The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1880-10-22

Of the Saprsmse Cearas Il monA b. .
mocksry TO my dat . Oeasahziag Board
shoald be there and snd0ssa afhana The
dutiss of 0anyasSing Beasd ars gof. q
kighsf charastar. sssss m !.
AgAinhs saysMith rsssrenssso Wright
and Johns, thas the jury haa . righs = 70
consider If they (Wnight and Johns) had
discharged thsir'dnty by ssitting silently
by whils the canvass MA naAe, If they
thoagha, . fraud had been commitaed If
they knew. this they were sqsally guilty.
Il 10 no discharge of dnfy SoF.nen to sit
still and les fraud be, doasif they know
that il is .bsing done; yoalhsye the night
to ask did they play the paEs Of silent
spectatorss Aweald bsashellow mock
eryif they did ~ aaa shsSowtsinstsucts
you that the law sAnctionssno such farce
1t would be burlesque On juatice. > " ,
If the canvassers believed there was .
frand about 70 be psrforaea. il was their
duty to have spoken Of d. These men
were sentenced to the Albany Penitentiary
for this neglect of duty; the jury having
found verdict OF guilty against them
under this charge.
Applying the legal principles of this
decision to the duties Of the Inspectors
of Elections, We say it their duty
to prevent fraud; they must not play the
part of silent spectators; the law Sane
tions no such farce. They must admit
the vote of every duly registered voter !;
if the Clerk has omitted such a name
from the list, the law prescribes the way
for such omitted voter to cast his ballot.
But it gives no non-registsred or disqual-
flied person Q right to demand the admis-
sion of an unlawful ballot. An Inspector,
if he adheres to his oath and to the law
as interpreted by the Unised States Court
having Jurisdiction of this very subject,
dare not knowingly admit IN illegal bal
lot even though the one who offers ii is
ready to support it by false oath. 1t is
only an honest legal ballot that the law
authorizes to be sworn into the box, not
fraudulent one, and the inspectors have
no right to let fraud be done if they
know that it is being done. Young men
in their homage, women, citizens of other
States, those who have resided in Florida
less than year, and in the county where
they offer to vote less than six months,
convicted thieves and felons who have
not been restored to civil rights, and all
other disqualified persons, have no right
to vote under our Constitution and laws,
and Inspectors of Elections violate their
oaths OF office and are false to their Off
cial trusts if they knowingly allow such
persons to pollute the purity Of the ballot
box by depositing their votes with those
of the honest electors.
The elections in other States indicate
the success of our National ticket. Ala
bama, Arkansas, Georgia and West Virs
ginis have spoken with no uncertain voice
for Hancock and English. The Republi-
cans have held their own in Vermont and
Ohio, but have suffered mortifying de-
feat in Maine, which they held with firm
grasp by Is ,444 majority in 1876. Indiana
has disappointed the expectations of our
party friends, but the Democracy there had
to contend not merely with the Repub-
lican party of Indiana, but with that of
the whole country, backed up by the army
OF ofioe-holders one hundred thousand
strong, with inexhaustible resources.
Whistler the result is due to the supe-
rior industry and numbers Of the success
full party, or, as is charged, to bold frauds
and lavish bribery, the lesson is the same.
We must work with more resolution and
spirit than ever IN every county and pre-
cinct from now till the day Of the election.
The next onset is to be against Florida,
and We must prepare to repel it, whether
We are attacked in fair fight or by an
aruayof repesters, ballot-box suffers and
bEibe giverA Brave men are NOT cast
down by reverses; defeat sxcites them to
superior effort.
The disaster in Indiana is not fatal our
friends there promise 20 redeem the State
in November, aud II they do not, the cleo
tion of Hancock i safe without her vote.
Let Florida do her duty and protect her
part of the line, 60 that We may share IN
the honors Of the final triumph.
We shall not have the 2fs votes cor.
ruptly added to the Republican ticket at
Archer again, nor win the IS little jokers
be again fraudulently stuffed into the box
BY Bowes. in the interest OF the Republi-
can party, ss Richardson's school house;
nor win the prisoners be again marched
from the county jail in Jacksonville to the
polls, with Republican ballots in their
hands; nor win Hamilton, nor jackson,
nor Manatee, nor Monroe be sgain robbed
Of her vote, or any part Of i, nor win the
viii of the people be again reversed. A
canvaAsing board, made up Of honorable
men placed in ofice by the Conservative
Administration, win, under the Law. hon
estlv announce the actual result Is de-
clared at the polls. and the antiripasaon Of
fraud, which experience taught our people
70 dread in ksRzner electionsy.need not dis
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