The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-05-05
-FnAup IN.ELECrIONs- -.

Il only requires. a holly contested cleo
ton case to open the eyes Of the unsus-
pecting citizens to the frauds that are now
adsys practiced with such shamelessness
and on such an extensive scale in the exer-
else Of the right Of suffrage. Good citizens
imagine commonly that the judges OF cleo
tons are always on the alert, that voters are
honest, and that outside of the great cities
at least. the result of elections, as the count
of the ballots determines. is a fair aud sa'
isfactory one and the proper expression OF
the will of the people in the premises. As
we before remarked, botly contested
election case invariably shows how incoi-
rect such views are. The investigation
that has been proceeding for two or three
days in this city is a case in
point, and has its lessons. With
out assuming or caring even to pass upon
the merits of the controversy in question,
we feel we can safely say that the evidence
as drawn out so far is not only startling,
but discloses an amount of illegal voting
and fraud upon the election machinery Of
the state that is disgraceful in the extreme.
The frauds and illegal votes were not con-
fined to either side, nor was either side in
the contest responsible for much II any that
was wrong, but men stepped upon the wit
ness stand, white and colored, by the dozen
almost, who coolly and shamelessly con-
fessed to voting when they clearly had no
right to do so, and who admitted that they
had been doing the same thing over and
over again for years. Men who lived out
side the city and who had no property in
terests therein; men who had not been in
the state a year; men who lived In an
other ward from the one in which they
voted, and others with equally as little
right to vote confessed TO having cast their
ballots in the Second Ward, for first one
candidate and then another. Many did 1t
innocently, thinking they could vote, and
vote in one place AS well us another; many
were utterly indifferent as to whether they
had the right TO vote or not, and many
again voted, knowing at the time that they
ought not to. Notwithstanding the fact
that they were cautioned against crminat-
ing themselves, they proceete to ell what
they knew with perfect sang fold. The
fact discloses two very regretlul features,
indifference AVID ignorance IN the exercise
of the first and dearest right
of the citizen, the right of suffrage;
and Indifference as to the confession of the
violation of the law. This, too, was merely
in municipal election, and in only one out
of the four wards of the city. Reasoning
by analogy wo may safely infer that the
same frauds, the same disreputable prac-
tees occurred in other wards and have been
occurring constantly heretofore in other
elections. 1t is a'disclosure that cannot but
grieve every right thinking citizen, and it
is an ugly commentary upon the honesty
OF many voters and the vigilance with
which the election laws OF the state are
watched and enforced, In most cases the
majority Is so large that nothing further is
ever heard of the election, and ifthe pres
ent case will serve to call attention to an
evil of an extremely important character
and prevent recurrence Of the
same kind of trouble in the iu-
ture, 1t is exceedingly fortunate
that the votes were so evenly divided be-
tween Messrs. GREENLAw and SrELLMAN
The matter to be determined by those who
Judge of the merits of such cases is not that
there were fraudulent votes cast, or that
either party practiced fraud, but which OF
the candidates received the highest number
of legal votes. This the mayor and council
In the present case will, of course, decide
from all the testimony before them, and are
the only proper persons TO pass upon the
merits Of the controversy, The facts dis
closed, however, by the investigation in
progress are of the most reprehensible and
shameful kind, and tho cheek ana unheard
of indifference to public opinion and right
and wrong that enabled men to sit upon the
witness stand and confess to u long series OF
the grossest frauds In elections, canno,
be too severely criticized. But particularly
must be condemned the want of watchiul.
ness and caution in the officers and judges
OF election, who permit such things 10 occur
right under their noses. The statutes of
the state and ordinances of the city are
sufficiently explicit and comprehensive,
ample enough In every respect to prevent
illegal voting, II the officers of the law will
but enforce them vigorously, and the fact
that illegal voting does occur in II city of
no larger proportions than Dallas, is II
severe reflection upon those whose especial
and sworn duty it is to enforce the law.
We trust that such shameful practices as
those disclosed by tho testimony in this
aldermanic contest will not be permitted
again in the city of Dallas at anytime, or
in any election, and that the present case
may arouse attention to the matter and
emphasize the necessity for greater care
and watchfulness in the future.