Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-11-10
stolen virgfaa~.

stolen virgfai~.
The last three years there has been
. sem blance of fair elections held in
Virginia, and this is one OF the reasons
Why the old mother of States has not
been as thoroughly Democratic as other
States farther South, where there would
be larger Republican majorities II fair
elections were held. But, however
fAir Virginia has been in the past, and
by the word fair We only mean it in
. comparative sense, she can be called
fair no longer, since the truth of the
manner in which the late election was
held Virginia stands Is thoroughly bull
doxed ~ South Carolina or Mississippi.
She would have been Republican ard
cast her vote for Blaine at the late
election il she had been permitted to do
%, and there is abundant testimony
that her vote was SO cast but changed
by means Of" sleeping ballot boxes
and other hellish devices to cheat
the people out o. their rights and their
votes.
Mr.. j. s. Clarkson, editor of the
Iowa State Register, who has taken an
active part rs speaker in the late
campaign has been down at Petersburg,
Virginia, since the election, and wri-
ting hume to his paper he let's some
light into the manner in which yir-
ginia was carried for the Democrats.
Under the State law the county Judges
appoint the Judges of election, three
in each precinct. In the strong Re.
publican counties Of Charlotte and
Halifax, the Judges elected by the
Rsadjuster Legislature two years ago
turned to be Democrats and appointed
2 Democraticl politicians and ignorant
and purchasable Republican Judges in
each precinct. The result need not be
told.
cheat the voters, another ingenious
device called " sleeping ballot boxes
appeared for the first time not only
IN these two counties named, but
wherever the Democrats had the ma
jority. These " sleeping" ballot boxes
are not unknown TO some of the people
OF this city who r-collect how four
years ago one was used with such woH-
derful effect in the western precinct oil
the old Third ward, when Patrick
Gardner was inspector. 1t was then
called false ballot box, but the
effect was the same as the Virginia
sleeping ballot box, and 1t is just
possible that the Virginia Democratic
roformers caught the idea from Their
Wilmington brethren with no change
but the name. We would advise the
Wilmington Democrats to protest
against this infringement upon theil
patent.
This sleeping" ballot box was ont
prepared beforehand, extctly like ths
one used by the judges. The ballot,
were put into it in such quantities N
the Democrats desir d to correspond
with the whole vote cast, TO give
show of fairness II was kept conceal
ed during the day in "A vaiise or som
other secret place i'll the polling room
until the polls closed, when it was al
easy matter before the eyes of AN igno
rant, sleepy beaded Rrpublirau judg
10 slip away the right ballot box, an
substitute the " sleeping" box n
United States Supervisors were unie
any circumstances admitted to til
room.
The wonderful potency of the.
d" sleeping" boxes was shown in I'll
vote cast end counted. Charloti
County, with Republican majority ,
500. came out with a Democratic IN;
iority of 800. and Halifax. with 800 r.
pu blican majority. kent company viii
Charlotte with 500 Democratic major
ty. Another favorite device of the
reform Democrats was to receive u
ballots through windows 40 nigh tn
voters could not see the ballot boxe
They saw their ballots taken III AZ II
vindow. Init thew could not see the
go iuto The ballot boxes Tissue bailo
were al-o used in large numbers L
Democrats.
By these means the Democrats man
factured n gain of over 2.snO vote
more than half the majority they clai
in the State. In addition to these ne,
OILS. another very successful mode of ,
LAYING the voters was employed I
~, an was To object to Republican vote
and no other vot. was receiv.a mn
1,,at vote Was decided. IN one ward
R;chmo.,d 374 colored men stood
lin. with ballots in their hands r.a
IN vote when the polls closed. Uni,
States District ATTORNEY Wadd-ll "a
that over Il. 600 colored men in ti.a ~.
were deprived of their votes by :
Milan.
The statutes of VIRGINIA uerD,it =.
Sva o;tizens IN form tbemselv,s ipta
ca,nm;ttaa 10 .x.m;,a tho r..,;..
,;st and nnroe II of all an .ne,.
z,a.,rs upd.r mi. nr;v ;l,,e Da,
rr.,io .ommi,,ses strnrk OF -. n.,u
81 ,housands of soIorad nsrrbI,,
srs ~ -, 81