The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-05-10
The Champion Bourbon Election Fraud.


The coolest example of Bourbon frauds
in the South which has yet been un-
earthed is to be found in the Fourth Al
ALBANIA District The facts in the case
have been developed in the investiga-
ton of the contested election case of
Smith against Shelley by the House
Committee on Elections. The report of
the committee shows that when the
Bourbons gerrymandered the State eight
years ago it was found impossible to
make it solidly Democratic. They there
fore took five counties which had an
overwhelming majority of colored vot-
ers, and made them into "black dis
trict," the rest of the State being solidly
Democratic, this district being conceded
to the Republicans. The census shows
that it contains 135, ,881 colored, and
only 80, 1856 white persons. In 1S74'it
gave a Republican majority of IA, ,946
votes. and in 1876 it gave Hayes 9,446
majority, and yet at the last election it
was so manipulated that Shelley, the
Bourbon candidate for Congress, re-
ceived the certificate of electioni
Under such circumstances fraud is ap-
parent on the very face. No sane per-
son win contend that a Bourbon could
be honestly elected in a. district which
WAS set off by itself because ninety-fixe.
per cent. of the voters were Republicans:
The report of the committee shows how
Shelley was made to appear elected.
The County Supervisors, who were Bour-
bons, only placed one Republican in
spector in each precinct where there
were the heaviest Republican majorities,
and in every case selected some one who
could neither read nor write, and who
could not make out returns legally. The
Democratic inspectors then refused to
open the polls on the day of election,
leaving that duty to the ignorant Re-
publican inspector, who would be sure
to make some error which would be a
pretext for rejecting the ballot-box en-
tirely.
The report then sets forth individual
cases. In one precinct of Dallas Coun-
ty box was thrown out entirely con-
tanning $50 Republican and one Demo-
cratic vote. In another precinct, the
ballots were counted, the returns made
out, and the box given to the Sheriff,
- when the box was opened by some
hocus pocus no returns were found, and
this box was thrown out with 3S4 Re-
publican and 16 Democratic votes. At
third precinct. where there were 800
Republican and no. Democratic votes,
the same plan was adopted. AT fourth
precinct the Bourbon supervisors failed
to furnish ballot-box, and the votes
were put in a cigar-box. The votes
and certified returns were handed to
the Sheriff, but he refused to take them
at ALL This box contained 124 Repub-
lican and one Democratic vote. The
boldness of these Bourbon scoundrels is
shown by the following operation which
took place at Pintala precinct, Lowndes
County:
In this precinct the Democratic inspectors
failed to open the polls, and the evidence
snS tbat spa dSe @ Hdeombe who had Seen
appointed by the County Supervisors as an
The election was quiet and ordery duPins Pss the
voting, but about the time the polls closed said
ts II me sne ana se o
GERS, took the box and put 1t in q carpetsack
or sachel, in which he had, in the opinion of
for the occasion, and which he, after disputing
with the officers Of the election for time,
taken take from i the table: and It appears fully
and conclusively that the box stolen by Hol-
combe contained 3l5 votes for Smith and thir.
only nine votes for smith and the balance for
Shelley.
In some precincts no election at al
was held, as there were no inspectors
present; where they were held, boxes
were either thrown out altogether or the
returns were falsified. By these vari-
Gus devices the State election officers
deprived Smith (Republican) of 4.S57
votes and Shelley of 252, and gave the
latter the certificate, although accord
ing to the returns made by the United
States Supervisors Smith received TO-
-S7S votes and Shelley 6,781, or a ma
jority of over 1000 votes. And Shelley
has the audscity to appear in Congress
and claim his seat by 1851 majority,
when the proof shows that ninety-seven
and one-haf per cent of the negro
electors cast their votes for the Repub-
lican candidate. The Bourbons of the
Fourth Alabama District ought to be
presented with banner as the champi-
on bulldozers and ballot-box manipula-
tors of the South. Tammany in its
palmiest days never operated on cleo
ton returns with such cheek and skill.
1t will be a matter of some interest to
see how many Democrats in Congress
are willing to place themselves on rec
ord as indorsing this representative of
fraud and corruption in his efforts to
steal seat when the committee makes
its report Chicago Tribune.