The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-10-16
law has been so manipulated that $4,000
Republicans are disfranchised.

arc uiSItAECnl6GU.
The twin brother to the registration
iniquity is the eight ballot box fraud.
The Commissioners and Managers of
Election are Democrats, selected for their
willingness and ability TO serSe their
party successfully. Under the law no
one is allowed to read or explain TO the
voter either of his eight tickets. The
Republican voter has to enter the polling
place alone; he sees behind the boxes
hostile managers eager TO entrap him
into o mistake. They rejoice in his
bewilderment and credulity and often
disgrace themselves in joining in the
leyity of the Democratic bystanders, who
poke fun at and seek TO embarrass the
ignorant and timid but honest aud earn.
estly sincere voter. At come places he
finds the boxes on a revolving table, TO
prevent his acting on information about
their respective locations: at others their
positions are frequently changed, and
innumerable other devices equally detes.
table resorted to to distract and cheat the
voter out Of his purpose to cast an hon.
est ballot. With the Democratic voter,
however, everything is made easy aud
pleasant, especially if they are illiterate.
They find the desired ticket on top of
the appropriate box, and but little heed
is given to the presentation of their Ger.
tihcates. Innumerable instances arc
known in which the Republican voter
has been asked for his certificate for
inspection, and its being returned with
directions to vote it, which through
embarrassment is often done, thus losing
his ballot and disfranchising himself.
These Democratic managers aud by.
ISLANDERS engage in festival Of fun az
they toll on and a,:slssd ii.itelate Repub.
licans and witness thei, mistakes.
The polling places are located in ob.
jectionable and inconvenient places
sometimes at the top of pair of narrow
stairs, sometimes in cellar, and, invari.
ably, whero scrutiny is simpossible. After
the closing of the polls no Republican Is
allowed to witness the count, and under
the laws Of this State, which permit the
excess ballots to be drawn out where the
votes exceed the voters, very carnival
o: crime is perpetrated. And yet those
managers engaged in this pastime of
frlvoiity and iniluity are sworn officers,
who prostitute their sacred Offices and
thus trifle with and nulify the most i'm.
portant rights of citizenship. To such
an extent has this prostitution of sacred
functions been carried on, and so notori-
GUS have been tne frauds and perjury
practiced, that ths public conscience has
bSsa debauoheL and the morals and
minds of the people disbased and famil-
iarized with crime.
franchise every Republican who was
qualified and failed to register in 1882,
and make the presentation of the certifi.
nQfa nf ronfofrafSnn
ing, are not constitutional laws, we call
upon the Government to test the cues.
tion in the Courts.
and we demand that instead of the time
of the Court being consumed with the
trial Of irritating cases not involving the
fraudulent acts of Managers of Election
or tending to establish the conspiracy of
those high in authority sgainst the cleo.
tive franchise, tnat an honest. determined
effort be made to have declared null and
void these obnoxious and partisan laws.
We deuounce the failure of the Demo.
cratic party in this State to keep faith
with the people. The pledges they gave
have been broken and their promises are
uufulflled. The retrenchment guaran.
teed has not been established, and instead
of offices being reduced they have been
increased Id without view to the nnh.
lie good convenience, but to afford an
asylum for some aristocratic citizen or
favored son. Laws have been passed
which we're never intended to be impar.
TALLY enforced-like the Concealed Wea.
pom, the Prohibitory aud the Poll Tax
Acts.
Large appropriations for higher educa.
tion and military training have been
made at the expense of the common
schools, Notwithstanding the last census
shows an illiterate population of 32I,78O
over ten years of age, of which 69,777
are white, being about one.fifth of the
entire white scholastic population of the
State. Republicans have no representa-.
tive upon the Boards of Repatriation or
Election or at the polls, while the State
Board of Canvassers, composed of the
State officers, all of whom are now can.
didates for reelection, have had confer
red upon them judicial powers in matters
of contest and protest. The State has
heea reaistsictsd !. way 10 pn4 t.
shame any gerrymanderiDg scheme
known elsewhere. The polling places
have been increased to accommodate
Democrats, and reduced and put at in
convenient places where 1t will operate
against Republicans. Republicans are
excluded from the Jury boxes, except in
rare instances, and colored teachers are
threatened with dismissal If they take
part in politics. Judicial terrorism
prevails, because the inferior courts are
in the hands Of magistrates who are
active politicians. Where Executive
clemency 10 necessary the sentences Of
Republicans ara committed instead of
free pardons being granted, thus .pe:pe.
trating their disfranchisement. And
when an effort is made through the
United States Court to punish ballot. box
stufing and other political offences, the
Governor directs his prosecuting officers
to defend the criminals, and the Lekisla-
tnre appropriates $4,000 to prevent
conviction.
For these and kindred reasons the
Democrats find themselves brought to q
reckoning and numerically weaker to day
after nearly eight years of power than
they were in 1876 for, besides the utter
failure to break the solid Republican
phalanx, their party has been reduced BY
the withdrawal Of o large number of men
who feel betrayed and are disgusted with
the perfidy, intolerance and misrGle Of
tkogs who; with power 10 do 30 much for
The whole people, have proven false and
Incompetent and become thoroughly
Bonrbonised. = fSsiS 3 1888 ~
The Republicans Of tho State, acting
Ia harmony with the national platform