New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-12
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON.
HOW THE BOURBONs CARRY ELECTIONS.
AN INSTRUCTIVE STORY FROM THE vTH SOUTH
CAROLINA DIsrRICT-TIIE METHODS EMPLOYED
TO DEFEAT sMALLs


subcommittee, of which Judge Wait of Connecti-
cut, is chairman, will on Tuesday submit 70 the
House Committee on Elections report rponsthe
contested election case of Smalls agst. Tlman. Of
the Vth South Carolina District A day or two ago
the subcommittee adopted a resolution declaring
that Mr. Tillman was not elected. and it is alto-
gether probable that resolution will also he re-
ported in favor of giving the seat 10 Mr. Smals, on
majority OF 1,f63 votes. The history OF this
case as recorded in the testimony and exposed in
the careful report prepared by Judge Wait is
very interesting one.
According to the uncontradicted testimony Of
numerous witnesses Democrats az well as Repubi-
cans, the sturdy Bourbons of the yth District
scorned TO depend wholly or mainly upon roscwatcr
methods legal technicalities, in order 10
smother the voice Of the large Republican majority.
In the testimony the red Shirt" the shot-g
and the other Bourbon accessories 50 common in
1876, very frequently appear TO emphasize the
Democratic determination TO maintain the right
preseryatve OF all rights" free ballot and fair
count r-at all hazards The chivalrOus Bourbons
were victorious, and Mr.. Tllnan was d" counted In"
by pretended majority Of s,O3s in district which
contains honest Republican majority of several
thousand votes.
In several Of the counties intimidation accom-
panied by open violence was so effectively used To
stimulate the Democratic voters and TO keep the
Republicans from voting, that when the ballot
boxes were opened they found TO contain more
tickets than there were male persons twenty-one
years old and upward in those counties
Thus in Aiken County 447 tickets were counted
out of the balot-boxes. while, according to tho
census returns of the same year, the entire male
population of the county twenty-one years old and
upward was only 1855 and the number of white
males of voting age 2,s73. And in this same county
the evidence is overwhelming that hundreds of Re-
publican voters denied the right 10 vote at all.
Nevertheless the Democratic election managers give
TIllman 1850 votes in this county--neary twice
as many as there wero white persons Of
voting age the county, and nobody even
pretends that any considerable number Of colored
men voted the Democratic ticket. IL 1876 this
same county gave Hayes 221S and Tiiden 2,9O1
votes Edgefeld County contained 1853 white and
5,645 colored males old enough to vote, aud Till
man credited with 6.467 votes The sub-com-
mittee decided that the vote Of this county ought TO
be rejected altogether and in view OF the testimony
this decision seems to be righteous one.
At Edgefeld Court House the vote as re-
turned was 763 for Timan and II for Smalls.
On the evening before election mounted
white to the number of 800 or 400,
wearing red shirts and armed with
shot-guns, poured into the town and took possess
sion of the courthouse. In the night guns aud pis-
that the South Carolina Democrats on the
alert One witness testified that he thought it adj
visable to leave for home, and did so.' The next
morning after the polls were opened 1000 or
| more colored men on the ground anxious to
vote the Republican ticket The sub-committec
| say:
The poll held I'D stairs in the court room and one
Is inches wide was kept by Democratic guard, that
those Republicans who succeeded In running the gaunt.
4 la nf he nm lIlF VlH
crowded the staircase were held there and subjected 10
further insults and Violence until they could struggle
with their clothes cut, while the gallery porch
over the outside entrance was filled with Democrats
armed with brickbats and the Masonic Hal opposite
occupied by military company. the Edschcld RI
1es TO call this an election is reflection American
Institutions.
A "dead-linen was established in front of the
Court House, and red-slIirted sentnels raced this
line and warned the colored Republican voters not
to cross 1t. Preparations to maintain ." the right
preservatve of all rights " were made inside the
polling place also. The United States supervisor
testified that immediately before the polls were
opened, there were inside the room forty dfty
Democrats in tue red-slrt uniform; many of these
men were armed with shot-guns and pistols Dou-
ble-barreled sho-guns for the use of the election
managers were piled up about one loot from the
ballot-boxp whore they remained until taken out
later in the day. when some gentlemen"
used them to help frighten and drive the
Republicans away from the town. The
same witness swOre that he saw a great
many white men vote more than twice, some Of
them as many eight times. "They came up and
voted and would SIT around the room, and would
then come up and vote again" This witness was
| asked: "Was anything sald by them OF the man
| ayers when they came up to vote after the first
J time I" Not by them,' was the reply, but by the
| managers. They laughed and SAID they were
tricks" Some of these repeating patriots cit-
| zens of Georgia who had come over 10 help their
| south Carolina brethren MAINTAIN " the right pre-
| seryatiye OF all rights"
At Mt Willing IN the same county, the poll was
held inside the house. ami tue entrance guard d by
Democrats. Republicans were kept back ami Dem.
ocrats admitted until the Democrats had all voted
when a party OF mounted Democrats rode up, and
opening fire drove the Republicans from the poll.
At Meeting-st. and Cheathan's store the same
course adopted, aud at both Of them he super
VISOR was prevented from discharglng hls duty. At
LandrulPs store the supervisors poll list was taken
away from HIM ana fraudulent ballots stuilod Ia
he boz, while at JohnstOns, after keeping the Re-
publIcans from the polls by crowding them
unul about 2 o'clock the Democrats began
a general disturbance, ran oil the supervisor and
cqn was shot in the head aud his dead body left on
the ground. At this poll 500 Republican voters
were driven OIL All day squads OF mounted aud
armed Democrats rode up and down throughout the
county. going from precinct to precinct 10 mtImi-
date the Republican voters and drive them away
from the polls, plan which was so successful that
according 10 the testimony, more than three thous-
and c0lCred hepupucan> III that county were by
forge and intimidation prevented from voting.
At Aiken Court House, Aiken County, the uncon-
tradicted testimony shows that a barncade was
built in front OF the poll at end of which tho
voters were 20 enter At that eud Democratic
guard was placed 10 keep back Republicans. At
the o her end Democrats were allowed 10 20 III and
vote freely. From o'clock until o'clock
in the morning there was according
to the testimony of one Of the Dem
ocratic election managers, "a constant stream
OF white voters" When most of the Democrats had
voted a rot was begun by cutting Republicans
III the crowd at tine entrance TO the DarTicdde and
by throwing cayenne pepper III the eyes OF the col.
oTed voters" piece of arti lery trained
anff fh.h do Nherat tha