The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-10-06

Under the above caption The st.
Louis Globe-D Democrat OF the 23d mas
n long editorial. The Globe-D Democrat
nssumes that the ballot is suppressed
and defrauded in the Sontb, and de-
votes it's attention to Mississippi in par,
ticular. IL freely admits that Ignorant
and corrupt suffrage is n calamity. but
declares that to defraad or suppress the
ballot is n crime. Its particular refer
euce to this journal leads us to believe
that il iudees we have treated the guess
zion impartially and truthfully. Ii
this IS its Judgment it issen!irely cor
rect. No journal in the United States
has a stronger faith in the purity OF the
ballot, or has done more to defepd 1t
than the Vicksburg Herald. In every
instance where we have been convinced
of fraud or violence we have merciless-
" exposed. Last November when a
colorcd mau was elected to Congress
from this district over q white Demo
crat. we not only admitted the fact. we
exposed in all It's r%ottenness the Chal-
mers case. We shall continue to do this
| We shall never cease until h suffrage
in the South is as pure as civilized MAJ
can make it. There is no issue between
this paper and the st. Lonis paper on
this subject. There is no issue between
a great majority Of the people OF Mis-
sissipri and those who favor fair cleo
| tions. But when we say fair election,
we mean precisely what the term inn
plies. These cannot be secured by Of
fee seekers buying up votes. MOI by
supervising votes, nor by violence, no
by any species of fraud such as is per
petuated in many of the large cities
North by both parties.
We repeat what We have written be
fore: the Northern people, even tht
best informed, do not understand thu
situation III the Southern States. The
Journal we refer to says it would be fol
ly for Republicans to buy up or bull
doze the colored voters because TIN
colord voters are naturally Republi
cans. No better proof that Northern
men do not understand the question
could be offered than the above asser
ton, for it is only partially true. TIL
negro is poor, dependant, and in til
main densely ignorant, n Is as easIl.
influenced as other poor, %dependen
and ignorant people. AS the factor.
operatives. miners and laborers of til
North can be Influenced, SO can the ne
gro of the South. If no other in
huences were brought to bear on hin
than those recognized as legitimate IL
all civilized countries, he would natu
rally be anything but a Republican. il
every Northern State the wealth ant
intelligence as a rule control, and tina
wouid be the case in every Scutherl
State if the negro was left free from th
lies aud money Of officerseekers.
When the Globes Democrat hears 0
q Republican office seeker "beins
solid" with the negroes, it does no
know how many lies were told the cred
ulous creatures, nor how many vote
we're actually bought and paid for
hence we say il does not understand TIL
situation, nor can it even family imag
inc the far reaching effects Of so larg'
a mass of Ignorant and purchasable suf'
frage. 1t takes it for granted that th'
only trouble in the South arises from
the wrongs and violations of law in ont
party. There never was q greater mis-
take. In all TIA intricate ramificatlon:
Of local government those who seek Of
fees by Tins class Of voters commit ev
cry species Of fraud to obtain them. II
the Cites and counties many of the
offices are valuable. and many of tn,
negro organizers who seek them anG
obtain them, DO it by wholesale bribery
and corruption. In this county, it is
absolutely useless for a poor man tc
run for an Office that has a large salary.
1t is true that counter charges are
not arguments, but it is also true thai
all the facts must be known before the
evil can be corrected. 1t is folly tc
talk about the wrongs done by II par
ty, while the other is equally guilty. II
the powerful Republican party is really
in earnest to ecure the purity of the
ballot, it must cease to recognize and
aid the negro organizers in the South,
and it must seek strength among intel
ligent people, Vicksbury Herald.