The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-05-17
wELLINeroN, LoRAN oouNrY,: OHIO, May 4, 1ss2
Free Vote and Fair Count.

ac Free Vote and Fair Count.
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The evidence taken in the contested
election case of Lee against Richardson,
of South Carolina, has been published
and furnishes an insight into Democratic
election practices in the South The
methods disclosed by this evidence are
not new, but are none the less interest
ing as showing how the party of fraud
maintains its strong minority and seeks
to obtain a majority in Congress. Rich
ardson, the sitting member from the
First South Carolina District, has been q
candidate at three successive elections,
and has twice been fraudulently counted
in. He held his seat through one term,
but it is expected that this Congress will
soon give him leave to retire.
In the last election violence and in
timidation were not generally resorted
to, though at one precinct in Darlington
County this ancient Democratic method
of carrying an election was used. In
this precinct largo number of colored
people went to the regular voting place
early in the morning before the time for
opening the polls, but they did not open.
Finally it was announced that the polls
would be- opened at the courthouse, in
a room about fifteen feet above the
ground. Democrats were congregated
around this place, and thronged the
steps, arrayed in red shirts and with red
bands around their hats. They forcibly
prevented Republicans from passing up
the steps for the purpose of casting their
ballots. A large band of armed Demo-
Gratis came to this place the night be-
fore the election, and camped there.
Two wagon-loads of guns had been
brought there previously, and the result
was that several hundred Republicans
left the polls without voting. Two
hundred and forty men were found who
testified that they were prevented from
voting by the violence that was used at
that poll by the Democrats. Three
hundred is considered large Demo-
cratic majority in the precinct, and the
Republicans usually poll from ], 200 to
1900 votes. The result on this day
gave 1,271 votes for Richardson and III
for. Lee, the Republican.
In general, however, there was no
violence, but results were changed by
what Mr.. Lee calls ''quiet. good-natured
robbery" the following illustration of
which is furnished by him to the Cincin-
matt Commercial:
According to the law the Governor appoints
commissioners OF Election for each county in
the Stnte. These Commissioners of Election
are required to appoint three managers of
election for each precinct in the county. The
managers at each precinct are required at
open the baIlot-box. count the ballots with
same is completed. and make statement Of
the result thereof and sign the same. II more
are names on the poli-list, the excess is to
be drawn and Immediately destroyed by
manager or the clerk, without seeing
one of the board Of managers, designated In
writing by the board to the Commissioners of
Election, with written statement Of the re-
ernor and Secretary of State. Upon them the
State Board oanvasses the election and makes
up the result upon which the certificate is is
sued. Beginning ut Georgetown, the first
county in the district the contestant claims
that but one precinct was returned by the
County Board There are ten precincts in the
county, in nine of which an election was held.
At one precinct there was no election held, and
nor and Secretary OF State from any precinct
in the county. The result OF the canvass in this
County & ~ M tne So State @ b1aFS gaze % % Votes ror
Der of votes actually cast as shown by the
poll list was 9s3, but when the ballots came to
box, an excess of I69 These l6e were tissue
ballots, or what are known in South Carolina
as kiss jokers." These were found rolled up
in other tickets, 10 to 20 at time. They are
very ingenious little things. and description
of all the tickets used at this election may not
be out of place. The tissue ballots were of
two kinds. One was a straight Democratic
ticket, and the other fictitious Republican
ticket, containing the names of James A Gar
field and Chester A. Arthur, but not contain
ing the name OF any Republican Elector,
which of course made them useless The
names of oil the other Republican candidates
were misplaced, so that the negro would read
lily be deseived and his ballot rendered use
less. Each class of tissue ballots contained
Congress. John 5. Richardson. The reg ular
Democratic ticket was printed on thin pink
paper, easily distlngu shed by touch from the
Republican tickets, which were printed on
heavy thick paper with plain backs so marked
that a full l st could be kept. These l69 tissue
ballots having been found in the box, although
they were transparently fraudulent, were re
turned t. the box. and thereupon the mana
gers of tho election proceeded to draw the ex.
cess as the law required they should Go. All
the managers were Democrats, and of the I0s
ballots taken from the box LIZ were Republic
an. As the fraudulent tickets in the box were
Democratic, consequently the liz Republican
tickets taken therefrom was a clean steal, and
that being SO, the Democratic candsdats re-
ceived liz ballots in excess OF those cast for
him. Mr.. Lee therefore claims that instead OF
being ent tied to 6l7 votes he is entitled to 10,
301 votes he is entitled only to 100.
These methods of fraud with some
variations were employed in nearly
every precinct in the district, thus over.
coming a substantial Republican major
ity, and returning in its stead a large
apparent Democratic majority. That
the frauds were premeditated is
shown by the fact that the Democratic
ticket was printed on paper which
made it a comparatively easy thing to
fold tissue ballots in them, while the
Republican tickets were far too heavy
to make that at all easy. Ii is further
shown by the fact that Immediately
previous to the election circulars were
printed and distributed in which the
precinct managers were admonished
not to permit it to be made known what
kind of tickets were drawn from the box.
There is no doubt that the plan was
prearranged and carried out by the
Democratic leaders to nullify the will oi
the people. 1t is these leaders, as well
as their followers, whom Attorney-Gen-
eral Brewster proposes to prosecute and
to whose defense the Charleston NetDS
and Courier and other Democratic pa.
pers spring. 1t is the prosecution Of
such frauds that the South Carolins
Bourbons through their State Executive
Committee solemnly declaim against as
ian unwarrantable invasion of theil
rights" 1t is the perpetrators of these
frauds ''whose only offense," in the
language of the same Committee, sis
fidelity to the welfare of the State. -
The frauds are bad enough but the en-
dorsement of them by the representative
body of the Democracy is worse.-De-
troi Post and Tribune.
John Skae, or johnny" as he
used to be called at champagne suppers,
manipulated Sierra Nevada stock SC
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