Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-08-20
How Alabama was Carried.



The Democratic majority in Alabama
will exceed sixty thousand. That isenough
for the purpose OF demonstrating Alabama
to be solid for the Democratic ticket, but
il il required one hundred thousand ma
jority tor that purpose that number could
have been Just MS easily obtained. The
cost of the additional ballots would not be
great, and, in TACT, there was no real neces-
ilty for the ballots so long as the judges
and clerks at the polls were all right, and
could count with sufficient inacuracy.
There is no mystery about the matter.
Dispatches from different parts of Alabama
and from different sources-Republican
Democratic, Greenbacker, and Independ-
ent-explain and substantiate each other
The work Of preparing for the frauds of
the recent election was begun some time
since. Several counties of the State are
overwhelmingly Republican on anything
like fair vote, and at previous elections
chose Republican officials. These county
officials have in their hands the appoint.
ment of Election Inspectors and the gener-
al control Of elections Various ways OF
preventing the elected Republicans taking
Office were adopted. A law was passed by
the Legislature forbidding any person not
residing in the county to become surety for
county official. Pressure of all kinds
was brought to bear on Republicans OF
standing. not excluded by this law, to pre-
vent their going OIL all official bond. In
one way or another the elected Republicans
were kept or driven out Of office, and DEM
ocrats took their place. The Democratic
officials then complied with the letter of
the law for the appointment of Republican
as we'll as Democratic Inspectors of Elec.
tion, but deliberately violated its spirit
by rejecting the respectable and intelli-
gent Republicans presented by the local
committees and appointing ignorant col.
ored men whom the Democratic lnspec-
tors could bully or bambouzle at their
will The work OF fraud was rendered
more easy by another act OF the Legisla-
ture making all the ballots precisely alike.
and forbidding them to be counted il any
mark or device was on the paper. 1t was
also provided that the ballots should no
longer be numbered, so that it was rem
dercd impossible to trace frauds
Thus prepared, the Democrats proceed to
hold an election TO suit themselves. A
single case will serve as a specimen of
number OF others and show how Alabama
rolled up Democratic majority Of sixty
thousand, when on "a full vote, free
ballot, and fair count" the State is
Republican. Montgomery county in for
mer years regis cred Republican major
ity of from 5000 TO 1000; in 1876 1t gave
Hayes 6259 against 1881 for Tilden
This month the Democrats were deter
mined to rule. In the voting precinct of
McGhee's Switch, which is almost unan;-
mously Republican, an aged and feeble
colored man was appointed Republican In
speclor. When the polls closed it was
known that about 600 Republican ballots
had been cast and fifty Democratic. After
the count had progressed little way n
row was suddenly begun by the Democrats,
and the light extinguished. Vixen the
cOlored Inspector put out his hand in llIe
darkness to protect the ballot-box he found
it gone. Lights were procured after con-
siderable delay, when it was apparent that
the box had been stuffed, the genuine tick
cts having been thrown on the floor and
new lot put in. The Democratic inspector
SllIl nhu run Ol iHt DObUb tlCkelh
in his possession after the stufing h ad been
performed. The Republican inspector pro-
tested aga inst the count being continued,
when a Democratic military company was
marched up and the fraudulent count pro-
ceeded under the protection of Democratic
bayonets at the polls" Instead of 600
Republican and so Democratic ballots be.
ing counted out, majority of 450 was re-
corded for the Democratic ticket; and a
similar fraud was perpetrated at Kendall's
Beat precinct, 10 which the colored Inspec-
tor, who refused to sign the false returns,
had gone to make affidavit concerning the
McGhee's Switch fraud. In Montgomery
county alone over 5000 Republican votes
were deliberately counted out by the DEM
ocratic Election Inspectors.
| In the face Of these facts is it any won
der that Alabama gave 10000 Democratic
majority? Ia il surprising that according
to exuItant Democratic dispatches, the Dem
Ocrats not only elected their State ticket,
but also "all The judges and chancellors
and nearly all the Legislators and county
officersP And vet the Democratic candi-
da'e for the Presidency, whose only hope
of election lies in maintaining intact the
solid Democratic vote of the soid South
thrusts his head in the bosom of his epau-
letted coat and talks dignifedly about the
importance of ga full vote, n free ballot,
and an honest count Does he take the Amer
| lean people TO be fools?
|