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

law has been so manipulated that 10000
Republicans are disfranchised.
The twin brother to the registro ton
iniquity is the eight ballot box fraud.
The Commissioners and Managers OF
Election are Democrats, selected for their
willingness and ability to serve 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 a mistake. They rejoice in bis
bewilderment and credulity and often
disgrace themselves in joining in the
levity of the Democratic bystanders, who
poke fun at and seek to embarrass the
ignorant and timid but honest and earn
estly sincere voter. At some places he
finds the boxes on 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 and
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.
tiicates. 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 and by
ISLANDERS engage in a festival of fun as
they toll on and mislead illiterate Repub.
licans and witness their mistakes.
The polling places are located in OBJ
iectionable and inconvenient places
sometimes at the top of pair of narrow
stairs, sometimes in cellar, and, invari-
ably, where scrutiny is isimpossible. 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
of crime is perpetrated. And yet those
managers engaged in this pastime of
frivolity and iniquity are sworn officers,
who prostitute their sacred Offices and
thus trife 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 80 notori-
GUS have been the frauds and perjury
practiced, that the public conscience has
been debauched and the morals and
minds of the people disbased and famil-
iarized with crime.
Holding that laws which utterly dis
franchise every Republican who was
qualified and failed to register in 1882,
and make the presentation of the certifi.
cate of registration prerequisite to vot.
ing, are not constitutional laws, we call
upon the Government to test the ques-
ton in the Courts.
This is q matter of vital moment to us,
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 against the elec.
tive franchise, that an honest, determined
effort be made to have declared null and
void these obnoxious and partisan laws.
: We deuounce the failure nf the Demo.
cratic party in this State to keep faith
with the people. The pledges they gave
have been broken and their promises are
untul6lled. The retreuchment guaran.
teed has not been established, and instead
of Offices being reduced they have been
increased and without a view to the pub
lie good or convenience, but to afford an
asylum for some aristocratic citizen or
favored son. Laws have been passed
which were never intended to be impair.
TALLY enforced-like the Concealed Wea.
pom, the Prohibitory and 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 ;lliterate population of 32l,780
over ten years of age, of which 59,777
are white, being about one-fifth of the
entire white scholastic population of the
State. Republicans have no representa-:
tive upon the Boards of Registration 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
been redistricted in way to put to
shame any gerrymandering scheme
known elsewhere. The polling places
have been increased to accommodate
Democrats, and reduced and put at in
convenient places where it 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 is necessary the sentences of
Republicans are commuted instead of
free pardons being granted, thus perpe..
trating their disfranchisement. And
when an effort is made through the
United States Court to punish ballot. box
stufing and other political offenses, the
Governor directs his prosecuting officers
to defend the criminals, and the Legisla-
ture appropriates $4,000 to prevent
conviction.
For these and kindred reasons the
Democrats find themselves brought to a
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 large number of men
who feel betrayed and are disgusted with
the perfdy, intolerance and misrule of
those who, with power to do so much for
the whole people, have proven false and
incompetent and become thoroughly
Bourbonized.
The Republicans of the State, acting
in harmony with the national platform
~ I