Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1880-09-15

tUARDiAS, We VIII s'sN
20 ~ much in the interest OF persohAi
character and standing as IN ehpiana''o"
Of an extract from letter Of ours to the
Nav York National Journal, which wss
republished in the GUARDIAN OF August 70
and commented upon by the super-editor'
the great encyclopedia Of the age l. H.
McClendon.
We are hv no means disposed to object
TO any criticism that might be brought
against any article from our pen. Inc
comments of Mr.. McClendon are a myth;
mere bubble, based on total misconstruc'
| ton of our communication TO the journal
We will state unhesitatingly that we are
Cd poeed to election frauds or intimdations
by political parties Of any order whatever
In the days of Washington, Adams, Jehef'
son and Madison party spirit some times
ran high. and contests, close and bitter
] In some instances SANDER and abuse were
the result of political disputes; but we
have no account of any efforts to deprive
men Of voting who had legal right 10
the ballot, OF TO destroy the votes anet
being legally voted.
! In ls2i JOHN Adams Henry Clay, w II.
Crawford and Andrew Jackson were can.
didates for the Presidency, all OF whom
received a number of electoral votes, but
no one a majority of the whole vote cast,
and the result was that none Of them were
elected by the people; in consequence OF
which the election deyolyed upon the
House Of Representatives. Mr.. Clay having
the smallest number of electoral votes, was
withdrawn from the contest, but by throw
ing his vote to any one of the other candl-
dates he would be enabled 10 elect the
President, which he did, III favor of Mr.
Adams who WAS declared President. Mr.
Clay WAS greatly eensared and condemned
for this vote, but it WAS constitutional.
There was no fraud, no counting out or
destroying II was not an affair Of l-76
| Fraud aud corruption at the polls were not
charged by or against any one. In the
I
for his second term, the only accusations
of fraud were against the United States
bank which was charged with Substituting
the press, attempting TO coerce voters 10y
threatening them with commercial distress
and bankruptcy in order to make them
vote for the bank candidate. The bank
I III fnR To. oil
the bank deposits were brought TO operate
against the reelection Of Gen, Jackson
J There WAS u shameful example of corrupt
election influence practiccd by this bank
| in l-:S2, but there was no interference with
the polls and ballot boxes. The votes as
cast were counted. The present national
banks far transcend the old one IN their
corrupt influence upon elections. lntil
they introduced the using Of money 10 in
tineuce voters, fraud and intimidations III
carrying elections were unknown in this
country. Now it is almost a universal
practice and has been for number of
years No excuse can bc rendered for vio-
lencc to prevent the casting of votes or
their being counted when cast. We do not
justify any Of the acts of illegalIty FIRE.
quently rcsortcd TO on the part Of either
the North or the South, and that each has
been, i'll places, guilty of il, there is no
doubt. II any section could he justified in
these acts of fraud, certainly the South
could, fully considering the circumstances
of the causes. Year after year the people
of her lands were kept by the Republican
party under the control of ignorant colorcd
men who had just been enfranchised.
The most corrupt, and in every way un.
priucipled, set of adventurous scoundrels
called carpct-baggcrs, who deceived the
cOlored people for the purpose of obtaining
their votes, that they themselves might be
elevated to office, organized and conducted
asystem of Wholesale robbery of the people
both white and black. fastened. for self
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, debts on the States which
have either TO be repudiated or will be
burdens too heavy to BE- borne Tor years to
come. Under these circumstances. created
rs the Republican party Tor the advance.
ment OF Republlcanisln in the South, it i,
not at all strange that the brave, spirited
Southcrners adopted the tactics of their
opponents to regain control of their States;
stop the rascally plnndcring of their prop,
} erty. 1t is matter of ACCOMPLISHMENT that
the Southern people left even one of these
Northern intruding pups unhung. We
think that during those days of trouble the
people of the Sonih showed the greatest