The Republican journal., 1882-07-13
A Free Ballot and Fair Count.

ne Natlonal hepuOllcan platform OF
1850 declares that ''the honest voter
must be protected against terrorism,
violence. ana fraud" Hon. James A.
Garfield in his letter accepting the Re
publican Presidential nomination, set
forth as one of the cardinal principles of
his party ''that every elector shall he
permitted freely and without intmida-
ton to cast his lawful ballot and
to have it honestly counted, and that the
potency of his vote shall not he DESTROYED
10y the fraudulent Vote Of any other per
SON" The platform adopted by the Re
publcans of Maine at Portland last month
calls for a free ballot and a fair count
and this is demanded by Republicans
everywhere 1t is the corner stone Of
Republican form If government. With
out it We could not have a government Of
the people 10y the people and for the peo-
pie. The prominence gwen to this issue
is due to the fact that the Democratic
btl ~ ~ dNtitN itto ttthN4i tllC
side Of the question. 1t has made popu-
lar elections in the SUuth farce. ana has
seated men in Congress who owed their
election to gross and admitted frauds
The Chalmers case is 4 conspicuous eN-
ample Here was A man who had taken
a seat for the third time to which he was
never elected. Dining the first two terms
the Democrats controlled the House and
made no attempt to disturb him. The
Republicans, after full inv esligatinn, ull-
seated Mr.. Chalmers, and no one has
presumed to question the Justice Of this
proceeding. But these election frauds
are not confined to the South alone. The
counting out conspiracy of the Democrats
OF this State must ever be remembered
with Indignation and shame by all those
who hold dear the good name Of the
State. Its details are too fresh in the
minds Of all TO call for more than this
passing ailusion. 10 offset this iniquitous
scheme, the particulars of which are Of
record, and the tissue ballot and other
Democratic frauds in the South, the Dem
ocrats have kept up an cutlery about Re
publican frauds at the polls, and have
incorporated the same in their State
platform. 1t has no foundation in fact,
but is intended 10 deceive those who
have not taken pains to inform them
selves. On the other hand the testimony
as to Democratic election frauds is com
plete and overwhelming. An illustration
is afforded in the contested case of Lee
against Richardson in the first congress
slonal district Of South Carolina, concern
ing which report has just been made by
the sub committee, to the committee on
elections of the House. Lee was a negro.
and the Republican candidate; Richard,
son was "cOuntcd in to a seat in Con-
gress by fraudulent majority of :, 46S
votes. The committee find after investi-
cation that Lee received majority of
PSI Of the votes actually cast
10 begin with, the colored majority of
voters in this district was 6,O55 1t is
thing incredible that enough Of this col
ored majority would not have voted for
Lee, the colored candidate to elect him
had the election been fair How was this
undoubted Republican majority of 5000
changed into a Democratic majority of
$1,000 The following facts taken from
| the report will tell
In Georgetown county the democratic coun-
ty and State canyassers threw out eight Of the
nine precints and returned only the ninth as
302 for Richardson and Gil for Lee. The pre-
clnctS were thrown out OStensibly upon several
technical grounds, but really because Lees ma
Jority could be suppressed in no other WAY.
For example, in Santee there was an honest
election, as shown by the records. but Lee had
4l6 out of 1873 votes, and, therefore, the box
was thrown out, because the box was sent to
the Counting Board without Il written certfi-
| cate authorizing them to deliverit. In another
precinct the box was stuffed with democratic
tissue ballots. Having discovered their pres
encc, the democratic managers restored them
TO the box and drew out enough honest repub-
lean votes TO make up for the excess. After
ward the whole box was excluded. In other
precincts i'll this county the same methods We're
used. In one of them thirty tissue ballots
for Richardson We're found folded in an honest
ballot. The frauds committed were in the in
terest or the democrats, but they served as pre-
texts for throwing out boxes. or the boxes
We're rejected on the technical ground already
mentioned, although the managers were gen
orally all democrats. At Browns Ferry 296
votes We're cast, about twO-thrds of them for
Lee, and 6O2 were found in the box. All the
managers were democrats, and they at first
proposed to count the tissue ballots, which were
found in the boxes in packages. The managers
then proposed to burn the box but it was pre-
served and rejected by the county canvassers.
The box was sent to this city, and is in the Gus
tody Of the committee on elections. The report
gives Lee majority of 2,3l0 in this county.
The Sumpter county canvassers gave Rich
ardson III ma jority, but the report gives Lee
1877 majority. At one precinct the stairway
leading to the box was crowded by white men
who prevented colored republicans from going
up. Knives were used upon those who tried to
reach the box, and they were told ''this was no
damned republican poll In another precinct
Mr.. Richardson admits that Lee received 400
votes, while he received only nine. but the can
vassers ignored the whole vote In Maysville
22l fraudulent ballots were discovered, in bum
dies SO large that they could not have been put
i'll through the hole in the lid. They were all
democratic ballots, and the managers We're all
democrats, but to reduce this fraudulent sur
plus 141 honest republican votes were taken out.
AT Concord Precinct there was singular condi-
tlOn OF tnlngs NO one disputes tue TACT that
not one republican voted there Republicans
refused to vote because they believed that the
box had been stuffed. When the box was
opened Al fraudulent democratic ballots were
found. This showed that the fraud had been
planned beforehand by the democrats. At
Rafting Creek Precinct there Were three dem
Ocratic managers. One broke his arm and the
other two appointed colored republican in his
place. There was fair election, and Lee got
siX-sevenths of the votes. Then the box was
thrown out because the colored man had not
been appointed by the county commissioners.