National Republican., 1882-11-30
A VIGOROUS PROTEST
TO THE GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA
Against the Issuance OF Certificate OF Election
10 Charles N. shelley-wholcsaic, Out.
rhgeous, and Glariug Frauds on
the Ballot.Box Exposed.

W tau tlhce oi congressman in the Forty eighth
Congress Of tho United States from the fourth dis.
trict OF the State OF Alabama, on the grounds fol-
lowing viz
The fourth Congressional district OF Alabama
consists OF the counties of Dallas, Perry Hale,
wilcox, ana Lowndes, and tho last census reports
show that In said district there about 1000 or
5000 white male citizens over the age of 81 years.
ana 2eel9 culored male citizens over the Age of 81
years ana II ls generally conceded that there arc
not 2OJ eolored Democrats in said district and but
few w9ites who arc Republicans.
clnlm, as the Republican nominee for men,
Der OF the Forty-e ghth Congress, that in the
county of Dallas the honest returns Of the election
OF the 9TH OF November Will show that received,
ns against said Shelly, between $500 and 1000
majority OF votes cast ut said election in said
county that OF the 1900 white votes IN said county
ne uld not receive excee ling 500 and of the 1000
colored votes he did not receive exceeding Ten.
a, claim that as such candidate, received In
the county OF Wilcox ut said election 1858 majority
Of the votes cast by the qualified electors Oi said
county, and that OF the entire 1000 or 5000
III saiu county said Shelley only received 40 votes
claim that III the county of Lowndes received
between $500 ind 5000 majority Of the votes cast
Mt snid election by the qualified electors Of said
county, ana that not twolhirds Of the votes even
OF ne DsmoCrditc party OF said county were polled
for said Shelly.
l claim that in the counties of Perry and Hale
the majority OF votes polled for at said election
far exceeded said Shelley's entire vote In said
counties.
claim that fraud was intended by said Shelly
and his paltisans from the beginning and con-
summated, us is hereinafter shown; that although
the laws Of Alabama. entitle each political party
TO one half the election officers appointed at each
box, and although carefully selected list of in.
telligent aud fair minded men, resident voters of
the several precincts and members OF the Repub
lican party, was submitted to the probate
Judge of Dallas County. who is the pre-.
biding officer of the board that makes such
appointments, with The request that from such
list selections be made of inspectors and other
officers of election for said county. Instead of
making such selections said request was con-
tcmptuously refused, and in nearly every pre-.
C1uCt where the Dolls were opened by the Demo-
Gratis, two of Shelley's parisans were selected as
inspectors and in order to appear to obey the law
with reference TO giving the Republicans purt
of the election officers, Il colorod man was
lected to act with thcm and in most instances
the most ignorant man to be found in the pre-
cinct, one who could neither read nor write or
who was completely under the control of the
other inspectors. The said selecting board never
published list of the election officers aud when
the presiding officer was requested to furnish
list or TO permit me to examine 1t i'll his Office, he
replied that ne did not have f. was not required
to keep 1t, and did not know who the election
officers were.
Hon. &C. NJ shelley's partlsans and political man
ored men not to vote, and knowing that would
poll large white us well us all the coored vote
Of Of the District fell upon the plan Of not opening
cincs In each county. At the precincts so opened
by the said partisans in nearly every instance the
most iingrant frauds were committed to effect
said Shelleyis election; for instance, at the city
OF selma, before the polls We're opened l ex;
amined the boxes; and in the wooden box !
found small and frail tin box, aiterward used,
or one like IL used to deposit the ballots in some
paper and blanks for election, and package OF
between three ana five hundred ballots, all hav-
ing Charles NJ. Shelley's name printed on them for
the Forty. eighth Congress. l called my attorney
and the sheriff of the county, and showed them
the tickets and the sheriff said the boxes were
lust as delivered to him by the probate judge
The inspectors appointed at this box were ]. L.
Perkins, Cornelius Young and CASTOR Robbins
Perkins and Young refused TO act, and Robbins
chose as INSPECTORS to fill their places white
m n hnr Crr ftph, has hun in
dicted for election irauds) and an ignorant negro
boy who is the hosiler and driver for the Hook
saa aads sss msas up o q 5 "ps psan
The foreman OF said company, who is also
the the son aI0, Of the laid probate Judge and
nn active and bitter partisan of said Shelley. and
who had complete control of said colored in
spector. was himself made one of the clerks said
box.
