National Republican., 1882-12-08
CHALMERS'S CHALLENGE.
30 Serves Notice Of Contest on Mr.. Manning
and Service is Accepted.
4 Statement Of the Frauds PerPetrated
So Far as Discovered.
Tho Fight for tho Seat Likely to be a
Lively One.

eighth Congress, and Mr.. Manning has ac-
cepted service. The charges made by Mr..
Chalmers are sufficiently explicit and the
offenses complained of are numerous enough
and serious enough to be worthy the atten-
ton of every voter. The following is Mr..
Chalmers's letter in full:
WARRINGTON, d. c., Dec, 1ss2-Hon. VAN
H. MANNING-Sir: You will take notice
that will contest your pretended claim to
seat in the Forty eighth Congress of the
United States as the member-elect from the
second district of Mississippi to which was
elected and you were not, and shall insist
that you have not even priMa tacie right
thereto.
/ charge 1st That the pretended creden-
tials you hold are illegal and void because not
such credentials as are authorized by the
laws of Mississippi.
I'd. The certificates, which have filed with
the clerk of the House of Representatives,
from the secretary of State of Mississippi,
show that have the prima fdcie right to said
seat.
you hold are not only informal, but issued IL
legally and fraudently, in pursuance OF a con-
spiracy originated by you and your immedi-
ate partisans in charge of your canvass.
And in this connection l charge that you
and your friends gave instructions to the in
SpeCtOrS ana CIeTR OF tleCLlOI hbu W biBh
and certify the returns where you supposed
would receive majorites, and that these in
structions were carried out at five precincts
in Marshall County, and various precincts in
other counties.
/ charge that your friends attempted to
make fraudulent changes in
THE REGISTRATION BOOKS
and that at various precincts, notably Holly
Springs and Byhalia, in Marshall County, and
Olive Branch, in De Soto County, your par
tisans in charge thereof refused to allow the
United States supervisors to scrutlnlze the
registration books.
That when the election was over your
friends at Chultoma, in Marshall County,
at night blew out the lights tore up the tally
sheets, and We're only prevented from stealing
the ballot-box by the courage and GOODNESS of
the United States supervisor.
That at the Landerdall-bex, in De Soto
County, one of your partisan inspectors was
caught in the act of changing the ballots as
they were put in the box, and that at Eudora
and Lake Cormorant, in said county, the
boxes were secretly stuffed, thus changing the
result in De Soto County from a majority of
several hundred for me to a majority of 135
for you.
That at the three precincts in Talla-
hatchie County, to wit; Gruball Hybernia,
and Bufords, where would have obtained 800
or more majority, and at Nesbetts precinct, in
De Soto County, where would have received
100 majority or more your partisan inspectors
refused to hold any election, and dissuaded
others from so doing, and j charge that this
was done under interyentions from you and
your political managers.
That when the election returns had been
sent by the inspectors at each precinct to the
commissioners for canvass and when the re-
suits had been published showing majority
of over 1900 votes for me, you and your friends
wrote letters and sent messengers and tele-
grams to leading Democrats in other counties
stating that you could have five boxes in
Marshall County ..r .-.
THROWN OUT FOB IRREGULARITIES,
thps reducing my majority In that county to
$50 from 1850, and urging your party mana
gers in the other counties to so change the
returns in their counties as to give you
majority.
That the Democratic leaders in other coun-
ties, and especially De Soto County, refused to
,bey your instructions and thus frustrated
this conspiracy.
That the commissioners in Pamela County
declined to certify the returns from Pleasant
Grove and Pleasant Mount precincts, which
gave me 202 majority, because in one seventeen
more votes were found than voters, and in
the other one less votes than voters, and ON
this flimsy pretext these boxes were thrown
out of the count by the secretary of state,
thus depriving me of 202 majority.
That the commissioner of Marshall County
threw out the Jacksonville box, which gave
me 81 majority, for want of a tally sheet ac-
companying the returns and counted the
East Holly Springs box, which gave 36 ma
jority for you, although there was no tally
sheet with the returns therefrom,
That the commissioner of election of Mar
shall County made out returns of election and
certified the same, and directed the clerk in
my presence to seal UP these returns and for
ward the same to the secretary of state on
Monday, the 14th of November, and then ad-
journed, making no protest of any kind with
their returns
That the secretary of state pretended that
the returns from Marshall County did not
reach him until Friday, the 18th of Novem-
ber, though if sent as directed they should
have reached him on the 18th.
That when opened protest against their
own returns was found in the papers, and
said to be in the handwriting of M. M.
Stri ckland, chairman of the Democratic exec
utive committee of Marshall County, and
signed by the two Democratic commissioners,
which protest contained false statements of
pretended facts.
That the secretary of state fraudulently
concealed from the inspection of fmysefand my
friends the returns from the second Congress
sionai district, while he permitted the returns
from other districts to be inspected and pub
lished, and while he gave notice in advance
to your attorney of an ambiguity in the re-
turns from Tate County.
And charge specifically that Prior Porter,
the deputy secretary of state, has said that his
returns from Tate County were opened Sun
day before the canvass was made by the sec
retary of state and when the ambiguity was
discovered it was
COMMUNICATED TO GOV. LOWRY,
and that after consultation with and upon the
advice of Gov. Lowry the returns from the
second Congressional district were locked up
and concealed until they were taken up to be
canvassed That when the secretary of state
canvassed the returns, in contempt of a writ
of prohibition from the judge of the ninth
judicial district of Mississippi, he illegally
and fraudulently counted the ,472 votes from
Tate County for -, r. Chambless" that were
certified to have been cast for James r. Ohal-
mers, under pretence that the tally-sheet was
the essential part of the return, although the
raturns from Union Tippah, and De Soto
Counties, where you have majorities certified,
have no tally-sheet accompanying the certif-
cate.
4th. That the holding of an election at
the Graball precinct, Tallahatchie county,
where would have received large majority,
was openly resisted by your partisans armed
With Winchester rifles under pretenee of fear
OF smallpox, although the voting precinct
was some distance from the region infested
by smallpox, and although the infected re-
glon was then and had been for long time
previously safely quarantined and guarded so
that no one could go in or come out theretrom.
9th, That in spite of the frauds attempted
and pmctieed by yonr friends, | received a
majority OF l,332 votes, as member of the For
ty-eighth Congress of the United States for
the second district of Mississippi, as certified
and returned by the inspector and clerk of the
several election Drecincfs IN the Cn ar