The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-08-09
Cheating at the Polls.

The Democratic party in the South is
as determined now to emphasize the
declaration that this is "a white mans
Government" and to give it practical
force and effect, as it was before slavery
was abolished. The eX-slaveholders
are not yet reconciled to the emanci-
patton and enfranchisement of the col
ored race, and they do not mean that
any party shall maintain its supremacy
among them of which the black men
constitute any considerable portion. By
fair means or foul-and usually by the
aid of the latter-they intend that the
colored vote shall be suppressed to the
extent of keeping political control in
their own hands. This fact is well
known to every intelligent man in the
North, and not denied by the candid
men of the South. They admit that
they intend to smother the majority in
those districts where it is against them,
and they seek to justify their illegal
conduct on the ground that they are
better qualified to rule than the blacks,
or the white men who are chosen to rep
resent them.
A few years ago there was good
deal said in the newspapers about " the
Yazoo plan'' of carrying elections,
dates who were not running on the
regular Democratic ticket. The shot
gun policy seemed to work remarkably
well wherever it was tried in Mississip-
pi, where it was first discovered, and it
was adopted by the Democracy of some
of the other Southern States on account
of its simplicity and efficiency. But
after O while murder as q campaign
document fell into disrepute under the
verdict of an indignant public opinion
in the North, and the editor of the
Charleston Courier declared that they
must stop killing negroes, as matter
of policy. To murder a man because
he was about to vote the Republican
ticket was considered rather heroic
treatment, but it servedits purpose, and
helped the Bourbons to succeed at the
polls.
The Legislature of South Carolina, at
its last session, passed a law which was
intended to disfranchise a large ma
jority of the colored vote. The plan is
to have as many ballot-boxes at the
polling places as there are candidates
to be voted for. Each box is labeled
so that if the voter can read he
can tell where to deposit his ballot, and
the boxes for congressman are kept
local candidates are to be cast. If a
vote is deposited in the wrong box it is
not counted. But the law seems to be
defective, and n correspondent of the
Charleston Is. c. NetOs and Courier
points it out. He says that the Registra-
| ton act was passed Ito enable the
whites to carry the election so as to pre-
serve civilization and promote good
government in the States" This is a
very frank confession as to the real in
tention of the trainers of the bill. He
then goes on to complain that for Con-
gressmen there is but one box, ''to find
which the most ignorant voter would
have no trouble" but by that method
1.-the Democrats will only elect Con-
gressmen in those districts where there
| Is a amaiority of white folks" And then
he adds this clincher TO prove the in
efficiency of the Registration act:
The only hope of the South and of the Ma
tional Democracy Is to obtain "a majority IN N
| should fight manfully to carry every Congress
sional district possible, North and South, East
| lima abandon more than one district to the ne
groes. However, IL voters are to be registered
| separate polling place with but one box, every
| illiterate negro will be advertised where to put
his ballot and the State may prepare herself
to see every Congressional district turned over
| to the Republicans in which the negroes have
the numerical majority. This is the true Sc
cret why every negro in South Carolina Is reg
| istering.
This ardent Bourbon correspondent
is unnecessarily alarmed. He ought to
know that the act which he is criricising
was simply passed as an experiment to
cheat the colored people out of their
votes according to law" and that if ii
does not work well in practice the white
Democrats have plenty of resources left.
The Charleston Netos and Courier says,
in commenting upon the new law. that
"the white people of South Carolina are
tied by every consideration of interest
and gratitude to the National Democrat
ic party, and the present Election law
should be modified if it will hinder OF
prevent the election of Democratic Con-
gressmen." Chicago Journal.