New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-27

| United States District-Attorney at Columbia
wrote TO the Acknowledgement, asking him to
| send TO his assistance n lawyer who was
Democrat, who should aid him in prosecuting
the election cases and thus relieve him of the
charge that they were merely political perse-
| cutions. MIR. Brewster selected Mr.. Dallas
| Sanders and asked him to go. Mr.. Sanders at
| first declined, but when Mr.. Brewster put his
request on the ground of personal favor Mr..
| Sanders reluctantly consented He was chosen
to go because he was n Democrat who could
be depended upon to do his duty as a lawyer,
and whose word would be respected by the
public.
Since his departure n few weeks ago the
contest between Smalls and Tlllman for the
seat in Congress from the With South Car
DINA District has been in progress before the
House Committee on Elections. Mr.. Brewster
has been perusng the testimony, and its
astonishing revelations have not unnaturally
added to his zeal for thorough application
of Justice He writes to Mr.. Sanders that 1t
is his determination to have these matters
thoroughly investigated and closely pursued
"Thc right of suffrage must be protected, no
"matter who suffers" He adds: 81 wish Mr.
"MeltOn (the District-AttOrney) to be told by
you that | expect that he will prosecute forth
with the most important persons who have
been concerned in these attempts to defeat
honest elections Ivy fraudulent or forcibie
"means. | say the highest and most response
" bic people are those whom desire to be first
prosecuted and first pursued. There will be
"no example if insignificant persons are first
"taken hold of. Those who stand high
Gin the community and have thus ven
"tured to violate the law and encourage
"others to do it are the very persons to
abe first prosecuted, and, if convicted, punished
"in signal way That strikes right at the
root of the evil in South Carolina. 1t is the
responsible people who stand high in the com
munitv who have been the leaders in the bal
lOt-boX stuiling business. Mr.. Sanders replies
that precisely this has been dOne-the strong
" est cases against the most important and iniiu-
Genital men-not the little fcllOws-have been
"taken" The trials will begin at the session of
the Circuit Court which opens at Charleston
on April 3.
IT will be noticed that we assume in advance
that the prosecuted persons are guilty. This
is somewhat unusual thing to do, but in this
case it is based on the confession of the highest
Democratic authority in the State. In April
last Senator Wade Hampton said on the floor
of the Senate: owe know that there have
"been irregularities aud frauds. | admit it.
" But plead as justification the cruel wrongs
"inAictcd upon our people. Life and the State
"itself were at stake My unaltera5le determi-
"nat;on is to rectify as soon as possible these
" wrongs which | have admitted" few days
later THE Charleston Aeirs and Courier pub
full nfrsir, Nv
Uampton's confession, and said: "The peo-
"pIe will not put up with this kind OF work
"any longer The Democratic masses cannot
Z" be whipped or spurred up to the point
"Of taking the chances of the Albany Peni-
"tentiary." This was simply saying that they
had been taking the chances OF the peniten-
tiary in the past. 1t was for the purpose OF
avoiding the peril of these chances that the
new election law was devised. The manner in
which appointments have been made under
that law shows how much Wade HamptOn's
pledge of rectifyng election wrongs was
worth. The men who have been chosen to
execute its provisions are the old tissue baLot
opcrators who have been selected for the new
dirty work because of their skill i'll the old.
If the Government prosecutions are carried on
with the vigOr and thOrOughness which Mr..
Brewster requests, many of these new officials
will he incapacitatcd for work for some time
to come, and the Governor will have many
vacancies to fill before his new law for sitting
the vote of South Carolina can be put into
running order. We sincerely trust that the
Governments confidence in Mr.. Sanders will
be indicated by the conviction of a large
number Of these able operators who have been
so recklessly "taking the chances of the Albany
Penitentiary." That will be the surest way of
awakening the conscience of the South to the
fact that triAing with the right of suffrage is
wrong.