus get control of the government. In
deed, he had never listened to such bitter
sectional harangues in all his life, and now
he does not wonder that the Republicans
have raised the cry Of solid north against
a solid south. Mr.. De la Matyr thinks that
it would be next to impossible to secure
fair election in November in any state of
the south.
The New York Times also publishes let
ters from various points in the state giving
details and proofs Of the most outrageous
scenes of intimidation and fraud, whereby
the Republican vote has been practically
claimed of from fifty to sixty thousand.
Well may one of the Times correspondents
declare: "The monumental fraud Of the
age was the pretended election of August 2,
lSS0,-a fraud the Democratic papers pre-
pared for weeks by parading in their col
umns the lie that thousands of negroes were
joining Democratic clubs. Here lin Mont
gomery county, they could not muster fifty
colored Democrats out Of eight thousand
colored voters"
With such overwhelming evidence that the
late election in Alabama was controlled by
violence and fraud, it is no wonder that
northern Democrats are ashamed to make
great demonstrations over the result.
JTnder Which King %,