New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-16
BOURBON ELECTION FRAUDS

FOR IHE SUPPRESSION OF EVIDENCE.
lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TRTBUSRl
WASHINGTON, May 14.-At its next meeting the
House Elections Committee will probably agree tc
report by Mr. Rsnney in the contest of Witherspoon
against Davidson of the Ist Florida District 1t ia
probable that the committee will also agree to
recommend that the House send special committee
to Florida 10 make thorough investigation Of the
alleged frauds in the election referred to- In
recommending that Witherspoon have leave to
withdraw his contest without prejudice" the com
mittee will present the facts showing why he wat
not able 10 prosecute it before the committee. and
these present some features which are unique I'D
election contests In fact the entire appears 10
be without parallel ard il is only fair to say that
Democratic as well as Republican members of the
committee are convinced that the all cations made
by Wtherspoon are substantially true and that
justice demands thorough investigation by
special committee.
Witherspoon like Lynch is a colored man, but,
unlike the Mississippi Congressman, he svery black
indeed. He was born a slave in Charleston S. c.,
thrty-six years ago, and during the Rebellion was
the body-servant Of his master, Rebel officer. He
took advantage Of every opportunity TO obtain an
education He studied for the ministry and Is now
presiding elder Of the African Methodist-Episcopal
Church for the district in which he lives. For ten
successive years he was member of the Florida
Legislature and he is said to be of fair abil-
iy and Of unsulIied character. An argument lately
made by him before the Elections Committee is
spoken Of by the members as one of the clearest
statements submitted this session.
In recent conversation with a TRIBUNE corre-
spondent. Mr Witherspoon gave an interesting
and graphic account of the unique methods used by
the Florida Bourbons to suppress the Republican
vote in the Ist District, and of the equally novel
plan resored to in order TO prevent him from es-
tablishing by legal proof his right to his seat.
Il will give you some facts respecting the frauds
in my own y-JeflcrsOn-which will fairly IL
lustrate the whole" remarked Mr. Wiiherspoon.
Jefferson County had a registered Republican ma
jority of about 900 voters. Under our law the
County Commlssoners-all Democrats-met in tho
several counties August to revise the registration
lists. They in session at Monticello. Jefferson
County four days, believe, and during that time
they arbitrarily and illegally struck off the regis
tration list 1,623 names of qualified voters, not
thirty OF which were the names of Democrats. The
very first day they struck off 700 Republican voters
Of that county. / Immediately sent runners out in
every direction to notify these electors,
and the next day about 400 of them we're
present to havo their names renstated
The law requires a voter when he applies TO have
his name restored bring two credible witnessesto
swear that he is entitled TO vote. This law was in-
variably so construed by the Democratic Commfs-
sioners to require of coored man that his wit
nesses should be white In this and other ways
the commissioners were able to prevent any Repub-
licans from getting their names restored at fhat
time Twenty days before election the commission
ers met again. and at least 200 Republican voters
whose names had been stricken from the lists ap-
peared In person and demanded their restoration.
| The commissioners threw every possible obstacle in
the way, and the best we could do was to get about
fifty names restored out of the 1000 stricken off in
that one connty.
81 will give one example which | am afraid tho
people of the North will hardly believe but which
is true to the letter. The chairman of the Jefferson
County Board Of Commissioners DR.. Ballinger,
who. by the way, is now under Indictment In tho
United States District Court for violation of tho
Election laws Among the names struck OH was
that of Ballingers coachman, who has been in his
employ for fifteen years The man thought sure he
could get his name restored but. because he could
not swear exactly how many years he lad lived In
the Drecjnct the Commissioners denied his applica-
tion. although their chairman, who was present.
knew that for fifteen years the man had been IN MS
own employ. 1t was all through the district,
and the names Of at least 5000 qualified Repubi-
can voters were thus arbitrarily and illegally struck
from the registration list"
But could not these voters appear at the polls on
election day and swear in their yotesr the corre-
spondent asked.
"Well we tried that. The election inspectors az
each precinct were two Democrats and one Repnb-
ican The commissioners refused to appoint rs Tho
Republican inspector at any precinct the man
recommended by the Republican committee, but In
every case selected the most ignorant coored man
they could find We had our men all on hand elec-
ton day aud they tried in their votes. but
If WAS of no use. Every time the inspectors wonid
say, as instructed by the Democratic committees
The record is the best evidence, and we will not
take any other so man whose name was not on
the registration list allowed o. vote. why,
right there in Monticello is a very Intelligent ana
respectable colored man-IIampton Williams-who
has lived there for many years and whom every
body knows. He is carpenter, and he built for
Mr. Pasco the house in which that gentleman lives.
Mr. Pasco at the last election chairman of the
Democratic State Committee. The commissioners
had struck Williams's name of and he
tried TO swear in his vote, which the
lnspectors refused. went 10 Pasco
and told him this was an outrage. Said /: fon
know that Williams has good right TO vote as
you or have and yon Ought to see that hls vote Is
received He asked me TO go and see If the Dams
was on the list, and told him it was not Well,'
said he the record is the best evidence and cam
not do anything about it, We did not succeed In
getting any votes sworn m"
"Was the election so far the registered vote
was concerned fair oneV
"As to that you can judge by an incident that
will relate 1t occurred at Precinct No. Z, in Jeiier.
son County. five miles from Monticello, where 1
live The registered vote of that precinct was ~
Democratic and IA Republican. The Republican
inspector Dick Brocksey, is colored man who
cannot read but q man of hard sense and rs brave
as lion lie knew perfectly well what the vote
ouqLt 10 be- for he had kept very close watch all
dav After the polls were closed the inspectors
locked themselves in and began tc count the bal