The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-10-04
"A FREE BALLOT


frequent as were the appeals 0ocasioned by
the waving of the ensanguined garment
before referred to. The scope of the coun.
try, however where these desiderata, the
fair count and free ballot, are considered as
especially necessary at the present time is
confined within the southern states ex-
clusiycly, and the cry is loudest just pre-
vious TO an election, or afterwards, IN cases
of contest for the Offices before fought for.
No one, not an enemy to the republic
would for. u moment attempt to uphold a
practice of falsely counting votes or intim-
| idating the voters, but to charge that in
the south alone will such practices be
| found is unjust and untrue. AS a matter
of fact, which would be auperlluous to
argue to the southern people, elections in
the south are as honestly and Justly con-
| Quoted as in any section of Che Union,
We are not going to discuss that branch of
the question. What we wish to impress
| upon the people is the general prostitution
of the right of suffrage throughout the
whole country, as shown in the light of re-
cent events. 1t seems indeed Us if the ma
jority Of the citizens Of this country had
| ceased to regard their ballots as any special
privilege or power in their possession, and
| are ms ready to dispose of them for gain as
they are to sell anything else
they possess that will bring
a'goou price. This is u terrible situation.
grave charge, but it is in the main the cor
rect statement Of the case from Maine TO
California. Just within the past two or
three days the fact is being stated that it
cost $4,000 to carry the state Of Iowa for
prohibition 1t has been an open secret
since 1880 that ii took 100000 to carry In
diana for GARFIELD, and in such states us
Pennsylvania and New York it has been for
years notorious fact that the men ofmoncy
have carried every election. Indeed, none
but those with full barrels are ever
placed in nomination in the heaviest and
closest voting states. 1t is the common
remark of the country that the man who
ventures into politics without money, is
an IDIOT, only to be lost in con test with a
bigger bank account. Men are chosen for
office in utter disregard of their personal
merits, solely with view to the amount Of
money they can command in campaign.
In New Jersay, in the face Of the indignant
protests OF tho country, RonEsoN, by his
lll-gOttcn wealth, has received the nomina-
ton for congress without opposition, aud in
Ohio, KElrER, by the use of eight or ten
thousand dollars, has also been able to re-
ceive denomination. In other words, all
over the Union it is money that carries the
day, smothors principles and beats honest
men. In New England We are told on the
best of authority, that the mass Of the popu-
lotion retain their places in the factories
according to the mauncri in which they vote,
an adverse ballot to their employer
costing the bold American citizen
his situation. SuCh is the manner
Of conducting elections in those states
where the alleged unfair count and
inundated ballot of the south is iuus, con.
SANITY aud loudly denounced. 10 vote a
man with money or q position, is as corrupt
Ing to the balotNs to vote him with shot.
gun, or more so, for the latter method does
not profess to be iair, aud creates reaction
by its very violence, The other course
gradually and secretly poiSons all channels
of public Lie. Where has the right of sui.
iragc been most glaringy prostituted, for
example? In Mississippi where the shot
gun has kept thousands from the polls, or in
Iowa, where $4,000 has bought and voted
thousands against their real convictions?
We merely suppose the charge again
both states to be true for arguments sake.
The negro feels that he has by force been
prevented from exercising right which is
only the dcaror to him from that fact. In
Iowa the appreciation OF their right is SO de.
based that small brihe buys IT, In the one
case II is appreciation without exercise, in
the other exercise without appreciation.
The trouble is that this indifference about
voting, this appreciation of the import.
ancc and dignity'ot the right OF suffrage, is
on the increase everywhere and is under
mining the only safeguards of freedom that
the people haye-their only weapon OF de.
Tense and oilenSe in the administration of
affairs, Instead, therefore, of turning their
attention SO closely to the south and prating
about fair count, these virtuously indig.
nant members of the great republican party
had better devote themselves to the bust
ness of bringing back to its original clear
ness and purity the citizens conceptions of
the true scope pd Importance of their
rights of suffrage, Let the laws against all
character of interference with the freedom
of the ballot be doubled in penal force and bc
enforced always and without fear or favor.
And above all, let attention be directed to
other portions of the country than the
south. Tho least of the evils complained of
in connection with the ballot in the United
States are those in the SOUTH aud before We
are longer denounced as the high handed
corrupters of elections, we should like to see
the axe of correction applied to the roots of
the gross bribery, yonality, fraud aud iutim.
idation from Iowa eastward to Maine.
as=a-a. 49, I'D .4--..-a-
BiECuEH OK THE NEW YORK NOMI-
NATIONS
All that comes from tho plvmouth rhnrch