The returns of this box made by said officers
showed that 1,257 votes had been polled. Most oil
their names enrolled by J. S. D!ggs, esq. Ia Repub.
lican lawyer Of thus city, before casting their
woes, anu in addition to to this they put duplicate
comparing them in MIR. Diggss presence. Mr..
Diggs hal enrolled GA names of thosc voting for
fore him were seized by Mr. Frank Pettus, a son
Of General f. w. Petlus and the now seer. tary OF
the chieijuslice Of Alabama, and torn into small
pieces and thrown upon the ground. Alter this
lheie was no attempt made to keep list but
count OF those voting for me Was kept by Hon. K.
VI. htyllOluS, WuO TSpOltcu lOU 10 PERSONS VINO
so yot, d for me after said occurrence, making my
vote from S24 to $50 ut said bJx of colored votes
beside at least hity whites who voted for me, and
yet when this box was opened ana counted
Charles NJ Shelley was given cut OF said 257 votes
m0j0rity Of 553 pOtes.
1.-THE Valley Creek precinct, in said county
am prepared to prove BY the voters who kept dn.
picates OF tine tickets voted that poled i2U votes
ind that Q. N. Shelley only poled2 20 votes at said
Rgers allowed Ill votes and Shelly the balance;
and at huntsville and woodlawn precincts. IN
said county, like frauds were committed. All the
boxes opened by the partisans OF said Shelly were
counted. and all counted against me except one
the Marion Junction box) Five six polling
places out Of thirty in said county were opened by
;he said officers appointed aforesaid. Under
the laws of Alabama any three qualified citizens
Of any precinct have the right to open the polls If
The officers appointed fail refuse to do SO.
Many of the boxes LETT unopened by them said
ofiicers) were opened by other citizens, and at
sa
carded and thrown aside, and on the most friyo-
lous grounds For Instance, az Mitchelrs pre-
tinct the white inspectors failed to open the polls
A colored man who mad been appointed and Two
Dther qualified electors Of the precinct went to
the house where the election was last held in said
precinct TO open the polls, but finding it closed
Ind locked they repaired 10 another house about
100 yards from the first named ana opened the
polls, and the vote stood 3U7 for Craig and
nothing for Shelley. When this box was brought
before The returning board II was thrown out and
not counted on 'ns & testimony OF s,n man named
held at The proper place, and on cross-examina-
Hon he acknowledged that the house was in his
Sro.her's charge, was locked and he did not know
Who had he Rev on fhe day et election. This action
IF the returning board was without warrant of
law, as no particular place is specified in any
precinct outside the precinct IN which the
;our- house is situated and Vale Creek precinct,
1t which the election shall be held and especially
Is mol MarshAlls 3 store mentor ed in the statute
At Summerfeld, In SAID county, the eolored man
appointed by saiu bohro as one OF the inspectors,
icing the olly officer who appeared, selected two
Mason, the former sheriff of this county, who had
been heretofore indicted BY the United States
grand jury for election frauds, and whose repula-
aon IN that regard is enyied BY all tine new con-
yerts To that doctrine. The electors asked the
privilege OF voting. but these inspectors, with
accord, began to make excuses there was no
ink the pens were lost; nothing 10 write names
pi voters with, &C., unlil the time within which
we'll nigh out wien the Republicans opened the
polls at another place IN the same village and
began to vote. After 1t was made known to the
managers al the first box that this was done they
Permitted the voting to go on atbox No. L, At lhis
box Shelley polled forty votes, and / polled one
ySe ss other st il IS,ss s0a1d Snd
counted his box No. /, and refused to count the
b containing my votes on the ground that
aud no one appointed by them was at the other
box, and yet (Pences beat or preclncD where re-
ceived at the box presided over by similarly ap-
other box managed as mine was at SUM
merield. Doth boxes were discarded. have
YOU may understand the drift of the gem
eral action OF said court of f,ta sort, aud wnat
WAS done In the county of Dallas was,
as believe and charge, only preconcerted plan
ia hroughout the district, and the same course was
pursued, with sll0A variations, in the other coun-
ties such as throwing out the boxes lecause no
resisIration iist was in them, or because some
we're opened before o'clock, while others were
iii own out because the polls opened after o'clock
ar because poll-list was not signed by inspectors
or fnspectors names not signed exactly where
ibo board thought they ought 10 be on the returns
Whether this was vile conspiracy 10 defeat the
nFt EXPRESSED at the DOLE not the
eject is Inc same; for their rights have been dis.
regarded lin many of these instances) in the most
feckless manner These facts, aud the statements
Insde about tnem so far as they relate to the con-
d,acf ~ me reiurnlnR board and the testimony