New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-20
THE ADDRESS.
I
To the COuntry:

To the Country:
When the Democrats came into power in Alabama
in 1874 they found an election law in force which
provided proper safeguards for the ballot and which
just and equitable with respect to the rights
of the two political parties. The ballots
required to be numbered 20 correspond with tho
number opposite the name of the voter the poll
list; Immediately after the close Of the election
the ballots were required TO be counted and q
correct return thereof made which return. together
with the poll-lists and the original ballots. was
required to be forwarded to the office Of the Probate
Judge of the County and there filed as public
records; within short time thereafter fhc Probate
Judge Sheriff and Clerk Of the Circuit Court, who
were constituted a Board Of Supervisors, wero
required TO again make connt OF the votes and to
correct all errors, omissions or frauds of which
the Inspectors of the Election might have been
guilty. If, after the action of the supervisors any
suspicion that frauds had been committed or errors
had been made remained in the mind of any person,
the ballots and the accompanying papers were
always forthcoming to answer for themsevesin IN any
court where the question might be tried Those who
desire the purity of elections could ask Tor
no better law. But the Democratic party was
dissatisfied with 1t. II had Just inphed bnt
by meagre majority. 1t had been found necessary
to maugurate a reign of terror throughout the en-
tire interior of the State. Billings was waylaid and
assassinated in Sumter Comfy. Shortly there
after the mail train on the Alabama and Chatta.
nooga Railroad was tagged in the same county in
open day by band of armed nen, and Mail Agent
Ivey was ridded with bullets for having declared
that the murderers of Billings should be brought to
Justice. At Spring Hi, Barbour County, the poll
lng-place was broken into, the ballots destroyed.
and IN the attempt by the mob to shoot the Rcpnb-
lican supervisor, Judge Keils, his llttc fourteen
year-od son was murdered, The murdercrs have
hoou mi oil nr triad hut fhgn of
the persons whose public reputation it is to have
been concerned in the murder have been ionoref
by Democratic Offices IN the Republican county
thus made Democratic. Armed bands of men rode
through the streets of Mobile during all OF election
day. assaultlng and numbering inoifensive coored
men, and later 0D the terror caused by these bands
was supplemented by military guards, with bayo-
nets aud uniforms OF gray, at each OF The polling
places. Notwithstanding these acts and others of a
similar character which could be truthiully emu
merated the Republicans. white and black. had ral'
lied to the standard OF their party. and under tho
most adverse circumstances had polled vote OF
36.OO0-a vote which was standing menace to
Democratic ascendancy.
DEMOCRATS "REFORM" TIE ELECTION LAW.
Ii was the consciousness of this fact that caused
the Democratic party to enter upon reform Of
the election law, to the end that that which thcy
had accomplished with much difficulty by yiO-
lence, and which remained so insecure, mig5t be
made easy, certain and secure by iraud. The
statutes Of the States of the Union may be searched
in vain Tor parallel TO the election law which was
then framed and passed by the Democratic Legls-
lature of Alabama. 1t not only utterly failed to
provide safeguards where safeguards were lep1reo.
but it created opportunities and offered suggestions
which the most du-witted could not fail To- COM
prehend.
1t was provided that the inspectors after having
counted out the votes. should inclose the return
with one pollst, in one box, which should be for.
warded to the sheriff of the county; and that tho
ballots with the other pol-list should DC retained
by one of the inspectors for sixty days, and then
destroyed, unless in the meantime contest should
have been commenced. 1t VII be seen that all
check upon dishonest inspectors is thus totally de-
stroyed because their bare return is all the evil
dence before the Board of Supervisors, and upon
which they are required To declare the result. In
the meantime the inspectors have the evidence Oh
their fraud in their possession and have ample
time to make the votes in the box conform to the
return which they have made, should a contest bo
threatened. Or, as has been alleged, in some cases
where the boxes were required the houses Of tha
| inspectors may be broken into and the boxes
stolen; or they may be accidentally" dropped
| into the fire and burned or the inspectors. making
mistake" to the dates. may destroy the boxes
few DAYS before the law permits For all Of these
| misdeeds of and "mIshaps" to Inspector, this
| "wlse" election law provides no penalties
Should these subterfuges fail, no great harm IS
| done any way. The fraudulent return has sub
served its purpose by giving the certificate OF cleo
t,ou 10 the Democratic candidate; for in Democratic
Alabama no greater impossibillty could be con-
ceyed than a Republican TO successfully contest
in the courts the right OF Democratic candidates TO
Offices to which they have been declared elected
| ONE POINT, WHICH HAD BEEN LEFT UNCOVERED,
SPEEDILY ATTENDED To.
The law was found to have one defect, however.
In Federal elections the Federal Courts have jnris-
dcton of election Offences and those courts, taking
| advantage of the unsuspectng election managers.
| had reached forth their hands Unexpectedly, ana
| by means of their process taken possession of tho
ballot boxes with the ballots, and held the to
| be used as evidence in the prosecution Of indct-
| ments for election frauds An unsympathizing
| Grand Jury had found indictments on the evidence
| thus presented. and several hundreds of our best
ctizensn from the four quarters of the State were
dragged from their homes to the courts at Mont
comery Mobile aud Huntsville. Some even were
| convicted by these " alien courts Of an "alien
| Government and were made TO suffer the ig.
| nominy of Imprisonment in the common jail and
the hardship of restaurant fare paid for by SYM
| pathizing and admring people (which afterward
| rewarded many of them for their martyrdom with
| Offices of trust and profit
How to remedy the defect which made this in-
yasion of the rights OF the citizen possible was the
question which was presented at the mex I session
of the Legislature. II then and there determined
that the law which provided for the numbering Of
the ballots did not comport with the theory Of tho
secrecy of the ballot, and law was enacted that
the ballots should longer be numbered. Lest
some vile and sedtious wretch should still be
tempted TO invade the sacred secrecy Of the ballot
by putting some mark brand on his ticket. by
| uhieh meaus he might thereafter identify it. or by