The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-04-12
WELLINGTON LoRA1N COUNTY oH1o APRIL p, 1882.
The Rishtiof Suffrage.

The following letter, written by At
toney General Brewster to Dallas San
ders, Assistant. District Attorney of the
United States, at Charleston, s. c., ex-
plains itself. The letter, dated at Wash
ington, March 18, is in part as follows:
have Just received a short note from you,
togetner with passage cut from South Caro-
pie and the purpose had IN sending you to
south Carolina Tor your sense OF honor and
ions of your J profession r would Il lead S You to
quirements OF Official and professional duty
without regard to party; and, on the other
hand, your own pronounced position as q
Democrat would prevent the commnnity in
tfves OF your actions, as they are said TO have
done IN hypercrftical and unfair way all who
were not OF their thinking In politics
/ desire you to convey what / now write to
Mr. Melton, and read every word do write.
An investigation has been recently had here
in Washington in the contest between Smalls
and Tllman in the House. send you by this
mail a printed copy OF the proceedings and
tention to it, and Mr.. MeIton's attention
to It And expressly request You 20
TO have these matters thoroughly Investigated
and closely pursued The right OF suffrage
wish Mr. Melton to be told by you that i ex-
pect that he will prosecute forthwith the most
important persons who have been concerned
by fraudulent or forcible means say the
highest and most responsible people are those
whom 1 desire 70 be first prosecuted and nrst
pursued There will be no example II merely
Insignificant persons are taken hold OF. Those
who stand high in the community and have
thus ventured % violate the law and encour-
age others 20 do IL are the very persons 70 be
first prosecuted, and II convicted, punished in
q signal way. Then things viii begin to change
and the voters will be encouraged to vote ac-
coraing to their convictions, and those who do
been duly counted and surrender cheerfully
70 an honest result
am very much in earnest about this, for
have heard here what cannot credit, that 1t Is
currently said in South Caroline that the only
persons who win be prosecuted will be few
insignificant and obscure persons. Such pros
ecutions 1 viii not consider being those
that justice requires to be instituted and pur-
sued The criminal courthouse should not pe
used only for the punishment of the obscure.
Itmust not be the poor mans courthouse; all
who violate the law, and especially funda-
be made to feel the terrors OF that law. The
abuse of the right Of suffrage, such as Is
Carolina, is practical treason against the dig.
nifty of the people and of the fundamental
principles of their power, and it must be sig
At this point have paused and re-resd my
letter; Eas about to send End It @ on 70 you, and
pretty sharp tone OF reprobation OF this sup
posed attempt to pursue the poor and obscure,
escape the prosecution that they merited, the
prosecution for the offenses they were charged
with having committed / see nothing in my
aCesCA dAnN ~ ~. = -,
/ ly in earnest about all this. You are Demo-
crat, and very properly sympathize with your
because you are a Democrat, and also because
We enjoy such close personal and friendly re
TSo npSn this q suBjee %
of my Republican convictions, / intend more
this is to both sides, that there should be fair
| play, fair play all around There is no Just
| judgment or popular viii in any election that
| is controlled or biased by force or fraud, and
| do insist that both Democrats and Republicans
should have their faces set as flint against any
abuses against the free and fair use of the
Colonel Melton desire shall read this, and /
| would write directly 70 him upon the subject
admonition that to a certain extent was
| prompted by belief IN the runor that have
| before repeated-to-wit: that the poor and OBJ
scure were TO be pursued and the conspicuous
and prosperous were to escape the Judgment
him, and therefore win not write even let.
ter in the kindest spirit that might be con-
strnsd as giving color 70 such imputstions, for
he enr viii do Ii bis % dnlS p'' '''''' anu nOe' ~
In reply to Attorney-G General Brews-
ter's letter Mr.. Sanders wrote from
Charleston, March 21:
Jndge Melton moved his Office from Colum-
bia TO this place, which was reached last night
in order To make the final preparations for the
Circuit Court here on the first Monday Of April
and have shown 1t TO Judge Melton.
1 Iinclose you list of the election cases SC
far selected for triai-the extract being from
4 yesterdays Charleston Netcs and Courier
| When reached Columbia last month Judge
| Melton instructed me- in my visits to the varf
! Gus counties to select the strongest cases
i against the most important and Influential
men. not to take the little fellows. ~.
II You will see by the list inclosed that the mcr
n we propose 20 try are. except from Barnwel
II County, tie managers of election. that is, ms
II election officers who carry ON the election or
II spectors of election in Pennsylvania Their
III we have a case from Sumter County against
II the Board OF County Canvassers-they are the
II men who count the return from the various
II precincts of their respective counties and for
4 ward II TO the Board Of State Canvassers.