Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-08-06

outrage, one which is fit illustration of the
hypocrisy of the democratic platform. has
been committed upon the good people Of
Alabama and especially upon those of this
county. If the readers of The Times could
be made thoroughly conyersant with the facts
of the so-called election in this State yester-
day, they would be satisfied beyond all doubt
that it will not do at present TO intrust the
democratic party with power. In the coun-
ties of the State where the large republican
maiortias lie. the county Officers elected by
republicans at former elections have been
forced out of Office by one means or another,
the most effective having been the passage
of law BY the Legislature refusing to per-
init persons 10 become sureties on official
bonds. who reside outside the limits of the
county where the duties of the Office were to
be performed. Then by ostracising
all democrats or republicans who
dared go on republican official bond,
the displacement was completed. The
Importance of having democratic officers in
those counties will be seen when it is under
stood that the appointment of Election In
spectors and the general control of elections
is in their hands. When the time to appoint
Inspectors for the last election. the persons
elected by the republican committees to rep
resent the republicans at the several polls in
these counties were deliberately set aside,
and ignorant colored men, who were unable
to tell a republican from a democratic bal
lot. were arbitrarily selected to represent the
party. To render these poor. innocent in
struments even more helpless, the democrat
ic legislature, at its last session, provided
that the ballot should be on plain, white pa
L L al
any device whatever on it. The result has
been that while the republicans pnllcd a
larger vote at this election than ut any cleo
ton for years. they were deliberately counted
out by men occupying responsible positions
in the world, vino think it no offense to steal
a vote of negro or a republican
The election in this county, which in for
mer years registered republican maiorities
ranging from 3 600 to 900, is fair sample
of the conduct of the election elsew here. At
McGhce's Switch. in this county. the repub-
licans polled about 800 votes and the demo-
Gratis 30. While the votes were being
counted. the candle was turned over and put
out and the room left in darkness for several
minutes. When the colored republican in
spector put out his hand to preserve the bal
lot box he found that it was gone. Consid-
cradle confusion ensued, and on the candle
being relighted it was observed that the box
had been filled up with new tickets and that
the old ballots were all over the floor. The
colored man protested against the fraud, and
was driven from the room with curses, and
was not permitted again to enter and observe
the count. The votes have been returned as
giving $50 democratic majority. During the
count at this precinct, a military company
and large posse of armed citizens, under
the command of deputy sheriff, appeared
at the polling place to protect the inspectors.
although no trouble or threats of trouble had
occurred at the polls. They were deter
mined to force through their nefarious scheme
at all hazards, even to have democratic bay
onets at the polls. The aforementioned re-
publican colored inspector made an affidavit
to those facts at kendall's Beat, where the
proportion of republican and democratic
votes was the same. At McGhee's, the in
spectors deliberately changed the votes in
the presence of the ignorant, timid old col
ored man, who finally detected the Inspector
with a large roll of bogus tickets. They
then tried to bulldoze him into signing the
returns. but he would not do so. might re-
late similar experiences at each polling place
in this county, because the history of one is
the history of all. But it would not add
anything to the force of the statement.
Five thousand republican votes in this
county were deliberately counted for demo-
cratic nominees. and to render the injury ir.
reparable. the legislature at its last session,
provided that the tickets should no longer be
numbered. Thus all possibility of tracing the
ballot of the voter and office. showing that it
has been changed, is taken away. The mon
umental fraud of the age was the pretended
election of August >, 1880. a fraud the dem
ocratc papers prepared for weeks by parading
in their columns the lie that thousands of ne
groes were joining democratic clubs. Here
they could not muster 80 colored democrats
out of 5000 colored voters. The only safe
guard at federal elections will be United
States Supervisors and Marshals.