National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-06-14
smalIs va TilIman.

lima elected by "the wealth and intelli-
gence" of that State, as the Bourbons
call themselves, when they are informed
of the conduct of the supporters of the
Bourbon candidate, Tillman, whose elec
tion was certified to by the Bourbon
governor of South Carolina. The perils
to which the Republicans who supported
Smalls were subjected to during the
campaign were a disgrace to the State,
but need not here be dwelt upon. The
Democratic crimes against the ballot-box
after the votes had been placed therein
furnish the grounds for ejecting Tillman
from the seat he occupies, and to which
Smalls is clearly entitled. The election
machinery was placed in the hands of
the most reckless and unscrupulous of the
Bourbons. Voting was made difficult in
the strong negro counties by every possi-
BILE device. The number of voting places
wasreduced, and long journeys compelled
Small ballot-boxes were provided for
large polls, and when they were filled the
voting was stopped and the polls closed.
At Jacksonboro', Colleton County, this
was done at noon, with hundreds of
voters waiting in line. At Ridge
vile, same county, when one box
had been filled another was provided,
and the voting went on. There was
Republican majority of l 100 in these two
boxes. The Bourbon county canvassers
| threw out both-one because it was closed
too soon. the other because il was q
second box. AT st. Georges station six
| hundred Republican majority was thrown
out because the polls were held on one
| side Of the railroad track instead of the
other. The election had been held, the
Democratic managers said, at an Gun
usual place that is to say from five to
ten feet distant from another place. At
Somerville, where there was 800 Repub-
| refused to be sworn, and no legal poll
could be opened. There were 500 wit
nesses to this fact The law requires that
if more votes are found in the bal
lot-boxes than there were voters,
the excess shall be drawn out
by blindfolded person. The blind
folded Democrats drew out the large Re-
publican tickets and left the Bourbon
tissue ballots in the box. By this means
majority of 5000 for Smalls was turned
into one of 900 for his Bourbon antagon-
ist Such are the tricks of "the wealthy
and the intelligent" In Hampton County
on the night before election day the
negro settlements were surrounded by
yelling red-shirt mobs. In the early
morning the negroes found the roads on
which they were to travel to vote pick
eted by wealthy and intelligent ruflians,
who fired upon them, and threatened
them with death if they moved toward
the polls. Republican messengers sent
with Republican tickets to polling places
were. seized ON the way, robbed OF
the tickets, and one was severely beaten.
Hampton County, with 800 majority for
Smalls, was by these means made to APP
pear LOIS for Tillman. The United States
supervisors Were in eUery case elected from
polling places, and were not allowed to be
present during the counting of the bal.
lots. At Aiken cannon was planted in
front of the voting place, and the Pal
metto Guards stacked their arms within
a few yards of the poll. Says a graphic
writer in Beaufort Is. C.) paper, sum
marizing the testimony:
In spite OF all discouagemens, the Republican,
| continued to vote, and q cry was raised, and iht
artillery men rushed to their cannon and Tho
militia to their guns The judge of probate OF thu
county was seen to poor hatful of buckshot int
the cannon, and IL was trained upon the crowd a
the polls. The Republicans fed, and Democratic
pickets thereafter prevented their return to tn,
polls. At Edgefeld Courthouse no Republican
ballot was allowed to be cast A mob of drunker
red-shirted Democrats, armed with rifles and pis
tolls, took possession of u hall opposite the polls
and, from the windows, kept their weapons
pointed toward every negro who approached the
| polls, daring them to cross the dead line, A
Johnston's, in the same county, the ballot box wa
placed in the second story Of building onl,
to be approached by narrow stairway. TIL,
rooms and passages were blocked b!
crowds of Democratic roughs, who threatened ant
assaulted every colored man who entered.
few made their way TO the box, but they were 81
maltreated that they deferred others from attempt
ing 1t for long time. Late in the dag concertej
effort was made 10 get into the building by tn,
large crowd of Republicans. The Democrats in
side opened fire upon the crowd and one man wa
killed, others being wounded, The negroes wert
quickly dispersed. BY such means Edgehedi
, 1000 Republican majority was turned into one o
5000 for Tillman. III no county except Beaufort
were United States supervisors allowed to be in
side the polling places either to observe the meth
ods Of receiving ballots while the counting wal
going on.
f If any Republican can hesitate in the
face of such facts as these to vote for the
election of Tillman and the seating O
= Smalls, then We may as we'll surrende,
/ to the bulldozers and swindlers of tn,
g Democratic party, and make no furthe
\ pretensions to being government rest
ing upon the will of the people as ex
t pressed at the ballot-boN.
TnATold Tammany Republican Greeley
ite, b. f. Manierre, of New York city
has scattered his Republican Contra
Club over sixteen assembly districts o
the metropolis, and then gathered then
in again under the name and style of tn
"Aunty Machine Republican Genera
', Committee" The various names unde
which Mr.. Manierre's stock company i
made to do duty is suggestive of "ropeat
> ing" at elections. There is no limit t.
the characters in which they may b
made to appear. Anon we shall prob
ably find them Prohibition Committe
. of q Tuesday, and on Wednesday Il Liquor
: dealers Association. They are the "ger
J, eral utility men" of New York politics
y Age cannot wither nor custom stale thei
u ;nDnfto Voriatv NVn aItnira fbnrn in n