National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-04-08
Call, Of Florida.

Call. OF Florida.
The Senate Chamber rang yesterday
with mostvehement declarations by Sena
torCall, of Florida, that in his State, asin all
the other States of the South, elections
were perfectly fair and honest; that not
straw was laid in the way of any voter,
and that most rigid and fastidious hon
esty and precision marked the conduct OF
the Bourbon officers of election IN all
the States in general, and of the State OF
Florida in particular. A newly-arrived
subject of the empire of Japan, who
might have been listening, would have
been charmed that such a political Ar
cadia as Florida existed. He would have
been indignant that such low fellows as
General Hawley, Senator Hoar, John
Sherman, and others of their kidney
could be allowed in the Senate of the
United States to speak SO disrespectfully
of the simple and guileless people of the
Bourbon South.
But let our innocent bystander hear
the other side:
Before us as we write is private let
ter, addressed to the writer of this, No
vember 26, 1880, by an honorable gentle
man of Florida, who has himself repre-
sented that State in the Senate of. the
United States. The letter was for in
formation, and not for publication. 1t is
but an index of the book that can and
will be written to recount the ex-
ploits of Senator Calls Democratic
friends in the late presidential cam
paign. We have been promised
the data, and intend from time to time to
publish it, to show that Florida election
is a burlesque when it is not tragedy.
It is but few weeks since the Attorney
General of the United States was obliged
to request United States judge to take
testimony in regard to Democratic cleo
ton crimes, in order that he might furnish
the protection to witnesses which the
United States Commissioner was unable
to do. Deadly assaults upon witnesses
who are about to testify against Demo-
cratic frauds will not convince impartial
minds that the assailants are the meek
and peaceable creatures their champions
represent them to be.
There was no valid election in Florida
in 1880. A fortnight before election day
all had been serene, and it was known by
everybody that the State was for Garfield
and Arthur by fair count. The Demo
Gratis knew this too well to allow a
fair election to be held. They began to
buster on the stump and in conversation
that they had the election machinery in
their own hands and would have the
State anyhow. Negro voters had the
registration books arbitrarily closed
against them, after having encountered
the same spirit of obstruction to lawful
as is shown in the Senate of
the United States by the same political
party to the legitimate proceedings of
that body. The Bourbon State committee
then issued instructions to the inspectors
of election not to permit any one to swear
in their votes, as procided by laaO, where
they were not registered.
On the day of election the modern
Bourbon device of tissue ballots was
brought into play and the boxes loaded
in of ballots was accompanied by the
stuffing out of others, hundreds being
kept from voting until the polls were
closed. To facilitate these crimes, which
wrested the State from the Republican
there was good deal of violence.
One deputy marshal was shot and others
and run off into Georgia. Our
informant says that he thinks about
twenty-five United States supervisors
of election were kept from the polls
believe that a fair cleo
ton would have given Florida to Gar
field by four thousand majority, sent a |
to the United States Senate,
and two to the House of Representatives.
All these things will appear, if the wit
nesses can be protected from the GRIM
mails and their sympathizers, upon the |
hearing of the contested cases in the.
House. The world will know about the
fair elections in Florida.
The crimes against the ballot-box in
,he South are committed by the organ
zed efforts. of the Democratic party to
defeat and trample under foot the right
Of suffrage of the blacks. The perpetra-
tors of these crimes have had apologists
md defenders in the North outside of the
Democratic party who knew they were
shielding crime, but who hated the Re-
publican party so intensely that they
we're willing to see it fall even though
human lives had to be sacrificed
o accomplish it. That day has
passed away. Northern snivelers and
cannot longer sustain them
selves in denying the existence of
he infamous methods in the South,
whereby the Bourbons have succeeded
n suppressing the negro vote to an ex-
ent sufficient to render it of no effect
The South is dividing on this
sreat question, and the crimes of the
9ourbons are too gross and palpable
onger to be hidden. The truths, which
or years have struggled for a hearing, are
1ow coming to the front. Let the Senate
lebate go on.
The Financial Question.
In our news columns yesterday was a
statement of what purported to be the
e L. 4