The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-02-15
Newly Disguised.

Our Southern exchanges show that the
old question of how to counteract or de-
feat the colored vote Is still exercising
the Bourbon Legislatures.
The South Carolina Assembly has for
some weeks been suffering the labor
pains of a new Election law, to accom-
plish this ultimate end of all Southern
Legislation. The Governor of that State,
In 1868, addressed the Republican Con-
stitutional Convention and frankly ad-
mitted that the colOred vote was in de-
cisive majority OF thirty or forty thou
sand He further admitted that it was
to man inevitably Republican. In ev.
cry election to 1876 the result proved
that the Governor was as correct as he
was candid. But violence and tissue
ballots captured the machine, and the
machine has since turned out whatever
majorities We're needed. The colored
vote is Republican everywhere, and in
the South it is unanimous and solid.
Every census. particularly the last. ex-
hibits in South Carolina a majority OF
about forty thousand in the colored vote,
at the ratio of one vote to every five of
the population. The Southern leaders
and press admit these facts. They can
not honestly deny them. The evidence
stares us in the face right from the
record. @ Al go iff
As in South Carolina. 50 in several
other States. How then can the Democ-
racy honestly claim their Electoral votes
or seats in Congress? 1t is no more en-
tilted to them than to Senator Davis
gold watch. There should 6e no honest
question of Republican ascendency in
this country. and no general election has
any right or business to be IS close as
were those of 1876 or 1880, il the right
that vote counted as cast were vindi-
Gated and enforced. 1 t
The South Carolina Legislature is the
mirror of the public mind in the South.
1t reflects the universal anxiety, the one
thing necessary to its salvation-how to
run the machine, without resorting each
campaign to the means by which il was
won and kept. Riding the country,
breaking up meetings and stuffing ball
lot-boxes, shock the public sense; for
the miserable sneer1 of the 81 bloody
shirt - will not always laugh to scorn
the protection Of that great right,
"preservation of all rights by the
periodical outrage and slaughter of
which, alone. the Democracy has been
able to make its front against the Re
publican organization.
How can this comics sed majority be
legislated away? This is the matter
that now disturbs the South Carolina
Legislature. Itproposes to do this by
an Election law. the chief feature of
which is provision for permanent reg
istration and for several boxes at each
poll 1t provides that there shall be one
general registration, and no elector who
cannot present at the polls his registra-
ton certificate will be, allowed to vote.
In other words, the colored man hes a
lifetime to lose his ticket, be swindled
out of it, have it stolen or bought, or.
what is worse, its genuineness denied
at the polls with no means or evidence
to prove on the spot that it is not coun-
terfeited. Besides, all ballots not in the
right box are thrown out, and there are
eight boxes. The Constitution of the
State provides for registration, it is true;
but this law simply registers the colored
vote quietly out of existence. The
whole debate shows this to be the open
purpose and policy of the bill.
This matter will never be properly
adjusted until Congress, protects the
right of suffrage. by having Federal
managers at the polls in all Federal cleo
lions never otherwise at least in the
South. Repubttcda.