Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-04-19
$t0unton Spectator.
TuESlAH. APRIL 10. 1881.
Carrying the War into Africa.
FREE BALLOT AND FAIR COUNT-HOW
1T is IN NEW ENGLAND.

On Monday of last week, two striking
and aggressive speeches were made in
the United States Senate, one by Mr..
Call of Florida, and the other by Mr..
Vest, of Missouri. Both these Senators
carried the war into Africa, Mr.. Call
took "a his text the cry for fair ballot
and an honest count, impartial suffrage,
&C., the charges upon which have been
made with so much iteration and reite-
ration by republican Senators. and
more especially by those from New
England. He reviewed the laws and
regulations concerning the elective
franchise in the three States of Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut,
and showed what is already generally
known, but seems somehow or other to
have been lost sight of, that such
thing as impartial suffrage or a fair bal
lot is not in existence In either Of those
Commonwealths. By the laws of all
these States thousands and thousands of
men, white, not black, are absolutely
disfranchised, and in Massachusetts, as
Mr.. Call exhibited on the most irrefuta.
BILE evidence, system of espionage and
terrorism over the voter is exercised by
employers which has no parallel even
in the wild romances fabricated by the
outrage shriekers about the South. As
to the Acknowledgement of voters, if the
10000 or more colored voters of the
State of Maryland who exercise thu
right to deposit on every election day
their votes without let or hindrance fol
the republican candidates should emf
CRATE in body to the republican State
of Massachusetts. not 600 Of them woult
be permitted vote under its laws. Al
to the State of Connecticut, there nevel
was such a travesty on popular govern
ment as it presents. Mr.. Call, in tn
course of of his speech touched upol
the representation in the popula
branch of the Legislature, and reat
from apportionment system, showing
that towns and cities of from twenty t
forty thousand population were onl..
allowed the same membership as town
of from five hundred to one thousan'
population, Mr.. Call omitted to mention
that the large towns are generally dem
ocratic, while the small ones are reput
lican. It is about time that the Ne,
England Senators were reminded tha
they should take the beam out of thei
own eyes before undertaking to remov
the mote from the eyes of others.
would be much better If they woul
take their new ally. Mr.. Malone, u
into their own section, and inaugural
the crusade there, where it is most need
ed, for free ballot and an honest coun
Mr.. Vest made both an eloquent and a
argumentative speech. In reply to til
assertion of Senator Sherman, a fe
days ago, that no republican communi
ty had ever repudiated, he gave con
else but graphic account of the 5000
600 Indebtedness deliberately repudiate
by the republican State of Minnesots
without one shadow of justification, an
also cited the numerous instances Of n
fo&ihfs tkiap hn tAs NofsHW ptIes M
Sherman was unable to make any adj
quate reply to this showing, but he WI
much more taken aback when M
Vest, quoting from the official CORES
pondence of the Treasury Department
showed that only eighteen months ag
Mr.. Sherman had laid down the rul
that any federal official in Virgini
found acting with the repudiationist {
MahOno, M rfv uould ho romovnd